Waterfalls

Fumbling down the rocks under grey weeping skies, I wondered why I agreed to partake in such a dangerous hike. My hands slid against grit with each grasp as we made our way down to the bank of a large river. Em stood at the sides of the river, water licking up at her feet. A waterfall formed over a steep ledge to the left. Too loud to speak, she pointed across the river, stepped in, and started to swim across.

I could feel the icy glacier water numbing my body before I even stepped in. I should not have followed, but against better judgement, I jumped in and swam against the current to the other side. My breath was short and crisp, as I kicked harshly, as to not go over the ledge. When I came to the other side, I gripped hard onto sharp rocks and pulled myself up. Em was already drying off.

"We are going to camp here for the night," She said, "then head back tomorrow".

In the morning, we watched as the river was roaring more than it was yesterday. I could feel anxiety slowly start to creep up my chest. From the other side, we could see another hiker. A man in his 30's with old backpacking gear on his back. He had thick dark hair on most of the exposed surfaces of his body. We watched silently as he pulled his pack around and stepped into the water, intending to swim across.

I all of a sudden felt too vast in the world and wanted nothing more than to be away from this river, somewhere small and cozy. Somewhere with walls to hold me.

The man struggled against the current. His head bobbed up and down and I was worried for him. His fighting wasn't enough. He wasn't going to make it. And within seconds of that thought, we watched him go over the ledge of waterfall.

I ran over to the edge and peered down. I estimated the waterfall was about ten feet, survivable if the conditions are right. The man surfaced, cream colored water whipped up around him. He crashed into some rocks, but still appeared to be conscious.

I felt an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety. No control. I wasn't the one in the water, but I knew we would have to cross at some point.