I pulled out another box with several more files of maps and brochures. I'll sort them before I donate them, and since these aren't an endowed gift, the chances of someone organizing them any time soon are slim to none, unless I do it myself. Which I might, with their guidance.

I taught mountaineering for several years after taking a Mountaineer's class myself, and spent several years climbing in the North Cascades. I relocated to NYC to take a job that was an interpretive historian ranger position out at Ellis, back before it had been restored and we pretty much had the run of the place. The park had a rope and I had the harnesses and gear so I taught several how to rappel.

It was the classic case of the first time down was the hardest, and everyone wanted to do it again after that. I scouted around and found a wall that didn't have any windows for people to plunge through on the back side of this building. If you look at the gray ornamental top, that's all nickel. Beneath that is a limestone ledge topping the brick wall. Then a step down, so to speak, is a small balcony on each side, before you get to the longest stretch of rooftop. We were on the little balcony, walking down the back of this building. Not that there was much call for rappelling at Ellis or the Statue, but it was a skill that interested my fellow rangers. We had to stay out of sight of the ferry and the public, so we wouldn't alarm anyone.

SRS