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Chad led them up the side of the mountain to the point where they would leave their ATVs and hike up to the top of the ridge.
They parked the four-wheelers and divvied up the rappelling equipment. The two men slung the coils of heavy ropes over their shoulders. Dezi carried the harnesses, gloves and carabiners. Again, Chad led the way.
Dezi impressed Grimm by keeping up with their guide on the steep trail. By the time they reached the top, they were all sweating, even though the air was cooler than at the bottom of the trail.
Dezi dropped to the ground, breathing hard, her face flushed. “I really need to up my exercise regimen.”
Grimm frowned. “We could’ve stopped to rest along the way. All you had to do was let us know you needed a break.”
“No way was I going to slow you two down.” She nodded toward Chad. “But I will rest while you two marathoners set up the ropes for the next thrilling part of our day.”
Grimm chuckled. “I think you’ll like rappelling…once you get over the edge.”
“So you say.” She grimaced. “I’m beginning to dread the edge.”
Chad laughed. “You’ll be okay. We’ll help you.”
“Damn right, you will.” She sat with her legs crossed, her back against a rock, muttering, “I should be mixing up a batch of Crème Brulé, not hoofing it up the side of a mountain trying to keep up with two long-legged men.”
Grimm loved Dezi’s spirit and sense of humor. There wasn’t much he didn’t love about her.
Within a few short minutes, the ropes were secured.
Grimm slipped into his harness and helped Dezi into hers, desire flaring with every touch.
Chad performed a safety check of their equipment and made sure the harnesses were snug without being uncomfortable. The last item of equipment was their gloves. Once they’d pulled them on, their guide deemed them ready. He attached his carabiner to the rope and positioned himself on the edge of the drop-off.
He showed Dezi how to hold the rope loosely with her left hand and how to hold it behind her in her right hand. “To let yourself go down, move the left arm, holding the rope out to the side. To slow your descent, bring the rope toward the middle of your back.”
Chad demonstrated several times and then showed her how to ease herself over the edge by sitting in an L shape with her legs in front of her and her knees bent. “I’m going to go down through the Needle’s Eye first. It has some twists through the rocks. I need to position the rope to go through them. Grimm is experienced and can talk you down. I’ll be the belay man below. I can slow your descent or even bring you to a complete stop if we need to. You’re not going to plummet to the rocks below.”
Dezi laughed nervously. “Glad to hear that. Did I mention that I’m afraid of heights? That’s why I’m a chef, not a lineman for the electric company.”
Grimm placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “You don’t have to do this.”
Dezi squared her shoulders. “I want to. Don’t mind me if I rattle on about cooking or my second choice of being an electric company lineman. It’s what I do when I’m absolutely terrified.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’ll be okay. Let’s just do this and get it over with.”
Chad gave them a thumbs-up and bounded off the side of the cliff.
Dezi gasped and leaned over the edge to watch the guide’s descent.
He let the rope slip through the ring and his gloved hand in twenty-foot lengths as he swung back to the cliff wall, his feet making contact, his knees bending deeply, and then he was bounding out again. He did this until he reached the first bend in the rock formation and a platform that gave him a good stopping point. He unclipped his harness from the main rope and yelled, “On belay!”
Grimm looked at Dezi. “You’re next. Ready?”
She nodded and stepped close to the edge.
Grimm hooked the rope into her carabiner, pulled it tight, and then nodded. “Test your brakes. Hold the rope out to let yourself go down. Pull it behind your back to slow or stop.”
She held the rope with her right hand and followed along with his instructions. “Out goes faster; in goes slower. Got it.”
“Now, lean back over the edge until you’re in an L-shaped sitting position, letting a little rope out at a time until you’re there.”
She did as he instructed, moving painfully slow until she was in the L position.
“Now walk down the side of the cliff, letting a little rope out at a time,” Grimm said. “You’re already past the hard part. You made it over the edge.”
“Sure. But that’s a long way down.” Her voice shook, and she held on tightly to the rope in her left hand as well as her right.
