This was our second attempt at Looking Glass Rock. The first time, the wind shoved us off the first pitch. As we packed our gear in defeat, a man appeared from behind the east fin. He began pulling baby rattlesnakes from the cracks with a bent wire hanger and taking photos.
I like to come by and check on how they’re growing. Most people don’t even know they’re here.
There were no snakes this time. Just the desert quiet and the occasional blaze of wind across the plains. Three sandy, slabby pitches, following a straight line of bolts winking silver in the sun. There was an odd trio of bolts at the summit that fooled us for a moment before we spotted the real rappel station.
Cheeky bastards, Matt said. We have to drop through the keyhole to get down. They say the route was first climbed by local cowboys.
I watched as he slipped through the opening. Listened as he reached the ground. I was ready before his yell (I’m down!) stopped echoing in the vast church-like amphitheater. My turn.
The trick to a free hanging rappel is to stay still. Steady your breath. Keep a firm hand on the rope. Be deliberate. Slow. Calm. There’s a grace to lowering your body through hundreds of feet of open air. Don’t look down — look through the porthole on your left. Blue sky. Endless scrub and sagebrush. As you drop lower, concentrate on the grit of sand and slight burning of rope in your palm and a primitive sense of ownership. The desert is immense, but you conquered this part of it.