Note how I’m leaning into the fence. My fear of heights caused me to do that. I was thinking about what would happen if I took two steps forward. Knowing that those would be my final two steps was enough to make me use the fence as a mental crutch. Yes, being close to the edge was scary.

As usual, my photographic assistant, Joe Tripod, was absolutely still while holding my camera. His sense of calm gave me the confidence to stand so close to the edge.

The undulating, shadowy terrain in front of me is a deep side canyon of Salt Wash. Delicate Arch is just out of view to the left, a mile (1.6km) away). The view is to the southeast. This was the turn-around point of my first hike to the precipice of Salt Wash canyon.

That small black thing in the air is a bird.