Devil’s Gulch Ranch Camp
By Charlie Castillo, White Hill Middle School, 6th Grade
I decided to rappel off of the tower at the top of the vineyard. While pondering my decision, I dashed over to Brian King, the man who taught me the art of rappelling, to ask him if I could rappel the tower? He said, “Yes.” We hopped into the truck and drove over to the vineyard. When we got there, Andy, another kid and I played tag in the vineyard. Brian climbed up to the top so that we would be belayed from both the top and the bottom. When Brian yelled down to me, “CHARLIE, YOUR TURN!” we both lurched to an immediate halt. We looked up at the eighty feet of metal and paint. I looked around and gave Andy a look that said, “I’ll see you in heaven.” Iris checked my trusty black diamond harness and helmet, tied the safety rope onto the harness, I got an okay from Iris and Brian, I took a big gulp, and started climbing on the scrawny metal pegs to the top. “WHOA!” I gasped over my breathing, “That was long.” I was climbing towards the very top, where there stood a cage like structure. After ten minutes, which seemed like three years, I clambered onto the platform. Brian was waiting there for me. He rigged me up for the rappel down. “On Belay,” he calmly said for me, Iris yelled back “Belay on.” I felt the tension she put on the static rope. Brian patiently asked “Are you ready?” In a trembling voice I said, “Rappelling.” Iris returned, “Rappel on.” She gave me back control of the static rope, yet knowing that if I made a mistake both Iris and Brian would stop my descent. I inched my way off the platform. As trained, I let the rope slip through the figure eight controlling my speed as I lowered myself to the ground below. It was the best feeling too! When I got to the ground I yelled to Andy, “YES! I DID IT!” Just another day at Devil’s Gulch Ranch.