A Personal Narrative: Hikinging Up A Mountain

I almost fell off a cliff on the side of a mountain. I was in Pitkin, Colorado, on a camping trip during the summer of 2009. The trees were green, the air was fresh so were the lakes, rivers, and ponds were stocked with fish and wildlife was everywhere. Usually, on these camping trips, I would be accompanied by a large number of people. However, this time, it was just my parents, my three brothers, and my two sisters. I was almost 12 years old at the time and having three older brothers made me very competitive. Naturally, when my family decided to climb one of the mountain’s which were around us, I wanted to be the first one to reach its peak.

After the first day of setting up camp, going fishing and doing all sorts of other activities, we started to prepare for hiking up the mountain the next day. Climbing the mountain was nothing new for us, we have gone up the same mountain every year we habe been camping in Pitkin. The following morning was perfect, there was almost no wind, a few clouds, and a good temperature. I was feeling great and looking

Terrified, looking back toward the edge of the cliff, I was less than two yards from falling over the edge, less than two yards from being seriously injured or even dead. Needless to say, after that, I took it very slow afterwards and made sure every step I took was solid. We eventually made it to the top just before my other siblings arrived. It’s fairly easy for me to go charging into something without thinking about my actions or the consequences. I have found that it is much more difficult to stop, consider the options and find all of the facts. Patience’s is not an easy thing to put into practice, it is something that takes time. Over time I grew more patient and more understanding of situations and people, which has helped me in both my job and in my everyday