Darwin grasped the rope and stepped onto the ledge. He adjusted into a slight squat with his knees bent into the wall to keep his center of gravity on the ledge. The curved ceiling put his face right against the wall. He could just see his foot placements on the ledge. It was not as bad as he thought. The ledge varied between half to a full shoe length.

​

He reached the first anchor and unclipped the first carabiner on the Y with his left hand and reclipped it past the anchor. He stretched across his face to move the second when he felt himself going backwards. He quickly thrust his left hand out wide and grabbed the rope. His heart pounded. He could feel it in his temples where the helmet squeezed. Breathe. Breathe.

​

“You’re all right, Darwin,” said Eyrún. “Deep breaths. The ropes won’t let you go anywhere.”

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He closed his eyes and sucked in deep belly breaths. His heart rate settled.

​

“Try using your left hand to move the left carabiner and your right hand to move the right carabiner. You’ll have better balance,” she said.

​

“Okay,” said Darwin. He moved his right hand in from its wide position and unclipped and reattached the right side of the Y. He moved easier and clipped around the next two anchor points. Two more to go, he thought. Also, the ledge widened about three meters from his current position.

​

“My legs are killing me!” he shouted. “Ahhh.”

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“Zac! Can you help him?” yelled Eyrún.

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“Darwin,” said Zac. “Let’s give your legs a rest. Put your arms out wide on the rope … Yeah, that’s right. Now sag down until your body weight is on your arms … Good, just rest a minute.”

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“Ugh, that’s better,” said Darwin, trying to focus on the diamonds inches from his face.

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“You’re almost here. When you get to the shelf, it will be easier. Let me know when you’re ready,” said Zac.

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Darwin waited another half minute, then said, “I’m ready.”

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“Okay. Push up with your legs. Put only a quarter of your body weight on your arms.”

Darwin moved back to a standing position. A crack rang out and his legs shot out from under him. The ledge under his feet had snapped and two large chunks tumbled into the hole. His body dropped, hands slipping off the rope. A sharp pop sounded as the anchor broke from the wall, causing the rope to twang like a bowstring.

​

The bungee in the Y harness lessened the force on Darwin, but not enough to prevent the wall anchor from breaking free. He dropped to the left as the carabiners holding him slid down the loosened rope. He ducked just as his head reached the wider shelf and his helmet made a sickening thud, snapping his head back on impact.