Metaphorical Cliff Narrative

Generally, a wrong turn is a bad thing. There are many possible consequences, almost always resulting in a struggle to overcome a metaphorical cliff. Or in my case, a literal cliff. A wrong turn resulted in two thousand feet of seventy degree incline. However, sometimes the alternative results in a much better experience than what had been planned. After five days and fifty miles of backpacking with eleven other boy scouts through a rough New Mexican landscape, we were finally on the last stretch, but we still had one more mountain to climb, the Tooth of Time. After a five mile walk to the base of the mountain, it was supposed to take an hour to reach the top, and slightly less to get back down. So after an early rise to reach our destination on time, we set off to finish the job.
We woke at 3:00 AM, somehow both exhausted and excited. The hike down was fairly easy. By 6:00 AM, we reached the reached the base of the …show more content…
It was extremely steep, with large rocks, trees, and cacti littered around any path we tried to take. After only a few minutes, we had completely lost the trail, and we were constantly trying to follow any small opening that vaguely looked like a path. The conditions were awful; the trail was exposed to the sun, the heat beat down on my back, and every step triggered a jolt of pain from my blistered foot and a fear of dropping down several hundred feet. We did not realize it until later, but we had strayed far off the trail. There was supposed to be a better path up through a section of the ridge with a gentler incline, but somehow we lost the trail near the base. Instead of climbing the safer, easier path, we climbed directly up the side of the mountain. It was the best climb of my life. Every step unleashed a new view of the massive mountain range clashing with clear plains to the side. It was incredible. The hike provided challenges I had never faced before, coupled with astonishing views, and for that I am