Playing Catch-Up

  My summer started out quite slowly.  I didn't do much at all the month of June after our friends left.  'Not much' meaning: summer school, doctor appointments, babysitting, and preparing for the craziness that would be my life, come July.  The last week of June/ first week of July was spent filling out paperwork for a $400 "campership" (yes, "campership") and emailing the information to my wonderful crew advisers who just happened to be on vacation at the time.  And, once that was figured out, I packed my bags for Garmisch, Germany.  Two of my fellow Venture-ers and myself spent a week at Camp Bayern with seven other scouts going through the Kodiak high-adventure leadership course. That week was full of new experiences!  Each day we completed a different commission which included: 'The Effective Team, Values and Vision, Communication, Decision Making and Planning'.  And, after completing each of these commissions, we each received a bear claw, some of which we had to carve/sand down in order to make it look real(ish).

  Our first day at camp was spent setting up our campsite (yes, I can now say that I have helped, actually helped set up an eight-man tent), getting to know each other, digging a firepit, eating chili, and enjoying a nice fire before the rain started.  Ah yes, the rain.  Each and every single day liquid sun-shine blessed us with it's presence.  But, it wasn't really all that bad, because it didn't rain too much in the mornings when we did our activities, our tent only leaked a little bit, and my psychic grandma sent me water-resistant-pants-that-saved-my-life three weeks before I left.

Sunday was spent in Austria at the Kletterwald (i.e. [in English] ropes course).  We had a ton of fun!  I completed three of the eight or nine different courses and would have attempted some of the others if we hadn't run out of time (the thunderstorm may have had something to do with it as well).

  Day numero tres was the gorge hike.  Now, when I asked how long this hike was, I was told eight miles.  Whether that meant 'eight miles up, eight miles back' or 'eight miles round-trip', I don't know.  All I know is it was long and very much up-hill and I was quite tired when we finished. But, it was gorgeous (harhar, very punny :P), the gorge water was amazingly delicious and refreshing, and over all, it was very much worth the effort.

  Tuesday.  The day I almost died.  The day we hiked the Kramer (a.k.a. The mountain of eternal pain < insert dramatic dun-dun-DUN music here > ).  Most of our group made it up and back just fine, though two of the girls had to go back to camp due to knee problems/ heat exhaustion. Sadly, we did not make it to the very top. We had six liters of water left between the ten of us, 300 meters left to go of tough climbing, and not very much shade on a very hot afternoon. So, as a group, we made the decision to head back down. Not many of us were disappointed ...

View from a little over halfway up Kramer.

  Day number 5, Wednesday, was cable-skiing.   Which, I must admit, I have not in any way, shape, or form mastered.  Though, wipe-outs, long-walks-on-gravel-paths-while-barefoot, and wetsuit complications aside, I had a blast and want to do it again with my family sometime.

  Then Thursday was the last day of high-adventure activities (and, in my opinion, they saved the best for last).  White water rafting! Yup!  In Austria.  Level 3 rapids (on a scale from 1[easy] - 6[impossible]).  I.  Loved.  Every.  Second.  Our German instructor (guide? captain? admiral?...) was quite entertaining as he led us in our 'river warfare' (which my raft won, just saying...).  One of his insults to another raft being, "You look like a millipede! With only 999 legs!!" .... How I love Germans :)

  And, sadly, it all had to come to an end sometime.  Friday was dedicated to packing-out and heading home.  Which was a very bittersweet experience.  I loved the camp atmosphere, the people, and the super exciting adventures we got to have, but home, family, and my own bed were calling and I was glad to be back ... for about four hours before heading to France (another post is on the way, I promise!).

~RM