USA SELECTION CAMP

CAMP 10  COMPLETE

Dates: 25th Spt. - 5th of Oct. 2011

Our Selected Young Explorers:

Daniel Cullum 20yrs, NZ / Aya Anholt 15yrs, Canada / Gregory Antono 18yrs, Singapore / Anne McGarvey 16yrs, USA / Ann-Kathrin Geiger 19yrs, D / Jul Hollande 17yrs, D

Jeremy Basset 18yrs, CH / Lavanya Julaniya 19yrs, India / Sylvia Schmutz 20yrs, CH / Livio Knör 19yrs, CH / Michael Suwiczak 19yrs, PL / Ravyna Jassani 16yrs, Malaysia

Rick Kotze 20yrs, RSA / Theresa Kaiser 16yrs, D / Mario Löscher 21 yrs, A

* Regrettably the 16th candidate, Tiba ABDULWAHID,  from Irak was unable receive her visa to attend the camp, so is not present.

YEP 10 USA Selection Camp Video Gallery

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 1

Sept.25 - Day 1:

Blog written by Mario Löscher

After my plane took off today I felt a tear drop going down my eye because this flight was the real beginning of the camp for me. When I arrived in Geneva, Ravyna, Lavynja, Michal and Rick where still waiting for me. After Anne also arrived we got into our car and went to Château-d'Oex. Our driver, Dave, told us that we will need about 1 hour and 45 minutes. But Dmitry was with us and he wanted to photograph us nearly everywhere, so we needed about 4 hours to get to the Expedition Center. At least it was a lot of fun for all of us and we felt a little bit famous :-)

When we finally arrived in Château-d'Oex we chat a little bit with the others who where already there and waited for the last two Young Explorers to arrive. When they did, we made a huge group hug, showed them their rooms and had diner. Afterwards Martin told us what he expects from us, then everyone of the whole team did say some words about themselves and finally we did our selfpresentations in front of the others.

Tomorrow the morning exercise starts at about 7 o'clock.

Blog written by Daniel Cullum

There are some truly remarkable moments in life that we must not fail to appreciate, as we may miss how special they are. Today, fifteen young people travelled from all corners of the globe to meet in a tiny village in the Swiss Alps to become Young Explorers. Right now, I’m living and am part of an experience that will never repeat itself again! Taking a step back to breathe and fully comprehend all that is going on - this is going to be one of the lights guiding my way for the next ten days. What a moment to be alive! ☺

There is so much energy in this place, even with so many YEPs having travelled a bajillion hours to get here. There is a certain sense of anticipation hovering over our Hotel de Ville, an expectant and excited one! We spent much of the afternoon singing songs, playing games, getting to know each other while waiting for the other YE to arrive.

After dinner we shared OUR stories! Each YEP shared their story, about their home, and their life. There are so many people, with so many different backgrounds, and so many different pathways that have led us here to this moment. I cannot wait to get to know everyone more and develop friendships over these next ten days which will last long into the future ☺

I shall now take my leave and depart the fair shores of the living room for my bed! My fellow YEPs are sleeping, and I do believe that I’m still somewhere over India or Romania in terms of timezones. Fare ye well blog readers, I hope through our words you can join us on this expedition in the beautiful village of Château-d'Oex☺

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 2

Blog written by Greg and Ann-Kathrin

Still bursting with excitement about our arrival in Château-d’Oex, day two began with our very first morning exercise at 7am. Everyone from the different timezones forgot about the jetlag and was ready to rumble.

Jogging up the rolling hills, some of us found it challenging getting used to the altitude. Nevertheless, everyone’s spirits were high and reached the top eventually. An amusing event that occurred while running back to Hotel de Ville was when we ran with a herd of cows, and one of them started charging toward us ! All of us made it back eventually - we washed up and had a very hearty breakfast.

The first round of workshops began and the 15 of us were split up into 2 groups. Both of us were in Group 1, and underwent Photography workshops with Dmitry and Ben. Dmitry first gave us a very insightful lesson on the basics of how cameras work and how to take good pictures, teaching us what to look out for when purchasing cameras of our own. Ben then taught us how to frame our pictures. The workshop ended with a practical exercise – we went up to the church to try and take our own shots, based on what we learnt in the workshop, before heading back and analyzing each other’s photos.

After Lunch the two groups swapped the workshops. We went to the conference room to listen to a presentation held by Mary, the new press specialist. She advised us how to handle the media, how to do an interview most efficiently and how we could present ourselves, and the Pangaea Message, the best.

After the short introduction we carried on with Eddy and his work as second cameraman. He explained to us that we would have to shoot a little film until the end of the week, presenting the Pangaea Green Wave Project. We watched some videos from different Camps and are now ready to get started on this challenge.

