Vertical Retraction

Ground level at night was too exposed. I left the shelter of the drainage grate and targeted an ascent back to elevation. Running parallel along the exterior brick wall, a vertical cast iron downspout offered an ideal conduit. I leaped, wrapping fingers and inner boots around the rusted cylindrical pipe. Metal flakes scraped against my palms, but the anchor held. Hand over hand, I hauled upward in swift, measured pulls until reaching the horizontal support bracket five feet above the alley floor. Perched on the iron band with my back to the brick, the damp lane below sits completely within my sightlines. Ground recon complete for tonight. High ground reclaimed.