Pictures

Us waiting waiting for the plane

Switzerlands main government building

The swiss national bank

Behind the main government building

Cathedral in Bern

Caillers Chocolate Factory 

Village of Gruyeres

Hedgehog we found in the Gruyeres courtyard

Spiez Castle

My favorite picture that I took

Ferden

The Ramp......

oeschinen lake

Alex and Stadtler

Stresa

Local Painter

Gardens in the Palace

Lunch in Italy

Weird tree we found

Home sweet home and Italy

Yesterday we got home. Some stopped in London so weren't on our flight.  We arrived at about 3:30 after a 9 hour flight. We went through customs which took about a half hour and got greeted by all the parents on the other side.
Italy was tons of fun. We started the day by waking up really early and walking to the train station. We got on the train to Brig and then went from Brig to Stresa. Once in Stresa we decided to go to Isola Bella before swimming in the afternoon. We took a boat out to the tiny island village that had a palace and a garden. We toured the palace and gardens and then walked around Isola Bella getting a terrific lunch which was a platter of seafood pasta. We took the boat back to the main land and went swimming Stadtler, Alex, Kevin, and I went to a Gelato place after the swimming. We got back on the train to Kandersteg around 7.

Our Final Days

Today the group did Via Ferrata and the Adventure Park in Adelboden. Via Ferrata is when you climb up a cliff using little metal poles that are cemented in. I heard that the Via Ferrata was difficult but worth it. Alex used Skyrim as a motivation to not give up. No one wanted to go to the Adventure Park because it was wet and disgusting, but we went anyways and had fun zipping across a river for 3 hours. Tomorrow we go to Italy so this is probably the last post here in Switzerland. I will post pictures and stuff about the plane and Italy when I get home.

More Hiking

For the past 3 days we have been hiking. Some people took off Wednesday for a climbing day but after that everyone was hiking. The 3 day hike started in Mürren. Our group was Alex, Stadtler, Kevin, Daniel, and Myself, not including adults. We went from there to Rotstockhutte; spent the night; went to Gspaltenhornhutte where we ate lunch; then went over a glacier and made the final ascent to Blümeslisalphutte. Today we came down from Blümeslisalphutte to Oeschinensee Lake; took a dip; and continued down to the tobogganing. After that we took the gondola down to camp. I have no idea what the other hikes were like. Gavin, Max, and Charlie went to Gemmipass. The Mr.Youmans did the snow and ice combo while the Mrs. Youmans did the Frudenhutte hike.  

Hiking

Yesterday and today we all went hiking overnight. The dragons and Sean went on the Frudenhütte Hike. Kevin, Ofelia, The Mrs.Youmans, and Myself went on the Hockenhorn Hike. Alex, Stadtler, The Mr.Youmans, and the Mr.Whites went on the Honerhütte Hike. Our hike was fun and tiring but had really good views. The hut had really good food and real beds. This is our last post for 3 days.  

Rafting, Rafting, and More Rafting

Today we woke up at the not-so-early time of 6:30AM to eat breakfast and leave for rafting. We all got on a train and went to our seperate rivers. Easy rafting went to the Aare River, medium rafting went to the Simme River, and experienced rafting went to the Lutschine River. Me, Stadtler, Kevin, and Mr. and Mrs. Youmans went to the hard rafting. Once there, we got on our wetsuits and gear and drove to the rapids. We recieved a demonstration and safety talk before departing, then started down the river toward the lake. We were met with large rapids and had to duck down in order to not flip or fall out. To navigate the river, our guide gave orders to paddle and to not to keep us safe. Although he was experienced, one person in our raft fell out and was pulled to our boat by Mr.Youmans. After she was safely in the raft, we continued down without any complications except having a great time. Near the end, the river emptied into a lake so the rapids died down and it was smooth sailing from there. We paddled to the shore of the lake, got out, and rode to our starting place to return our gear. Stadtler also bought some hiking boots for the hikes we would go on later in the week. We got to the train station and either bought or ate our lunch before heading back to Kandersteg.

Canyoning

Today Troop 1018 woke up on the early side (4:30 AM supposedly). We all woke up to the voice of Mr. White and the sound of the rain at 5:30ish. Some peoples tents flooded which caused some commotion. We got to the train station just as the train pulled in. We all punched our tickets and sprinted onto the train. We went to Frutigen then got on another train in Spiez and then got onto another train to Interlacken. Once in Interlacken we took a bus to Outdoor Interlacken where we got our wetsuit, boots, jacket, lifevest, and helmets that had crude names. The advanced group took a bus to a cliff where we repelled 150 feet down into the canyon. We made our way through the canyon starting of with a five foot jump into the rudely awakening water. Our group had our troop, 3 Australian girls, and one other guy. Our biggest jump was 9 meters. At one point we had to take a zipline, let go, and freefall into the water from about 20 feet. Stadtler tried to do a backflip off the zipline but ended up landing on his face. We walked out of the canyon and then took off the wetsuits which was rather difficult and ate a picnic. I have no idea how any of the other groups went because the ultimate group is not back and the beginners didn't tell us. Pictures will be online from the canyoning on facebook if you look up Outdoor Interlacken.    

