There we were. We got off the bus and rushed barefoot to the beach. The pine needles dug and bored through our feet as we got down to the river sight. I knew this was going to be an unforgettable journey. We put on our colored gear and hopped on the boats. So there we were, five big red spots in the middle of a turquoise river. The trees around us were tall, and their edges were spiky. There were small wooden cabins hidden by the woods. Tall mountains surrounded us. The sound of the river under the raft was loud, but it was relaxing. “1,2,1,2,1,2”, there was a loud voice in the thin Altain air. The paddles splashed in the water, as laughter came from each boat. Splash wars were going on in the boats, and occasionally there were loud, roaring screams.“Stop it, I’m cold!”

I slowly removed the ropes from my feet. Every raft had ropes connecting one side to the other. We had to put our feet under those ropes. It was painful because the rope was tight and it cut through my rafting shoes. I slowly stood up making sure I don’t slip off the edge. I dipped my paddle deep into the water, and then with all of the power that was left in my hands I yanked the paddle up. The water flung up, like a catapult. The people on the other boat froze, and looked at me in surprise after I had shot the water that strong.

The rafts were big and the people on my raft were amusing. We had six students, and two teachers. We were fast, too fast. We withdrew rapidly and took the lead, but after a while we found out that being in the front was boring, as we didn’t have anyone to splash. We waited for the other boats , let them get in front of us, splashed them, laughed, had fun, and kept going.

We paddled for a while, having fun within the boat, while chattering with each other. I was still thinking that I had to make the best out of this day, it was supposed to me the one to remember. Then we spotted the other two rafts. They were like two bright red spots, like the bright red buoys they have at beaches to keep everyone within the area. We were behind a big red spot. We got closer and closer, paddling with a rhythm, the two numbers were ringing in my head, 1,2,1,2!

We were close now. “Attack!” Someone shouted, and the war was on. Ms. Zimmerman started pulling someone into our boat, and someone from the other side did the same. Suddenly, two people dove on our boat. One jumped from his to ours, and the other one swam and then managed to get on by himself, like a monkey. The two people screeched into our ears. They yelled it’s war! They started swinging their hands around viciously. Their hands were swinging like vines, from side to side and around as they cut through the wind, making a hissing sound. We all realized that hey were about to push us off and I instantly ducked onto the bottom of the boat. The bottom of the boat, was wet from the rapids we had just gotten through, and the ropes reaching across from side to side cut thought my knees. I felt like blood must be spilling from them. The arms above me stopped their hissing sound, but I decided to keep my head low, in case of a collision.Then, Ms. Smith had managed to pull the other person into the boat, and he was furious. There was chaos all around, and it didn’t seem to end.
I decided to get up. I put my head up, like a periscope on a submarine. I peeked around, the chaos and war was still on. The other boat had managed to steal one of us. I got up and sat back down on the bright red side of the raft. I looked at my friend’s face and saw his red face. The sun was beating down his and my face.The heat was blazing through my life jacket suit. There was sweat dripping down my cheek, slowly, one drop and a time. My waterproof pants made no difference in the sun, except for attracting it even more. It was so hot, that one of my peers faces had turned red. My back wanted to break through the five layers that I had on and escape. The furious person was now standing. My eyes couldn’t focus on anyone, just the river. The only thing I could think at that moment was, “I wish I was a little cooler”. Then a hand emerged towards my face, and without me understanding what had just happened, “flap”, the hand had just hit my face. There was a slight sting on my right cheek. The hand came again a second time and this time hit my chest. It was a little stronger than before, and it hit me like a baseball when it flaps in your mit. I didn’t know what had just occurred I was in complete surprise. Without even realizing, I was going into the river face first.

The river felt icy, and frigid. It gave me chills that started in my skull and travelled all the way down to my feet, which stung like a knife was driving through them. My toes felt slight pinching, but I ignored it and kept going. The water was so cold that I wondered how it hadn’t turned into ice yet. The chills down my back now grew, and my hair stood on edge. I got goose bumps all over my body. My right arm started going a little numb, and I was in complete pain. My eyes glanced around the river, and the stabbing on my toes was now even stronger than before. I realized that my rafting shoes had fallen off, and that I was barefoot. I couldn’t move, I was petrified. My chest tightened making it hard for me to breathe. What was I supposed to tell my parents about my shoes when I got back home? I thought. This was a scary situation, I wondered if I could ever look back and be able to smirk and giggle about this day.  All of these thoughts and feelings went through my head in mere seconds, and were interrupted by a loud voice. “There they are!” Yelled a girl from the other raft and without even thinking she hopped into the river. My chest tightened even further making it impossible for me to breathe now. The other girl swam through the river, like it was no big deal. I guess the goose bumps and the chills on her back didn’t affect her as much as they affected me. She returned my shoes with a gentle smile and then swam to her boat.
Forcing my arm to work, I threw my shoes into my raft with all of the power that was left in me. No one’s attention was on me. Everybody was paying attention to the war, and the other people going down that nobody looked at me. I felt like I was completely alone in a deserted area, with no sign of life around me. I was so scared, it felt like I would never get through this. Then a glare shot across me, but never stopped to look at me. His eyes met mine in the middle of the river, and then he nodded, as he understood what I was trying to do. He snatched me from the armpits. My armpits were in great pain, despite the fact that my arms were still stinging, and that my right arm was numb, my arms ached more than ever. My arms felt like they were about to tear off of my body. I felt like the boy pulling me up, would only end up with my arms, and the rest of my body would still be in the river. Yet, I held on, I gave it all of the power that I had left in me, and used it to get on the Raft. As soon and he pulled me in I fell on the wet floor with all of my wight. I felt foolish coming in like this, but atleast I was out of the arctic river.

When I got my breath back, I sat on the edge of the raft trying to catch my breath. My teeth were trembling, and my arms were throbbing. Mr. Wolf glanced over at me and asked if I was ok, but I simply nodded, I didn't have any power to do anything else. Once I caught my breath I glanced around. I saw the expression on my friends faces. Only now, they had realized what I had gone through as they flooded to me like a flock of birds asking if I was alright. This time, I said yes, and that we should keep going. Well I was right, this was a day to remember, and I sure will. I looked back at my friends faces, the worry had faded away, but I still wanted to calm them down. “Hey, at least now I have a good story to tell!” I said with a broad smile. We all laughed, and inside I knew that even though that moment was scary, I could always look back and smile. I knew that this was an important lesson because I realized that I can’t keep being afraid, and that it is important for someone to be able to look back and reflect on a situation. Also to be able to make a good joke about it, to show that it was not that’s it’s not always that bad. Lunch was only a few minutes away and I could hear my stomach growling, and I think the other people could because they gave me a bizarre stare.