A Dangerous Edge Research Paper

A Beautiful View, a Dangerous Edge “There are some places along the rim without railings…” “A bunch of tourists die here every year while taking selfies, be careful!” “Don’t walk and look at the same time: watch where you place your feet…” The warnings from our train conductor, bus driver, and tour guide hovered at the forefront of my mind as we approached our first view of the Grand Canyon. I could not tell if the lack of oxygen was my slight fear or my asthma acting up from the altitude, though it could have been both. The excitement and curiosity was built up in my system from the first three days my family spent before going directly to the canyon. I attempted to calm my breathing and concentrated on the landscape outside my window. The vegetation altered slightly every other minute, from tall, spiny pine trees to stocky, bushy ones. Whenever I travel to new places, I always take note of the similarities and differences between it and what I am used to. The mountain style landscape set up had its own unique feel and clean look. I suppose that must be because …show more content…
The timing happened to be perfect: the sunset had just begun, casting the red and orange clay in a golden overcast glow. I moved to take out my phone to take a picture, only to see a blank, dark screen. I froze. My timer alarm for me to go back to the tour bus might have already gone off without me knowing. I nervously started walking back to the parking lot with a brisk pace. I frustratingly hit my home button on my phone a couple times. I had no ability to even check the time, either. Just as I made it out to the parking lot, a loud honking sound startled me. I half jumped and looked to see my family outside a filled tour bus that was currently honking very loudly. I jogged over to them with a sheepish look and held up my dead Iphone. “Sorry, my phone died and I couldn’t keep track of time after that…” I