TWELVE

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL

BLACK HILLS REGION, SOUTH DAKOTA

 

 

 

 

 

SARAH DISCOVERED THE SUMMIT thoughtlessly littered with discarded water bottles, candy wrappers, and cigarette butts.

So, what if it isn’t a view few others ever get a chance to see, Sarah lamented. Her nine hundred forty-three Instagram followers would never know the difference.

What started as a difficult ascent had turned gradually into a modestly challenging climb, switchbacks leading to the top of the outcrop over steps as measured as if laid down by a stonemason’s hand. Though one false move could still get you impaled on the jagged rocks below, as Rangers hadn’t posted signs warning of Danger! Keep Out! Risk of Imminent Death! Sarah imagined it unlikely.

Walking to the precipice, Sarah turned her back to the Presidents. Extending her iPhone at arm’s length, she smiled. Holding the phone in landscape view, Sarah stood for a first shot aligned at the right cheek of George Washington. For the next photo, she aligned herself to the left of Honest Abe Lincoln. Sarah snapped a half dozen more pictures from different angles for good measure. With only a few minor edits, she posted the pictures to Instagram, awaiting the inevitable flood of Likes.