Almost three weeks have passed since the end of the Kamchatka selection Camp and the chosen YEPs are now at home and are preparing for the upcoming trip to Kamchatka.
An adventure of a lifetime lies ahead of them. For the first time they will meet Mike Horn as he takes them on an amazing journey over barren volcanic lands – a rare beauty that will be shared with the youths and highlighted with meetings with the indigenous people of Siberia.
It was a hard decision for the Mike Horn Team. The KAMCHATKA Young Explorers have been selected !
Congratulations to the following YOUNG EXPLORER`S selected to join Mike Horn for the KAMCHATKA Expedition:
Saraya D`Àth, 15, Australia / Hayden Cockburn, 20, New Zealand / Carla Mckenzie, 19, South Africa / Michaela Korodimou, 18, UK / Maricella Uribe, 19, Switzerland.
It was an emotional event at the announcement. Shortly after the announcement the Young Explorer found themselves running short on time, prepared and packed ready to return home.
Blog written by Leeni and Zhixin
The past two days had us running all over the place attempting to overcome numerous challenges ; it was time for the famous Pangaea RAID, which traditionally takes place on the last two days of the Selection Camp.
The sixteen of us were divided into two teams, and each team was given a list of checkpoints to get to. The RAID started with each team frantically plotting out our routes on a map, and at the checkpoints, we had to complete activities such as raft building, flying fox and obstacle courses.
The beginning was relatively easy as we were all fresh and excited, but teamwork was required to keep us going as the going got tougher. One part of the RAID required us to get our bikes up a steep, rocky track which seemed to go on forever. We soon realised that the team was only as fast as the slowest ones, and that we had to depend on each other to reach our goal.
As the RAID entered the early hours of the next day and we started getting more tired with each step we took, everyone had to push one another to keep going. Finally, at 2.30am, the first group reached the campsite for the night, followed by the second group at 4am. Worn out by more than fourteen hours of almost non-stop hiking and biking, we collapsed in our tents the moment we got them set up.
After a short night, we started kayaking across a lake to get to the next checkpoint. We soon had to get on our sore feet again to continue on our way, where more challenges lay in store for us, and our sole motivation was that the end was near. With that, the first group finished ahead of time at 3.50pm, while the second group arrived back at the hotel at 4.30pm.
Despite being in competing groups, shouts of joy and pride could be heard all around when each group crossed the finishing line, proof that the RAID was not about who came in first, but about how we supported each other through trying times. The RAID allowed us to get to know one another better, but more importantly, made us push our limits to the extreme. Many atimes when we thought we could not continue anymore, encouragement from our team mates made us push ourselves just that little bit more, making us realise that we can actually do much more than we think we can.
Even though the RAID was definitely one of the most challenging things we each have ever done, we are glad to have completed it, and to have proven to ourselves that nothing is impossible when we believe in ourselves. The RAID was the best closure the camp could ever have, because it made everything we have learnt over the past 10 days come together. These 10 days have been some of the best times of our lives, with us learning a few very important lessons about life.
Coming Soon !
Ahoy there !
Today we set out on an adventure that will never be forgotten. The day was spent sailing on Lake Leman. Throughout the day we learnt new sailing skills and tactics instructed by a team of professionals, including Raphael Gabella who participated in the New Zealand expedition. By working in a confined space with 6 other people, makes you realize how important communication, leadership and team work skills are.
This evening a journalist ; Alexander Zelenka travelled from Geneva to Château-d’Oex to give a presentation about his occupation, he provided us with tips and ideas on how to create newspaper and magazine articles. An activity was assigned to create a short informative story on todays experience, shown below is each groups article.
« Tack, Tack, Tack » the boom comes flying at your face, your feet are instantaneously soaked and you have to pull the rope until your arms feel like jelly. For most of us, this was our first experience sailing. An experience none of the young explorer will ever forget. Under the grey skies uncharacteristically wind swept conditions of Lake Leman, also known as Lake Geneva, we buckled our life jackets and climb the board, ready for our next adventure at the 7th YEP selection camp. Hanging on for dear life, our experienced skippers assured us, that the despite the ninety degree angle our boats would not capsize. « Pull the rope, tack, jibe, starboard, boat, release, take in ». All the new words running through our heads coupled with the sound of the crashing wind against the sail drowned out every thing else. We were wet, wind swept, exhilarated and exhausted. Every one of us with a smile on our face. Is this what Kamchatka has in store for us ?
