The adventure of a lifetime! As our high adventure camp for 2006, Troop 1018 spent almost two weeks at the Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Kandersteg, Switzerland. During the course of our visit we enjoyed the company of fellow Scouts from 20 different countries and packed in enough adventure for several camps. Join us on a journey through our time in the Alps.
For those interested in reading about
our trip to Switzerland, the Kandersteg Blog is at:
http://1018kanderblog.blogspot.com/
More pictures --> Page 2 (Pictures around the camp)
Page 4 (Bunderspitz Hike; Chocolate and Cheese Factory Tour)
Page 5 (High Ropes; Doldenhorn Hütte)
Page 6 (Canoeing, Canyoning, Zermatt, Swiss Nat'l Day; return to US)
Decked out in international neckerchiefs the crew awaits the departure call.
We're in Switzerland! On the train to Bern
Looking for food. Looking for something . . .
Boy Scout tourists admiring the Cathedral A gazillion steps later, we're at the top of the bell tower overlooking Bern
On the bell tower Mr. White contemplates our next move.
Waiting for the clock to ring. The clock
One of the many fountains. Street scene in Bern
Troop 1018 arrives in Kandersteg (at last)!
Just a short mile long hike from the train station to the camp . . . The Kandersteg International Scout Centre (at last!)
Setting up camp The dining hall
Welcome to the manly art of "crate stacking". As you can see, the idea is to stack the crates while climbing on them. Expert crate stackers (and 1018, of course, had a few of them!) built a tower of 21 crates (the max).
Getting strapped in the harness The stack of crates grows . . .
. . . and grows . . . . . . and grows
Matt "rides the wild crates"
We began our Sunday with a religious service -- one group went to the Catholic church downtown, the remainder to a short service we had for ourselves at the camp's outdoor chapel.
After lunch one group headed up into the mountains for the "glacier workshop". We spent the night in the Fründenhütte -- an Alpine hut at an altitude of 2562 meters. The hut warden had dinner ready when we arrived and following dinner everyone walked around outside enjoying the spectacular view. The next morning we were up early and out on the glacier behind the Fründenhütte learning about hiking on the glacier, "personal arrest" (stopping yourself from sliding down the glacier), crossing a crevasse, glacier rescue (getting someone out of a crevasse if they fall in), and having a snowball fight in July.
Ready to start the hike up . . . . . . and up
. . . and up . . . . . . and up . . .
We're at the hut!!
Dinner!
Mountain rescue (well, sort of) The view from the top
Troop 1018 in the Swiss Alps! Hamish the Haggis was also spending the night at the hut
Gearing up for the glacier Up on the glacier
Glacier "school" - hut is in the background
Hiking across the glacier on crampons Learning how to arrest a fall
"Rescue" from a crevasse
Glacier "experts" Donny (from Texas) and Dennis (from the Netherlands) - our guides
Heading back down
Almost there Nice cool swim in an Alpine lake -- requirement for the high adventure award
More pictures --> Page 2 (Pictures around the camp)