Appreciation post: My close call with a slab of loose shale
I was checking out a creek bed for cool rocks last week. I put my hand on what looked like a firm shale layer. Suddenly, a big piece cracked off and fell right where I was standing. It scared me bad, and I almost got hit. Now I look for any splits or weak spots before I touch anything. You should always give rocks a good look over from a safe distance. A quick check could save you from a nasty surprise.
Man, my buddy once forgot to set his parking brake on a hill. He was just running into a store for a minute. Came back to find his car had rolled into a shopping cart corral. Somehow it only dented the bumper, but it could have been way worse. He still gets teased about it at gatherings. That was a solid lesson in not cutting corners.