The sails billowed in the wind, six youths tugged on the rope, struggling to steer the boat on Lake Leman. Even now we young explorers are still giddy from the excitement of the race this afternoon, where we had to compete with each other on three different sailing boats while learning how to work them. We soon learn that the only way we could successfully sail was by working together. There was no way a person could single-handedly change the direction of the sails, which aloud the boat to finally cross the finishing line.
As cold as a polar bears toe nails
Eyes shifting down from the recent snow caped swiss alps, we glide across the wind stripped waters of the Geneva Lake. Skipped in crewed by passionate young explorers, they work together as a team to create the forward momentum they need to cut there way through and navigate their lines. Victory won on a days out competitive racing in the crisp polar winds today.
Wind roars past our ears, Pull, Pull, Pull is hailed while we screamble like made man to haul in the rope for the last leg to cross the finish line for victory. The realization of team work enters our minds as we cross the line and claim our pride. « We had done it », the team has together achieved and matched their insertions.
Frost bite comes second behind the adrenaline of success.
« Grab your officine panerai jackets, gloves and caps because it’s going to be a wet and bouncy sailing day on Lake Geneva ». Indeed we did need our gloves today. Not only to protect our fingers from the cold but also to avoid blisters, from clenching the rope with all our strength. The wind was very strong, good for sailing but challenging for our first try.
Dimitry, our photographer, confronted us with an extra challenge; in order for him to get a perfect picture he needed to have us on a specific spot and the boat on an exact angle. Pausing and smiling for the camera we were not exactly prepared for the boat to switch tacks. This resulted in our legs in the water, a really bad condition for the cold wind we already felt. Nevertheless we were laughing so hard that we forgot the coldness and continued having fun, learning new sailing skills. The sound of the engine starting marked the end of our great day. Again we realized how important teamwork is and how lucky we are to be here.
Blog written by Julia and Michaela
Wow, simply wow. Today was probably one of the most incredible days we have had in Switzerland. We started the day being presented with lots of specialist equipment required for our glacier excursion. Most of us had never been on a glacier, and Romeo had never even seen snow!
The two main aims of the day were how to perform an effective crevasse rescue, using a rope pulley system and to take accurate snow measurements with Roswitha and Franzi from the Munich University, as we would be doing in Kamchatka.
Although the visibility was virtually zero we could still appreciate the beauty of the glacier on our hike at the end. There are not many words that describe today’s experience. Everybody faced their own personal challenges: going down the 40m crevasse, being tied to your team mates on a rope and hiking up the mountain, or the cold temperatures that some of us had never endured. Despite the challenges, everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves and there were smiles all around in the snowball fight in the car park at the end.
We ended the day with some inspiring presentations from previous Young Explorers where we got to learn more about the program and all the wonderful projects going on all around the globe.
Blog written by Ariane and Gosia
It's Day 6, and we're realising our wonderful time at this camp is flying by – we're already half-way through! Strapping on our helmets and clicking on the lights of our headlamps, we hopped onto our mountain bikes and whizzed up and down long roads, and through tunnels – with a few of us inevitably colliding! After an hour or so, we returned back to the hotel to fill our empty stomachs, and attended a well-anticipated lecture on Kamchatka held by Dr. Roswitha Stolz.
We were thoroughly educated about Kamchatka's geographical features, mainly focusing on volcanoes; native tribes and vast history. In addition to this, we got the chance to hear some of Dima's personal experiences in Russia! The stories he shared of his adventures around his homeland got us laughing and shrieking in excitement and awe every few minutes. It enhanced our idea on what to expect in Kamchatka, as well as the beautiful scenery its known for.
After lunch, we continued to learn about how glaciers are formed, snow measurements and equipment we use. This information is vital for our trip tomorrow to a snowy glacier! We're all really excited and are looking forward to it! We hope to have a fantastic experience tomorrow at the glacier and we hope you'll tune in for more updates soon!
Right now we're thinking: "Wundervoll!" "¡Fantàstico!" "Kif!" "Baik!" "好!" "énorme!" "ZajebiÅ›cie!" "Awesome!"
