Have you ever had the feeling of dropping something and having the fear of looking at it, because you were afraid to see what had happened? Well, on last week’s trip to Gorno-Altaysk, I had an experience that was even worse.

During the trip, one of the most exhausting activities that we did was a 15 km, never-ending hike that seemed to last for a century. The ground beneath the thick layer of mud and grass felt frozen. The cold, brisk but fresh air entered my lungs. I stepped over fallen branches, wild horse and cow poop. There was no trail to follow or mark the way, only a path that lead to nothingness, through a forest that doesn't seem to have an end.

As we were approaching the destination point of our hike, we had to cross a stream by …show more content…
As I eventually, scrambled to the sandy shore, I threw all my stuff on the ground, tried to pour out the water from my shoes, but the boots had already absorbed the water. I put them down and remembered that I was wearing 3 pairs of pants that day. This was my luck. I, despite the fact that I was soaking wet, finally felt relieved. So, I took off my sweatpants and my leggings, and stuffed them in my backpack. I was left wearing only one of the three pairs.

I could feel the weight of my water-logged pants that made my bag even heavier. Next I put on my shoes feeling the dampness soak into my bare feet. I knew that I still had to go forward, I had to finish this hike. The desire of getting back on the warm, dry, cozy bus was killing me.

Feeling all grossed out, all wet, tired, I followed the group and with every step my backpack seemed to get heavier and heavier. And when we finally got back to the bus, more than an hour later, I ran to get to sit down, to feel the warmth inside the bus. It was as if all the cold and weariness simply disappeared and I finally felt like I achieved something, I had overcome what I couldn’t do, my