We concentrated on the information carefully and then joined together for dinner. After dinner we got focused on the next event: the shark presentation by Michael Scholl. The shark presentation fascinated us all. We were really captured by the story about Nicole, a shark which disappeared after giving the first definitive information about shark movement though out the year.

Still excited about the interesting day we had, we’re all finally heading to bed now!

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 3

Day 3 - 27.09.2011 Blog written by Lavanya and Livio

The excitement at Château-d’oex has been building up.

Day 3 at the USA selection camp kick-started with the YEPs going for a quick run to the park. The jog was followed by a couple of fitness exercises and stretches. Some exercises were rigorous but it was fun stretching that bit of calf muscles.

This was followed by some lovely Swiss breakfast which we happily munched on. 

Then the YEPs headed for a seminar and interaction on blue efficiency with the instructors at the Mercedes Benz Company. The lucky few who had the driver’s license got to drive through the Swiss Alps in the latest eco-friendly Mercedes models. The YEPs who didn’t have a license got a motivation and an incentive to get their license in time but, nevertheless enjoyed the drive through the mountains.

The young explorers were given tips on the right techniques to keep in mind while driving a car.

But the most exciting part of the workshop was that the license holders got to drive F-cell Mercedes models which are extremely rare as there are only 500 of these cars in the world at present.

The Mike Horn team organized a fun team building activity after this to get the YEPs to work together. 

Day 3 at Château-d’oex was definitely more intense with a lot of programmes and activities but YEPs were better acclimatized as they were more in sync with the Swiss time zone.

The last activity we had here was a presentation by the Mayo Clinic. They briefed us about the different physical tests that we will be undergoing in the coming two days.

We are all now, off to sleep to conserve energy for another big, long day tomorrow.

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 4

Day 4  - 28.09.2011 Blog written by Mario & Sylvia

Today started withl the famous churchrun: five times up the hill and around it as fast as we could. This was followed by the Mayo Clinic Test where we should run as fast and long as we could to reach our peak performance and measure the oxygen we use. It was very exhausting but as soon as I stopped it felt very good. You really feel as if you could have gone on for longer; it is amazing how fast the body can recuperate.

We also measured our heart rate and oxygen levels before and after standing up. It was stunning how stressing getting up is for the body: the heart rate went up rapidly. In addition we had to hold our breath for as long as we could. It was really interesting to see the differences.
 

After lunch we had a first aid course and we carried the little Singaporean on backpacks assuming that he was insured. This was very interesting and informative. We then went on a beautiful lime stone wall where we did abseiling and rock climbing. The weather was at our full advantage, the sun showed us its full beauty.

We also had a great introduction from the company Wenger, who gave us a Mike Horn Pocket knife - everyone was really happy about that.

After the great dinner from Debby and Line we had a presentation about GIS and how they demonstrated the impacts of the oil spill on the coast line of the US and Mexico and the impacts of the rise in sea level on the Everglades.
 
It was another fantastic day in the Selection camp in Chateaux d'Oex!

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 5

Day 5 - 28.09.2011 Blog by Michal and Jule

16 really cool mountain bikes were waiting for us when we met in front of the hotel at seven o'clock this morning. The morning exercise was mountain biking today!

We were split up into two groups and started moving. There were some awesome downhills and some fair uphills. We couldn't stop admiring the fascinating and beautiful scenery: the mountains, the river, the rising sun and Martin :).

After breakfast half of us finished the Mayo clinic test, and the other half listened to a presentation about GPS and GIS. Did you know that you need at least three satellites to exactly identify a location with a GPS receiver?

After the presentation we got GPS receivers and had to find two locations in groups of two. It wasn't that easy to find a way going into the direction we wanted to go to: Mario and Jule just didn't find a bridge to get over the river, so there was no way but going through the water... well, on the way back they finally found a bridge. :)

The afternoon started with the rest of the mayo clinic test for the second group. Body balance and flexibility were tested, Curl ups followed by push-ups, we did the shuttle run and finally the cooper test. For the cooper test we had to run laps on a field, trying to get as many as possible within 12 minutes. After the hard-earned shower we did some group pictures and interviews.

As every day here in Chateau d'Oex we learnt many useful things, had awesome experiences and lots of fun!

We are very grateful for all the opportunities given to us on the Selection Camp!

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 6

Day 6 - 29.09.2011 Blog written by Anne and Rick

Today we woke up to a day of adventure. Breakfast was closely followed by a trip to Lusanne on Lake Geneva for a sailing-packed day. The 2 hour drive was almost as fun as the rest of the day due to the ‘built-in iPod’, AKA Dan, who kept an upbeat guitar rythm going the entire drive.

