As the first evening in Altai neared an end, our enthusiastic group proceeded to the river located conveniently close to the camp. Our delighted chatter disrupted the eery silence of the forest that surrounded the paved path. The exhaustion after the prolonged, stuffy flight seemed entirely displaced at the thought of the adventures that lay ahead of us, not knowing that an adventure was very close indeed. We approached the exquisite riverbank of the Katun River. At that moment the atmosphere became significantly more adventurous. My friends and I weren’t prepared to swim in the water that was rumored to be astonishingly cold. I shuddered simply at the thought of entering the freezing water. My feet beginning to lose sense as I stood barefoot, on the rocks.  Instead we walked towards the jagged rocks on the river bank. We then decided that it would be a perfect location for a group selfie.

Cautiously we walked on the jagged rocks, sharp like knife blades,  that would soon prove to be extremely slippery. The rock that we decided would be the perfect location, with the best view of the river and mountains, was very small indeed. The three of us chatty and persevering friends attempted to fit on the miniscule rock. With a mixture of sharp elbowing and dangerously chaotic shoving we found it genuinely challenging to gather on this rock.  This was until I spotted a perfectly sized rock that would fit us all comfortably and have an even better view of the mountains and river. The journey to the rock, however, wasn’t simple at all, in fact it included stepping on a very very smooth rock partially submerged under the fast flowing current of the river. One of us had shirked at the idea of an attempt to reach the rock, and slunk back to the safety of the shore. Us two more courageous ones decided it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for such a brilliant photo, that it simply couldn’t be missed.

The first few steps towards the submerged rock were challenging, but not impossible. We faced the final two steps of the difficult journey. I offered my friend to lead the way as I would hold her hand tightly. She took her first step, and the moment her foot touched the cold rock she slipped backwards. As if in slow motion I attempted to prevent her from falling into the water. My attempt failed as I plunged into the ice cold river. My scream pierced the silence as a struggled to pull myself out of the water that was so cold, I sensed the feeling in my toes float away along with the frigid water. Fully clothed, it was increasingly difficult to get out of the fast flowing river. I pulled myself out first and helped my friend do the same. The fact that we were fully clothed made it no easier to keep ourselves warm out of the water. Overwhelmed by shock and the temperature of the water we climbed to the shore, shivering.

In a shocking stumble, we rushed along the winding path through the dense forest that stood like giants looming over us. Shivering uncontrollably our bare feet smacked the paved cement of the path as we jogged back to our cold cabins. The thought of a banya warmed my mind, and enlightened the situation we were in. As we approached at the door of our cabin we caught our breaths and laughed together. The most sensible of my friends laughed the hardest of all and was greatly thankful that she did not follow our poor leadership. My fingers fumbled as I attempted to unlock the flimsy lock of our log cabin, as my fingers tingled, so numb I could no longer feel them. As soon as we burst through the entrance we frantically searched for our towels.

The fact that we were soaked from head to toe, would be an excellent reason to be miserable . However, this was a trip that would be entirely unique, and a memory like this one would never be forgotten. In fact, we could either have a memory that would be preferred to never be thought of, or instead a memory that would be remembered with a laugh. So, instead we laughed at our lack of common sense and shared our incident with the other students. A memory like this one would always be commemorated with a smile. As expected, our trip to Altai resulted in being one of the best trips ever.

Although my lack of common sense resulted in me falling into the river, it will be a memory that will not be forgotten along with Altai’s incredibly natural scenery.  It  will always be a memory that will be remembered of with a laugh. Although our risks may bring failure, even failure is capable of bringing good memories.