Thun and yesterday

Today a small group including myself went to the town of Thun. On our way there we stopped in Speiz to tour a castle. We then got back on the train and went the rest of the way to Thun. Thun is a town right on the Aare river, it's partially on an island and part is also on the banks of the split in the river. We walked around, looked in some shops, and got told why it is not ok to jump into a river (yes this is where Jimmy dove of the bridge). We then got some food and headed back to camp. The other scouts either had a free day or did the same high ropes and crate stacking as yesterday.

Ropes, Hikes, and Crates.

Today some scouts went on a hike and some scouts went crate stacking and to the high ropes course. Heather Youmans went on the hike and said, "Today, I hiked the Eiger Trail and had to eat a quick breakfast to catch the bus. We then took a train to the Top of Europe (Europe's highest railway station). It was so breath-takingly beautiful and we took so many pictures at the Sphinx (the very top). Inside the Ice Palace, we had fun slidding all over the floor. My mom hiked so slowly that the 3 of us had to take a train to Grund. We just had time to have some amazing pizza before getting on the bus back to Kandersteg." Gavin <3 his family (Gavin told me to do that). Anyways, crate stacking was fun. Bryan won with 24. Stadtler lost with a score of 7. We then went to the high ropes course where we ziplined, walked over obstacles, and flew through trees. Bryan and Stadtler were the only two to successfully finish all 5 levels.

Cheese and Chocolate

Today we woke up at 6:45 after staying up for about 33 hours. Wasn't fun. we made lunch and then went to breakfast. Some scouts went on the Chocolate and Cheese tour while others went on the Cheesery hike. Kevin and I went on the chocolate and cheese tour. Our group rolled out at about 8am. We had to take a 2 hour bus ride through the mountains on very windy, gut-wretching turns. We went into the Gruyére cheesery and went on a weird tour where we listened to a bipolar cow named Cherry who talks about her life and plant-cravings to you. Then Cherry sent us to the cellar to watch cheese age. After we left we went to the chocolate factory. Before we went in, we ate lunch and played on the playground. We went on a tour which showed us the history of chocolate. We saw a conveyor belt that made candy. Finally, we entered the taste testing room where we could indulge ourselves on anything. We bought stuff at the gift shop and then went to the village of Gruyére. There we toured/explored a castle. We then departed back to camp. We didn't go on the cheesery hike but we interviewed those who did. The beginning of the eaisiest hike in camp was easy. It was cloudy on the way up so they didn't see much. With them, they had a guide from Nepal. Unfortunatley Stadtler did not have hiking boots so he borrowed a pair that eventually broke. They walked past a Monestary so they could not speak. Eventually they reached the hard, steep part which challenged them. At the top there was a farm where they enjoyed free cheese and fresh milk. They also saw a rabbit, goat, dog, chicken, and a cat. They bought cheese before they left. On the way down the Sun came out and they saw awesome views as they walked down toward camp. Back at camp, some scouts went to the swimming pool but Kevin and I ventured out to one of the waterfalls: we got soaked. Quote of the day is: Max "Hey Gavin do you want to be my buddy?" Gavin: "Sure... Letdown!!!" Sorry if there is bad grammar we only get 30 minutes.

Here Safe and Sound

Troop 1018 has safely landed in Zurich at 7:33 or 1:33 your time. The flight was good overall and was on time. Security on the other hand not so much. Other than the big tent stake fiasco the rest of the airport stuff was fine. Once in Zurich I has the quote of the day which was "Hey! That was my first pee in Switzerland." After that we went to Migros, the grocerey store and got some snacky lunch things.Then we got on a train and went to Bern. Since we had all of our stuff we had to find a place to put it. We ended up at a locker place where a movie was being shot call "The Bakery". The director asked if he could use us as background actors in a cut scene. After the Hollywood in Switzerland awesomeness we started to actually see the city. We started with a great view of the city as we walked around the capital building. Switzerland doesn't have much crime so can essentially walk into their Government buildings. After seeing those buildings we went into a cathedral and got in an absolutely awesome view of Bern. By that time we were hungry and thirsty, so we walked and got some water from the legit fountains (not pushing buttons). We finished the day in Bern with fresh fruit. Finally we arrived in camp and schooled the Scottish in soccer.