Upon arrival at the Lake, we had a briefing on boat terminology and the basics of sailing. We broke off into teams, and set out onto the water!  Everyone started off with the step 1: keeping the boat afloat.  The next step was a little challenging for some people: steering the boat in a straight line.  After perfecting this, we moved onto more complicated maneuvers, such as tacking and gybing - know as turning to the non-sailing elite.

After an awesome picnic lunch, provided by Cathy, Mike’s wife, we returned to the water to test our newly acquired skills in a regatta. The regatta proved to be more of a strategic puzzle than we originally thought, allowing each boat a chance to win. The lack of wind made the sailing escpecially difficult, but once the races were over we celebrated by jumping into the freezing cold water.

The real race of the day was between Matin and Luke on the twisting roads of the towering Swiss Alps. The five o’clock trafic made for an interesting driving course on which Javier was constantly being left behind.

From begining to end the day was a fun filled adventure for everyone.

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 7

Day 7 - 30.09.2011 Blog written Blog written by Jeremy

Today we started the day with an amazing mountainbiking tour.  We did it in a place where the 1997 downhill  biking world championships took place, it was very technical but everyone did it very well.Then we had to edit the videos that we did during this week, the goal of this videos is to promote the green wave project , it’s about doing environmental actions during one hour one day, if you want more information just have a look at the ACT projects on the pangaea website ;)

In the afternoon we did a map workshop , we learned lots of thing about  how to orientate ourselves with a map and a compass. We learned about how to use the coordinates on a map , and then did an orientation race to test what we just learned. Everything went very well , at least we didn’t get lost .
During the evening we had time to talk with young explorers from former expeditions.  It was very interesting because they did so many amazing things , it makes me  want even more to be selected and to be part of this great family.

Blog written by Ravyna

"It's already been 7 days since the camp started, time is flying by VERY quickly!

We started the day with some mountain biking, and continued with a Workshop about Map and Compass Skills, and were given time to edit our videos for the Pangaea Green Wave Project.

It's been really lively having all the Old YEPs visiting us, and in the evening they gave us a presentation about their Selection Camps and Expeditions!!! It was really interesting to hear what they had to say about their experiences and watching their videos and what they had to say about what happens after the Selection Camp.

It really makes me feel more motivated and stoked for the Expedition after hearing what they had to say and their experiences!

Everyday presents us with such amazing experiences and i can't wait what tomorrow holds for us!"

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 8

Day 8 01.10.2011 Blog by Dan & Aya

This morning began with the infamous YEP church run, where a relay race around ‘Church Hill’ was held between the YEPs of our Selection Camp and the visiting YEPs. It was very competitive, but in the end the YEP alumni took the win.

For the rest of the day we had a really interesting workshop with Dr Roswitha Stolz from the University of Munich. We learnt about the complexity of the environmental issues facing the Gulf of Mexico and the Everglades. A point of particular interest to me (Dan) was the presence of 27,000 abandoned oil wells that have not been tested for their potential environmental hazards. We also were educated on the hurricanes in the guld region and their effects on the people and the natural environment.

Tonight we are having a video screening where each group will present their mini movie that they have been working on for the past week. The theme for our videos is the ‘Greenwave’ – where YEPs around the world on the same day, at the same time, take part in an initiative for the environment. Most groups are frantically working to finish the editing within the next few hours. We are looking forward to a really exciting evening!

YEP 10 Selection Camp - Video Workshop

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 9

Day 9 By Theresa and Greg

Day 9 in Chateaux-d’Oex began without morning exercise for once – the legendary Pangaea Raid began today! Early in the morning, the names for the 2 teams were released. After breakfast, everyone started packing our equipment for the Raid! Nervousness and excitement filled the dining room as 12 o’clock approached.

Once it was 12 pm, each team was given our maps and coordinates for the next 2 days! Both teams started plotting out their route, and within half an hour, both teams were out on their bikes. We had to meet our mountain guide before setting off to the first point, which just needed us to pass through.

At the second point, we had to drop off our mountain bikes and start our hike up a mountain, where the third point, the Via Ferrata activity, waited for us. Many of us were doing via ferrata for the first time - it took some time before they got used to it. The view from the peak of the mountain was simply breathtaking!

After the activity was completed, both teams had to head back down to pick up our bikes. Team Supertramps was ahead of Team RADLLAG at this point. We had to carry our bikes up a narrow and very steep path. After that, we had to bike down to another team challenge – the Big Wall. Working in a team, we had to transport everyone from one wall to another using a plank.

