Chapter 3: WalesI’m now level with the tree canopy, branches within grasping distance. I’m managing a steady if jolting descent and the ground is visibly closer. But I falter at the edge of the arch. In a moment, I’ll be dangling. Don’t think, just move. I drop…swing. Thoroughly unnerved, I grip the rope and squeal.
“It’s okay,” calls the instructor. “This is the fun bit.”
“I worried about that bit too,” cries Anika, “but it’s fine, honestly.”
Despite being a novice and having a spinal injury, Anika made abseiling look easy. She didn’t flinch when she set off and continued to slide smoothly to the ground as if she’d done it all her life. Anika tackled abseiling with the same gusto she uses for all life’s challenges—head-on with a smile on her face. She’s amazing, a force to be reckoned
