Pfunds, Austria- August 20, 2004
The last few days were pretty simple compared to today which I will describe soon enough. For the most part, we just lived around the teepee and campsite, and learned from our guides how to survive in the wildnerness. We learned how to make the ideal shelter and what to use to build it. We also learned how to make fire if we didn't have anything to start a fire. However the procedure was a bit complicated so you'd need to have a knife and be able to make rope (something else he taught us later) to be able to make the fire. All of it quite interesting I would have to admit. Most evenings also consisted of sitting around the campfire, all 24 of us, and just really getting to know each other.
Today though was a bit different. After a couple days of just doing survival stuff.. the guides once again went out to get the climbing gear with the ropes, harnesses, helmets, and this time wetsuits. We had to learn how to cross rivers as groups against high currents. We also did something I guess would be called canyoneering, as we had to walk up the river way up into the canyons and such with cliffs all around us. It was great time.
The most interesting time however is when our guides had us take a path that went high up into the cliffs and such on the side looking over it. They brought us up around 150 feet or higher (I am not really sure exactly), I think I recall 150 feet being said? Anyhow, there we were. Then our guides had us wait while they did a bunch of rope stuff and whatever else off of one of the cliffs grounding it to a few trees and such. At this point, we were expected to use the ropes and more or less jump off the cliff trusting and relying on our guides to make sure nothing went wrong. You more or less had to rapell downwards briefly, then just a sudden cliff where you had to use your feet while more or less dangling not to hit up against the wall with your body. Very interesting.
I was actually very nervous about this one, just watching everyone else going over the cliff and just disappearing was a weird feeling. A few people had their ropes get stuck briefly and they just dangled for awhile until it was more or less fixed and they could descend again. When it was ultimately my turn, I too went down rapelling and suddenly my feet had nowhere else to rapell. My plan was to not look down under any circumstances. However, as soon as I was dangling off the cliff, I looked down and saw a sea of red helmets, my fellow classmates, and it was a great feeling. I yelled and waved and just goofed off while descending and loved the experience.
Once we were all down, we had to go back down the rushing river between the canyon walls. This part was actually a lot of fun, as our guides showed us how to float with the current over some of the rapids. Man that was fun. Just let yourself go and float down the rushing river being pushed by the currents. Great time. A few times you'd catch rocks but you always caught them with your feet as they were extended outwards in front of you. A few times you'd catch a rock with your butt if you let it drag a bit. Wow, great time though! I would absolutely love to do that again! However I have to admit, a wetsuit made it much easier to do. Can't imagine doing it otherwise.
Next Journal Entry in Austria:
August 22, 2004
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