We had short snack time after this activity, before we proceeded to the next team challenge – the Tree Bridge. This activity involves a team member moving across two mobile planks 5 metres above the ground. The other team members have to secure ropes dangling from the planks, to ensure that they would be stable enough for the team member up there to walk across. For this challenge, it was important to have good communication within the team, and for the team member up there to have trust in his teammates. The next point was one of the greatest highlights for most of us – the Flying Fox. Ziplining in complete darkness, under a blanket of stars, was simply thrilling.

After walking to where our bikes were deposited, we biked about 5km to the campsite. It was mostly uphill and was definitely challenging for some of us. By then, it was already past midnight, so some of us were also getting a little sleepy. Nevertheless, both teams managed to get to the campsite by 3am. We quickly put up our tents, and were lucky enough to have a hot meal waiting for us.

All of us fell into deep sleep for the next 3-4 hours, still thinking about what else was to come for Day 2 of the Raid…

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 10

Day 10 Blog by Ann Kathrin & Livio

The raid started with a bang at 12 noon on Monday. The two teams were given the necessary maps and coordinates of the checkpoints. We then quickly went about marking the coordinates on the map and getting the bearings for each point.

Our team had a really good start, and we were well ahead of the other as we reached the Via Ferrata.  Unfortunately the other team overtook us later in the day, but we were not demoralised. We pushed and pulled our way up the next mountain as the sun started setting.  Upon reaching the peak we were grateful to find the Mike Horn team waiting for us with snacks and warm tea.

After refueling we set out to complete the rest of our tasks. These included: The wall, the tree bridge and the flying fox. All of the activities were really good fun and the team worked well together. After the flying fox we got back onto our bikes and headed towards our campsite for the night. The long ride was made much easier by a sky full of stars and a great team spirit.

We arrived to a delicious supper of noodles, soup and bread and after a fast supper we set up our tents and crawled into bed.

We woke up the next morning and our first task of the day was Kayaking on Lac Hongrin. This was followed by a steep climb up Col Sonlomont where we regained our lead and opened a gap between the two teams. We reached the bottom of the next valley and set across Lac du Vernez on a raft that we had built from oil drums, planks and rope.

Our final peak was in sight, but it would take all that we had left to climb up to Pont du Cray. On the walk down from Pont du Cray we realized that we could see our final destination. This inspired us to push ourselves to the max and after a few hours of running, rolling and sliding down the mountain we crossed the finish line.

43Km and 29 hours later with less than 3 hours sleep we all agree that it was the experience of a lifetime. We would like thank the Mike Horn team for all their time and trouble in organizing this spectacular two day mission. It truly was unforgettable.

YEP 10 USA SELECTION CAMP - DAY 11

Blog by Ravyna

The past week and a half have been some of the most intense and challenging days i've ever experienced in my life, but every second of it was so worth it! The breath-taking places we got to explore from all the morning excercises, workshops and the Raid!; the amazing things we got to learn from all the sponsors, experts , 'old' YEPs and Team; the life-long friends we made who we've experienced so much with and become so close to, that it feels impossible to believe that we've only known each other for 10 days!

Today was the last day of the camp. It was the day we had to say our goodbyes as well as find out which eight of us would be joing Mike Horn on board the Pangaea for the 10th YEP Expedition to the USA.
I didn't think that I would get selected out of all the other 14 amazing candidates, so when Martin called my name, I just couldn't believe it! It's such an incredible feeling knowing that i've been selected, as i've wanted this for so long and I never thought that I would make it this far, but I pushed through it all this time, and now i'm getting the chance to sail on board the Pangaea with Mike for the second time this year, and it's just so awesome and surreal, i'm still having a hard time believing that this is really happening!!!

At the same time, getting selected is a bittersweet feeling because it's sad knowing that there are 8 of us that won't be joining for the Expedition, but I hope that they continue to spread the Pangaea Message and know that this definitely isn't the end for you guys, it's just the beginning of your journey and adventures with Pangaea and the Young Explorers Program!

The Young Explorers Program has changed my life so much and opened up so many doors for me, from sailing around Sabah on board the Pangaea during the Borneo Project, the selection camp in Switzerland, to the Expedition in the Everglades and Gulf of Mexico in a month's time! It's just so crazy, and the experiences i've had are ones that will stay with me for a very, very long time.! So to all of you out there considering of applying or not really sure about it, my only advice to you is if you really want it, just go for it, and give it your ultimate best, you won't regret anything!

I'd like to end this blog by saying a massiveeeeeeeeeeeee THANK YOU to Mike Horn, the Team, the Sponsors and everyone who has made this Program possible and such a success!!! And I can't wait for the next adventure that comes along my way! :D