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1st Daviot Oldmeldrum Scouts <oldmeldrum-scouts>

"Be Prepared... Be Very Prepared"

	MONDAY - THE AFTERMATH!	513 dagen geleden
	Keith here. I wholly agree with Mike's comment on the hard work of the leadership team and nobody did more then Mike himself - superb job Mike. Whilst being targeted by some KLM cabin crew, armed with a mirror to look under the kilts, the three members from our flight ALL said the same about the behaviour of the Scouts (oh, and the leaders of course) so I would like to add my thanks to everyone for being excellent ambassadors of Scouting. One of the fascinating things about being a leader is seeing the youngsters grow up, and in most (but not all) cases mature into young men and women and it is often even noticable during a week at camp. This was again seen during this trip, which gave the young people a huge opportunity to have the freedom, under sufficient supervision, to undertake challenges that they may never get the opportunity to do again. These challenges are both mental and physical. The chance was also there to mix with people from around 25 nationalities and I applaud those that did integarate with others and this will have added to the enjoyment and benefit of this style of trip - well done. To the Scouts, apologies if the leaders were a bit stressed yesterday. It is very nerve racking looking after other people's children and we take that very seriously. Keeping 38 people together in the right place at the right time is difficult enough without some of the obstacles that were put in our way. To the parents and youngsters who thanked us at the end - I thank you for the courtesy. It makes the whole thing worthwhile. To those that didn't - well .., I'm sure you meant to.... As one of the older leaders, in terms of Scouting experience - not age you understand - I was proud of the way the leaders went about the whole camp from start to finish. No wonder Scouting has such a proud and fantastic heritage when there are people like you out there willing to give up so much of your time to help young people have such an opportunity - thank you all Keith.
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	SUNDAY - DAY 9	513 dagen geleden
	For those of you still reading this we finally got back to Aberdeen just before 11pm after a long, tiring and very stressful traveling day not helped by a final delay in departing Amsterdam when a mechanical problem occurred literally as we were waiting to begin our take off run from the start of the runway. A pat-on-the-back for all the youngsters came from a passenger (involved in teaching) who was on the final flight leg from Amsterdam to Aberdeen and who (in the baggage collection hall) complimented Terry on the good behaviour of our group which - considering they had been traveling virtually without a break since midday - was very well deserved so well done and thank you to you all for that. Although everyone (we think) had a great week, we were all looking forward more or less to getting home. Physically the camp was very demanding. We had neither the benefits of indoor hotel/hostel accommodation, nor the "comforts" we can normally bring to our own camps such as cooking gear, camp tables & chairs and various gadgets etc. We travelled light (though our tents are not!) which meant leaving a lot of things behind. Consequently we spent more time than normal in the full outdoors and on our feet. The Scouts and Explorers however coped with all this remarkably well and it was the penultimate day before we had even our first case of homesickness and even that was very minor indeed and quickly resolved. Speaking for the Scouts I think they should be very pleased with what they achieved and I'm sure Mike would agree for the Explorers. We all scattered quite quickly last night, anxious no doubt to jump in the bath and to relieve those aches and pains with one - or several - glasses of well-deserved "executive reward" but if I may close this Swiss Blog with a sincere thanks to the leadership team for the incredible amount of hard work they put in to running this camp (all taking time off out of their own holiday allowances I hasten to add) and for delivering this experience for our youngsters.
