to read full report - 1st Knaphill Scout Group

Newsletter Extra
September 2014
Surrey Scouts - Kandersteg International
Expedition (KIX) 2014
On the 15th September, 6 Scouts and 2 Leaders from 1st Knaphill joined over 300 other Scouts and
Leaders from across Surrey for 6 full days of action packed activities at the International Scout
Centre, Kandersteg, Switzerland.
Sunday (Day 1) Troop Day to Oeschinensee – by Stephen
After our long journey to Kandersteg the day before, we were relieved to have a late breakfast at 8
o’clock. We saw the sun rising over the valley just as we were setting off for the Oeschinensee Cable
Car. We got the Cable Car up the mountain and each had our five goes on the summer toboggan run.
Our wonderful leaders only had two runs each so we could have another run. We then walked down
to the lake on a really steep path and had our lunch. It was a lovely day and the view was
marvellous. Tom and Ed dipped their toes into the lake before we walked around to the rowing
boats.
We split up into two groups, Rob, Tom Matt and me in one boat and John, Josh, Matt and Benji in
the other one. My boat rowed around the lake – literally because I am not good a rower and kept
making the boat go round in circles! John’s group made it over to the waterfall but were late back to
the mooring. We walked back to the Cable Car and went back to KISC. We were late back for dinner.
After dinner we played football with other Groups before going to bed.
Monday (Day 2) Low Hike to Blausee – by Joshua
On 1st Knaphill’s low hike to Blausee we started at the KISC centre in Kandersteg and walked through
Switzerland until we reached the trout farm at Blausee. It was a very hot day on our low walk so
walking a far distance was tough, but the team kept pushing on and we made it to our destination at
the car park at Blausee. As we walked we saw many things on the path, such as the old Swiss houses,
cows and the towering mountains of the Swiss Alps which also gave us the beauty of some
waterfalls. Once we had reached our destination at the Blausee trout farm we gathered with
another troop and went into Blausee to have our lunch.
We decided to feed the fish with a long bit of bread crust. Matt volunteered to hold the bread in the
water. Matt saw a large fish approaching and was ready. Until out of nowhere a bigger fish came
along and nearly swallowed Matt’s finger, he jumped about three feet in the air and ran off, it was
shocking to Matt but funny for everyone else. After the fun filled day at Blausee we were all too
tired to walk so we sat at the bus stop and waited for the next bus to Kandersteg to arrive. We
watched the sites pass by as the bus took us back to Kandersteg, and thus ending our Low walk to
Blausee
Tuesday (Day 3) High Hike to Bunderspitz – by Thomas
This was a day of hard walking, unexpected cold and some challenges for us all. We started out in
the sun by taking a cable car to cloud level. Here the weather changed and the day got cold. I
thought even though the day said high walks that it would be like many other hikes we have done in
the past here in England. But NO, it was very hard work. Uphill climbs and thinning air were all part
of the experience. But the reward was in the achievement we felt in getting to the top of the
mountain – Bundespitz, it took us just over two and a half hours to get there. I couldn’t believe how
high up we were - 2546m above sea level, that’s 8553 feet. It was a shame that the clouds were so
low and the mist was drawn in as the limited views we had on the climb were brilliant and it would
have been great to see more of them.
Wednesday (Day 4) High Ropes in Interlaken – by Benji
On Wednesday 1st Knaphill went for a high climbing journey on the high ropes where they struggled,
swung, zip-lined and jumped to the end. Some said it was difficult, some said it was easy but most of
all they all said it was fun! The Fox contained (according to the centre) 12 zip-lines of flying and the
Magpie was hard, challenging and very physical. Next came the hardest course of them all named
The Eagle. The most challenging obstacles on Magpie became the easiest on this. Few completed
it.
The Scouts then went into the town of Interlaken for a shopping trip. There you got the opportunity
to buy different Swiss items like the world famous Swiss Army Knives, chocolate, snacks or other
souvenirs to take home as mementoes.
Thursday (Day 5) Local Day in Kandersteg – by Matthew
Today was our 5th day in Kandersteg after 3 days of walking we had our reward of an extra hour of
sleep before our 8:20 breakfast. When we arrived at Sunneblick (our eating area) we were told of a
number of chores that needed to be done, and by the luck of the draw we were given buttering
bread. It took us more than an hour to butter all the bread given to us, but we eventually finished
and had the rest of the day free to do whatever we wanted. Earlier on in the week we had heard of a
nearby swimming pool so we decided to go there. The pool was warm and there was a slide and 2
diving boards to enjoy, we were there for over 2 hours until we left to return to the campsite for
dinner.
Friday (Day 6) River Rafting in Bern – by Edward
Having made lunch and eaten out breakfast on Friday morning, we got ready for rafting and left the
site. When we arrived we had to get into groups of 16 for each raft. We had a cox called Matt who
was from New Zealand. We found the rapids early on and enjoyed getting sprayed by the freezing
water, especially if you were at the front. The rest of the journey was calm so we were allowed to
get out and swim if we wanted.
When we arrived in Bern, the capital city, we dried ourselves and got changed. Then we ate our
lunch and went to discover the city. There were lots of shops but they were very expensive. There
was a fair so we investigated but it wasn’t that exciting, by that time we needed to get back to the
coach. Later that day we had a campfire with people from around the world, including Portugal,
Holland and Iceland. We enjoyed their songs even though we couldn’t understand them. Overall it
was a great day that we all enjoyed.
!! Next Surrey Scouts Kandersteg International Expedition - August 2018 !!