Blog written by Megan and Romeo
Well, its already the fifth day. Time is going too fast and we are almost half way through the selection camp process. As usual, we got up to a cold, dark and early morning for our morning exercise. We headed to the top of a steep hill which is a lot of hard work. We have finished our route for the first time.
Today, we were doing map reading and GPS work. It was a lot of fun learning how to use a compass and a GPS. We learned a lot about the map reading technique with compass and GPS which are useful for finding our way in the coming expedition in Kamchatka. For the map reading section in the morning, we learnt how to use maps and compasses to find our way in different places. Martin and Fred told us the things printed on the maps like the scales, legend, the grid and the gradients. On the map, we can point different areas and measure the distance and slopes between different places. Besides map reading, we also learnt about using the compass. We learn about the true! north and magnetic north due to the difference between magnetic north and geographic north in the Earth. Due to the difference between the magnetic north and true north, we learnt to adjust our compass so that we can find the right direction. After the lecture, we had a chance to try the skills that we had just learnt in the theory. Sometimes, it is not that easy for you to take the direct route to your destination.
After lunch, John and Jake gave us a lecture on GIS (geographic information system) and GPS ( global positioning system). GIS is a set of tools that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that are linked to location(s) and GPS provides reliable location and time information in all weather at all times, anywhere on the Earth with the help of satellites. This was really interesting as some of us had never heard of GIS or GPS`s before. Thanks John and Jake, we now know a lot about the GIS and GPS system and how they will ! benefit us in our daily life and the coming expedition. After the lectures, we learned how to find the directions with GPS.
For both of the map reading and GPS practice, we found the importance of team work. By working together, many problems are solved easily and quickly. We also learnt about being patient and problem-solving skills. No matter how hard the problem is, with efforts, with team works and with patience, most problems can be solved easily. Indeed, we finished our GPS point finding by try-and-error.
It was a wonderful day today and we learnt something we cannot learn in school. We all feel really lucky for being selected for the camp and everyday is a new adventure and filled new experiences. Surely, tomorrow will be another wonderful adventure and all of us cannot wait for the adventures tomorrow!!!!!
Blog written by Carla and Natalia
Its only day four and the presentations are already coming in handy : yesterday’s lecture on hypothermia made frostbite seem like a very real possibility as we raced downhill on our mountainbikes at 7am !
Learning firsthand about conservation from our very own shark expert, Michael Scholl, was a highlight. We were gobsmacked by what an amazing and yet misunderstood creature the shark is. DANGER was a key term- not for people but for the sharks. Shark fishing and finning happens worldwide and is puttimg great stress on shark populations. He set our minds wild on new projects and possibilities through sharing his research.
Today was also the rounding up of our Mayo Clinic fitness tests… it was amazing to push ourselves but when it was over we were exhausted and more than a litle relieved !
So far, it’s all been tough but rewarding. Working as a team of friends has helped us get through and push ourselves to the limits as well as being loads of fun. We certainly wont ever forget this Camp !
Blog written by Hayden and Andrea
“GOOD morning Switzerland”, starting with a hill climb run it got our blood, adrenalin and excitement pumping ready for the day. We all knew we had a hard day ahead with a presentation the night before of the ‘mayo clinic’.
Introduced to the Mayo Clinic team from America, Bruce, Andy and thorn explained to us the excruciating tests that we were going to undertake.
Fighting our reflexes and body gasping urges with a breath hold test. Push ups till collapse, Sit ups till core fatigue, and to finish off with the mighty cooper test. Running for 12 minutes as hard and as fast as we can was a huge challenge for all of us young explorers, but with our dedication to succeed we all maxed out on our very best result which we were ecstatic about (after a immediate recovery). From the testing completed for the day from us all we all knew we had accomplished our very best, pushed our bodies to the limit to prove we had what it takes to perform in the elements- the elements of Kamchatka
Once again a B-E-A-U-tiful lunch… then straight back into it.
To pass on our viewed beauty and experiences with the world, we had a filming and video talk from ‘Moose’. His great onboard book of knowledge was passed down to us, to then be told it was now our chance to make a film of our own. With excitement but also anxiety we started to work as a team to structure and plan our short film to get our message, passion and experiences across to the world and let it be shared. Planning continues as we collapse in our beds to dream of the upcoming excitement for the next day to come… =)