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My Trail Research Paper

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The most impactful event of my life occurred near the end of my 8th grade year. My sister and I attended a middle school that was at the top of the hill in our town. Since, we lived only a short distance from the bottom of the hill, we decided we would just walk home everyday instead of riding the bus. I had done a fair amount of hiking and backpacking before this point, which led to me thinking that paved roads were boring. I soon learned that by cutting across the hillside we could get home faster and it would be more enjoyable. The “trail” I ultimately decided to use was not by any means safe. Furthermore, it would only get worse. Apparently, the trail was controlled by a group of boys that were very territorial about “their” trail. A …show more content…

After their threats failed, the traps began appearing on the trail. Someone was untying the ropes from their previous anchors and instead weakening the knot or hiding them in brushes to give the appearance of being functional. This nearly led to a joyless plummet down the hillside that would undoubtedly have ended in serious injury. Luckily, for the most part, I am a cautious person and did not immediately trust the ropes with my full body weight. Furthermore, sections of the trail semi-required you to run in order to keep for footing and balance while traversing them. The boys began constructing makeshift barricades across the trail in hopes of making us lose our footing, trip, and fall down one of the steeper parts of the trail. After a day or two of this, I should have realized the situation was dangerous. However, I seriously underestimated the will of the opposing group and thought being defiant and ignoring them was the best path of action. I did not inform any authorities of the situation or my parents. No authorities because I misjudged the situation and no parents because they would not have approved of the trail were it sans

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