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	SATURDAY - DAY 8	515 dagen geleden
	Terry's group got back to camp safely, although very tired. They had met Mike's group on their way down. Terry had told everyone that the mountain hut was warm - the second group didn't agree. Terry asked who had helped weigh down his rucsac - nobody admited guilt. Someone had put a rock (Chris had 2 rocks) in the rucsac and these two poor chaps had to struggle up hte hill with the extra weight - not happy! Never mind, they made light of the matter (pardon the pun) by making their very own cairn. After a long slog up to 1930 metres in the wet, they were all soaked, in fact drenched. The got shown round the hut - which was VERY basic to say the least. The smelt the toilet before they saw it! And believe me it wasn't the cow dung. Everyone dried off and tried to get warmed up and this was helped by the girls doing the cooking (sexist eh). It has to be said that the catering at the centre isn't great and it is ironic that the food here was the best of the camp so far - well done the girls. There was a Belgian group there and there was a little interaction between them and we received some Belgian sausage. Unfortunately we coudn't recipricate as we had already eaten our mince. We retired to bed, which was a slab of foam rubber, and two army blankets. Terry's idea of warmth is obviously different form ours as we were awake frequently during the night, looking for more blankets (or stealing from those who were asleep)! Up at 7, basic breakfast and making lunch - ham and cheese sandwiches for a change! - yummy, yummy. Then it was on to the slopes and on with the gear. It started off with fairly simple bouldering to get warmed up then it was followed by 5 progressively more difficult climbs in different locations. The weather was fantastic for climbing and we managed 7 hours in total, before then setting off back down to Kantersteg. We could now see how far and steep we were climbing on the first day, where we couldn't on the way up because of the mist and low cloud. Maybe just as well mind you or we maybe wouldn't have gone up in the first place! Mike and Nick finally hobbled in and brought up the tail end, getting back at about 5pm only to be dismayed at the sight of the scouts going off to play football - oh to be young again! The Older Group (Explorers) set off on Thursday morning at 0730 for their snow and ice climbing. They were told it was a 20 minute walk to the cable car and then a short walk to the mountain hut - humph`! The first bit was right but after the cable car it was a 4.5 hour hike over 10km up over 1000 metres. Most coped really well and we arrived up to the luxurious hut (sorry younger scouts to rub it in). After lunch, it was on with the crampons and ice axes and out onto the glacier. After roping together in groups of 7, we were shown how to climb through this type of terrain. we then tried falling down the mountain, and thankfully we all managed to stop, using the ice axe techniques we had been shown. More playing in the snow and ice and then Keith was thrown down a cravass. I don't know what he had done but I'm sure he didn't deserve it - well maybe he did! The rest of the Explorers then had to set up a rescue system to pull him out. It was very cold and wet down there. The weather was now very bad and it was time to get back to the hut to dry off and get a rest. Unlike the primitive conditions the Scouts had, the Explorers were in luxury. A warm building; no cows next door or anywhere near; good toilets; a well stocked shop; food cooked for them and two lovely waitresses - oh and cold beer! Sorry should¨'t have mentioned that. After three bowls of soup each and three plates of spag bol, it was rest time. One explorer went to bed at 7:30pm and the rest followed at 9:15pm. Wow! A reasonably long lie and the weather was grim.So instead of going onto the ice climbing it was time to throw people off a cliff and leave them there until the could rescue themselves. Thankfully everyone had been trained in how to do this so safely managed to get up the cliff without any help. It is scary to do this when you have seen them undoing the knot that is holding you onto the rockface. After lunch it was time for the 11km trek down to the campsite (the extra 1km is the length of the cable car). A brilliant day was had by everyone and the mental effort of completing this was almost as great as the physical. Sorry for the lack of a proper report yesterday but the two bloggers who had been out on the hill were too busy to get to the computers in time before they closed, hence the "comment" made by the Group Scout Leader using a phone. Today's blog is also very late - sorry - but it has been another busy day. We were desperate to get the Scouts to complete their badges and some have done brilliantly now. We also had a last chance at some shopping in the village (so hopefully some lovely souveniers coming your way - or chocolate not quite making it)! This is the final evening for us and may be emotional for some. Yes, romance is in the air. Maybe some flight tickets to Ireland sometime soon perhaps!!! Who for - well that would be telling and what goes on tour - stays on tour! We set off at midday tomorrow on the coach to Geneva, then onto the plane to Amsterdam and then Aberdeen. Keep an eye on the klm website (or baa.com) for the times. We MAY get a chance for an update on route but don't rely on one. The best place to look is on the "comments" to todays blog as we can add comments remotely but not new entries. They will come from "Group Scout Leader".
