Waterfalls, by Ellie

Standing on the stairs above the first waterfall, I finally unclenched my hands from the railing and prepared for one of the most exciting things to happen in my life. We all had butterflies, especially watching another group of kayakers disappear over the drop. Becca was the first to go down the waterslide, then me, and then Maggie. The feeling of going down the slide was indescribable. Just before going down the first one, I remember deep breathing, concentrating on where to go, and the thought of what I was about to get myself into. While going down I wanted to scream and squeal because I was having so much fun. I lifted my paddle above my head and before I knew it, I was on the surface absolutely elated. After conquering one waterfall, I felt like I could do anything. Of course, running the next six waterfalls I was definitely nervous, but I had so much confidence that it didn’t really matter. We scouted each one, so we all knew what to expect, but each one was different and after each one I felt so exhilarated. The best part of the day was definitely looking back at all of the waterfalls that we just did; their beauty was unfathomable and the feeling of accomplishment was irreplaceable. I was able to test myself, push my limits just before going down each one which has made me a stronger person altogether. I will never forget how proud I was of myself and everyone else while looking back behind us at the water cascading down. The only question I had about running the waterfalls was whether I wanted to jump off them, or run them in my kayak. I will never forget the feeling of nervousness before running them, suspense while watching my friends go down, accomplishment and pride looking back at what we had just down, and of course, excitement and exhilaration while going down each waterfall. The confidence this trip, along with the seven waterfalls, has instilled in me will last a lifetime, and my memories will too.