Rappel from Angel Falls part 2 extreme experience. It’s morning again. Instinctively and imperceptibly, one after the other, we turn our gaze to the swaying sun. Some are afraid of inexperience, but one by one, we all gladly enter into a common greeting to the same sun, on whose will our whole endeavor depends. We collect the tents, tighten the equipment, put the backpacks on our backs. One last look at the bivouac. We leave the place as pristine as it was when we arrived.
The king of tepui greets us and disappears into the abyss. The first rope is down. The leader has determined our order and is now ninety meters below us. I have yet to hear my name seventeen times in the next two days. The terrain is absolutely vertical and there is no chance that he will even approach a helicopter to take you away if you break or allow something to happen to you if you act outside the instructions for action and safety. At such a time, it is important to have focus. The only mantra in my mind is “step – let go (the rope)”. Step – let go, step – let go …. meter after meter down the rope …. I stop … I look at the rainbows embracing Angel Falls. I get lost in my pettiness before the majesty of nature. Feeling is the only gratitude of happiness.
How to Rappel from Angel Falls part 2
I reach the first platform, which is essentially a narrow relative plane on the rock, and in order to gather all thirteen people on it, we must stand upright, each on his backpack or on one leg. I receive the most coveted and warm hug from Henry. Happiness will come later. When we are down, the ropes are collected and the only thing that reminds us of what we have done is the view of the full-length waterfall on the other side of the river, our muddy clothes and sparkling eyes. It’s already night. The only light is from the helmet, which rests on the helmet and whose beam you have to trust in order not to lose orientation. The sites that line up are so small that we can’t even wait to get together.
It is as dark as a horn, and the last ropes of the day pass through rocks, free descent into the air without any support, trees, vines and protruding stakes, which make movement even more difficult. I stumble, I get entangled, branches splash over my face as they please and I squeeze my eyelids so that they don’t tear out my eyes … my backpack, which hangs between my thighs, fastened at my waist with a huge carabiner, is constantly entangled in someone growth on the track, it’s raining …. sometimes I lose the safety rope, which should lead my way, so as not to move too far left or right, I have to untangle the rope on which I move, because it was thrown into the dark is entangled in the branches of a thorny tree … I don’t stop.
Interesting facts for Angel Falls
I do not want and I have no right. Night and sleep under the open sky on the rocks, and on the side of the precipices and do not move plastered in the sleeping bag from fatigue and fear of rolling into nothingness while sleeping. New day. The sun peeks out from above, and Angel’s rainbows grin at each other in a morning greeting. One by one we open our eyes and with shock we realize where the night has found us. Our water ran out somewhere on the road yesterday.
Breakfast is heavily improvised with canned food and leftovers from the previous days, but it is our first meal since the previous morning, if anyone has ever eaten like humans, given all our adrenaline. You eat and don’t even look at what you put in your mouth. The important thing is that there is some food and it is enough for everyone. Absolute sharing and care for each other. Categories that are scarce in our “civilized” daily life.
Passage with all the combat equipment downhill through trees and bushes that have grown vigorously, undisturbed by human presence and animals, simply because in these places, except for hummingbirds, butterflies and small blood-sucking insects, no other fauna is observed. And since we have not hung in the trees for forty minutes, but are moving on solid ground under our feet, the courage and sense of humor return sharply and the tension from the next rappelling gives way to wild laughter and nonsense. So to the first rope of the day.
More unprecedented obstacles along the way … more impossible movements and actions …. it’s night again …. last rappelling … That’s it! I became the first European to go the whole abseiling route of Angel – the highest waterfall in the world. But this is not important at the moment, I do not even mention this fact to myself. Awareness will come later in the coming days.
We collect all the equipment, fold the equipment and tighten up for a new journey. From here down we must be inseparable together so as not to get lost in the darkness. Not just darkness. The darkness of the vertical jungle. There is no path. The descent is vertical. But there are no ropes here. Neither to show the way, nor to secure, nor to help you not to fight on the slippery mud of the vertical.
Of course, everyone carries a backpack with all their luggage on their backs. All of us are starting to miss the rappels, and quite noticeably. With help, additional motivation and great support from our neighbors (yes, we are now our neighbors) after more than three hours of walking on this absurd terrain, we are on the banks of the river Churum.
Our emotions have long since passed their critical point and our beings have landed to the most ordinary (or unusual) delight at the sight of fried chicken, rice and Pepsi Cola. The most delicious dinner of ten happy crazy enthusiasts who will never be the same again. This is how you get to Venezuela and go down the rappelling from Angel Falls, you just have to have a good and crazy friend, even two are needed for more adrenaline ….