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	WEDNESDAY - DAY 5	518 dagen geleden
	HI again. Today we split into three groups with the younger Scouts heading off into the mountains for our rock climbing workshop with Terry, Neil & Chris. The older Scouts do this tomorrow with Mike, Jim & Nick but today they had a fairly easy day beginning with a chair lift up to a peak from which they did a short hike down to an alpine lake whose name I can't even pronounce let alone attempt to spell (if you have a map of the Kandersteg area it's a big blue blob to the right). Most of them did brave the (only just) above freezing temperatures so managed to tick another box on the list of topics for the Kandersteg adventure badge (swim in an alpine lake). One brave lad (Adam K) just dived straight in without all the preliminary dramatics. Meanwhile the Explorers were staying mainly around the Kandersteg town area shopping and sampling the continental atmos. Presumably getting mentally prepared for their assault on the snow and ice fields tomorrow and Friday. This morning Keith, Diane & Ricky did one of the more esoteric events Kandersteg has to offer ("you're mad" was the comment of the member of staff who booked them in) which was Via Ferrata or "Iron Road". This involves climbing very sheer rock faces (1600 feet in this case - which is the height of Bennachie give or take) using a combination of ladders, metal spikes and wire rope. Go to U-Tube and type in "Kandersteg Via Ferrata" for a sample video. Sit down when you're watching it! Terry's group of youngsters left at 2pm for their 3-hour hike to the climbing zone and we've just heard from Sherpa Terry that the hut they're staying in, though primitive, is at least warm and dry (though the cow-bells belonging to the cattle shed and roaming around the place will probably keep them awake tonight. This evening the Explorers and older Scouts met up for the "Wet 'n' Wild" swim and barbeque so at least we've all had a wash today (the showers on site are invariably cold!). We have been taking note of your comments and passing them on (thanks for that) but tomorrow there will be no Blog as both Bloggers are up on the hills overnight (albeit several miles apart) Thursday to Friday. If we have enough energy we'll type a few lines on Friday. Cheers for now.
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	TUESDAY - DAY 4	519 dagen geleden
	It didn't rain and we didn't get wet! Hooray!!! Woke up to a clear, cloudless blue sky with about a million miles visibility right up to the snow covered peaks bordering our valley. Another early breakfast and a (this time) highly organised conveyor belt packed lunch production system and we set off once agin for the station to begin our journey to Jungfraujoch. Preparing for a train journey comprising a total of ten changes for 46 people was not something we relished but once we'd organised ourselves into small groups each with their own leader we realised that we could keep things under control. The only question was could the renowned efficient Swiss train service keep up with us given that some of our connection were only 5 or 6 minutes and involved complicated changes of platform with carriages splitting off from the main track at various points along the line? As it turned out, the only real problem we had was answering the incessant questions from the Scouts along the lines of "what time does this train leave?"; which platform are we going to?" and "how long will this train be?" (to which the answer is, of course, "about 200 metres". We made our way steadily upwards, passing through some really outstanding scenery (which a few of the Scouts might have noticed had they bothered to look up from their card school) until we reached Kleine Something-or-other where we boarded the fenicular (?) railway to take us to the top of the Jungfraujoch - the highest railway station in Europe apparently - at approximately 11,300 feet (Google it if you want to know exactly!). Attractions at the top included an observatory (the highest point we could visit), and "ice palace" (ice sculpture), an ice plateau and another larger area including sledging, dog sledding and a death slide (which Keith had a shot at which was an extra treat for the tourists given that he was fully kilted up!), as well as an even longer walk onto the snow field. Then of course there were the usual shops and restaurants which - give them their due - not many of the Scouts seemed too bothered with, most deciding to maximise their time there doing the "snow stuff". We were on the mountainside for about 3 hours then it was time to join the tidal rush of tourists trying to get back down to the bottom. Fortunately our reservation guaranteed us a place on our alloted train and we began the homeward journey, finally arriving back at Kandersteg in tie for a (slightly later) dinner. This was a very well organised day out given the potential for complications and everyone really enjoyed themselves (and did something in the warm for a change!). Dinner was followed by a briefing for the Scouts who are going rock climbing tomorrow and Thursday and it's a good time to let you know now that there will not be a Blog entry on Thursday evening as both our Bloggers will be out on the hill somewhere in a tumbledown hut (shared with about 40 cows apparently) either rock climbing or ice climbing. All Scouts are still fine and well and we've not been aware of any problems with anyone. We have also had a comment from someone not connected with us or the camp site saying how well behaved everyone was. OK - not writing any more as we're all too tired! Bye!!!
