Our one-day trip to the Valley of Death wasn't supposed to be something unforgettable. But at the end it was.
Not because of the valley itself. Of course, it's stunning and I enjoyed the views, but it was closer to be called nice or even amazing, clearly wasn't enough for unforgettable.
And not because of unbelievably cute arctic ground squirrels, that were absolutely everywhere around us.
We enjoyed it all and it was worth to visit it in any case, but the most important thing happened on our way back.
The milky white fog fell down just in a moment and it was all we can see. No forests, no mountains, no cliffs and no canyons. The fog was all we can see.
And there were three of us trapped in it. The newly appointed ranger, who had obvious problems with navigation and a GPS tracker with empty battery. A girl volunteer, who was already a little exhausted. And me. And no way to contact anyone – mobile phones don't work there and we didn't have a radio.
Long story short: we survived. But we got lost and there were nervous four hours before we got back to the ranger station. At some point I thought we would have to spend the cold night somewhere in this fog surrounded by invisible bears. But we found a way.
And this situation made me feel a bit different about myself. I hate to compliment myself and I don't know how to explain it the right way, but I loved the way I behaved in a critical situation. I didn't know I could do that.
Of course, there were no real, strong danger. We weren't trapped in some ice cave or something, but it was stressful. And sometimes the rest of our group started to behave a little unreasonable, trying to separate to find the right way, blaming others or asking to have some rest and boil a cup of tea when the daytime was running out and the darkness was coming right at us. And we managed to solve it all without any serious conflict (even though I guess sometimes they hated me).
And this – everything what happened on our way back – was what made this day absolutely unforgettable.
They say, Kamchatka always tests you. And teaches you. So, this was a lesson I absolutely loved. And the test I hope I passed.
Ooh that all sounds quite stressful, sounds like you need to be the leader. I’m fascinated to see the Arctic ground squirrels! Amazing looking landscape in this shot