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	TUESDAY - DAY 4	519 dagen geleden
	It didn't rain and we didn't get wet! Hooray!!! Woke up to a clear, cloudless blue sky with about a million miles visibility right up to the snow covered peaks bordering our valley. Another early breakfast and a (this time) highly organised conveyor belt packed lunch production system and we set off once agin for the station to begin our journey to Jungfraujoch. Preparing for a train journey comprising a total of ten changes for 46 people was not something we relished but once we'd organised ourselves into small groups each with their own leader we realised that we could keep things under control. The only question was could the renowned efficient Swiss train service keep up with us given that some of our connection were only 5 or 6 minutes and involved complicated changes of platform with carriages splitting off from the main track at various points along the line? As it turned out, the only real problem we had was answering the incessant questions from the Scouts along the lines of "what time does this train leave?"; which platform are we going to?" and "how long will this train be?" (to which the answer is, of course, "about 200 metres". We made our way steadily upwards, passing through some really outstanding scenery (which a few of the Scouts might have noticed had they bothered to look up from their card school) until we reached Kleine Something-or-other where we boarded the fenicular (?) railway to take us to the top of the Jungfraujoch - the highest railway station in Europe apparently - at approximately 11,300 feet (Google it if you want to know exactly!). Attractions at the top included an observatory (the highest point we could visit), and "ice palace" (ice sculpture), an ice plateau and another larger area including sledging, dog sledding and a death slide (which Keith had a shot at which was an extra treat for the tourists given that he was fully kilted up!), as well as an even longer walk onto the snow field. Then of course there were the usual shops and restaurants which - give them their due - not many of the Scouts seemed too bothered with, most deciding to maximise their time there doing the "snow stuff". We were on the mountainside for about 3 hours then it was time to join the tidal rush of tourists trying to get back down to the bottom. Fortunately our reservation guaranteed us a place on our alloted train and we began the homeward journey, finally arriving back at Kandersteg in tie for a (slightly later) dinner. This was a very well organised day out given the potential for complications and everyone really enjoyed themselves (and did something in the warm for a change!). Dinner was followed by a briefing for the Scouts who are going rock climbing tomorrow and Thursday and it's a good time to let you know now that there will not be a Blog entry on Thursday evening as both our Bloggers will be out on the hill somewhere in a tumbledown hut (shared with about 40 cows apparently) either rock climbing or ice climbing. All Scouts are still fine and well and we've not been aware of any problems with anyone. We have also had a comment from someone not connected with us or the camp site saying how well behaved everyone was. OK - not writing any more as we're all too tired! Bye!!!
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	MONDAY - DAY 3	520 dagen geleden
	It rained today - we got wet. Apart from that today went completey... not according to plan. It began the previous evening when we were informed that due to the volume and speed of the water flow the canyoning events had been cancelled. Anyway, we solved that problem easily enough by incorporating the canyoneers into the rafting groups. After a very early start the next morning (quite a shock for some) and a mad dash to get breakfast AND packed lunches made all in 45 minutes (not easy when there are 300+ more Scouts trying to do the same thing) we briskly walked down to the station and caught our Swiss train (1 minute late... slackers!) to our various destinations. By this time the rain had been falling continuously for over 18 hours (plus most of the previous two days) and - unknown to us - the rafting and lake day events had been cancelled AFTER we had left the centre and we didn't find out until we reached the rafting and lake bases two train journeys later. Humph! (We later found out that today's snow activities were also cancelled due to too much snow on the peaks - crazy for July!). Still, getting on the mobile phones to Mike back at the camp centre we worked out an alternative programme involving a visit to a "Mysteries of the World" theme park in Interlakken. However, further research informed us that the theme park had in fact closed down last year so we opted for a boat cruise to view some famous Swiss under-water caves. All well and good until we got there and found that they were... yes... closed. Ironically because of all the rain that had been falling. By this time we just decided to give up and we went for a boat ride up Lake Thun to Interlakken and spent an hour looking around the town, buying more souveniers and drinking more Swiss hot chocolate. On our way back, an inspiration occurred and we thought we'd be able to take in a visit to an indoor heated swimming pool, however, the Swiss train system - normally so efficient - didn't work in our favour as we would only have had about 7 minutes in the water. So ... back to Kandersteg. As we pulled into the station we noticed a nice outdoor pool not 200 yards from the station so we decided to pile on in anyway. It looked even more inviting as the notice board informed us that the water temperature was a balmy 26 degrees. Yeah, right. Degrees Fahrenheit more like! Anyway... after three days of damp conditions and a lot of hard work we would have gone swimming in a quarry pit so it didn't take a lot of encouragement to get everone in there. Some of the photos of guys somersaulting off a three metre board with snow covered mountains in the background should look very nice indeed. Terry's group (the lake bunch) were in a different location to the rest of us so they went for a swim in a heated pool near the boating centre and then made their way back to Kandersteg where they "relaxed" for the afternoon. Finally we all got back to the Scout Centre (typically late) and have just finished our international barbecue with about 500 Scouts from all over the place - a surprisingly large amount from Scotland too. As I type Nikki is doing some Scottish country dancing with a lassie from Ireland. Tomorrow we're all off to take on the Eiger from the inside and do a bit of snowy activities at the top such as sledging and possibly some dog-sled driving. All the Scouts are fine - no problems reported by anybody and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and have been swapping lots of badges & neckers with the other Scouts on site. Some still even have some dry socks remaining after all our rain! The missing luggage has still not been traced so Sam gets a brand new outfit every day. The weather forecast is looking better for the next 2-3 days so keep your fingers crossed for us. More tomorrow. PS - We can't upload photos as the (very old) Kandersteg PC's do not have any USB ports. Sorry.
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	SUNDAY - DAY 2	521 dagen geleden
	It rained - we got wet. The end. On the other hand... It still rained and we still got wet, but luckily the rain stopped long enough to get our tents up in the evening. As usual it took a while for the older ones to settle down but at least it became quiet before dawn this time. Trains passing by the campsite every 5 minutes through most of the night provided an entertaining diversion and soon drowned them out. Next morning it rained and we got wet. (This could be a continuing theme). Had breakfast and made our packed lunches and set out to explore the campsite and the surrounding area. We went for a walk around the campsite and explored a nature trail through some marshlands (well, a normal field until the rains came). After lunch the Scouts set out for a hike up to a viewing point up the valley as part of their local Kandersteg badges. Afterwards we went into Kandersteg itself and let them loose on the inhabitants. The local knife shops looked like they were in for bonanza sales but they only turned out to be just looking. The Explorers did something slightly different and after exploring the site went into Kandersteg and returned to the site mid afternoon to enter the international football competition where they battled their way through to the final (at last! Scotland reached a footballing final!!!) where they went down lamely 3-0 due to Sam having to leave the field to go into town and get himself some replacement clothes (it was he whose luggage was lost by KLM). Returning during injury time was not enough to claw back a result. It was a lucky three goals though wasn't it Ricky!!! Some of the younger Scouts (including our new joinees James & Mike) have already started to interact with some of the other visitors and have already swapped some badges for woggles (in the shape of Dutch clogs ... from Switzerland!). Tomorrow we head off in separate directions to our water activities so at least we will get a bath (the showers on site are a tad cold) and wash the rain out of our hair. More news tomorrow when we will at least be intentionally wet.
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	SATURDAY - DAY 1	522 dagen geleden
	Well, we have finally arrived. Everyone is OK and no-one suffered any travel sickness. Only 6 Scouts were lost in Amsterdam and we shall be sharing out their belongings later tonight (joke). Unfortunately a couple of items of baggage have actually gone missing on the flight but we are hopeful they will be delivered in the next day or two. One item is a bag of tent poles so we have had to hire a couple of tents for a few days. The weather at the moment is awful and as I type everyone is away to put up our tents. We have had dinner (pasta bolognaise) and will be getting settled in quite soon. Kandersteg is a very pretty town which we shall probably go and explore tomorrow. OK - time is short - hopefully a more lenghthy report tomorrow. Byeeeeeee!
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	Switzerland Camp 2008	620 dagen geleden
	This will be the place where our daily updates from Switzerland will be posted (and hopefully some photos for the album too). You do not need to be registered with Bebo to view the Blog or the Album. FRIDAY JULY 19th: Hope everyone is all ready to go!!!??? Don't forget - keep your main luggage weight down to below 15Kg or we might find ourselves sleeping under the stars (hail, sleet, snow, avalanche delete as applicable). 8.30am *sharp* at Aberdeen airport tomorrow please!
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