Canyoning

The day after our 14-mile hike, 18 of us got up early to make the 5:40 am train to Interlaken, Switzerland because we were going CANYONING! When one of the guys asked us if we wanted to go, I had no idea what canyoning was. But, Natalie told Hannah and me to just say yes before watching the youtube video on canyoning. So, with her encouragement, we said yes. And I think we are all SO glad we did. It was probably one of the coolest things I have done so far in my entire life. Canyoning, for those of you who don’t know, is basically a natural water park instead of a manmade one. It includes jumping off cliffs (10ft – 30 ft) into the river, sliding down waterfalls, zip lining, repelling and more!

When we first arrived, we had to sign the release forms and get suited up in our wetsuits, water boots, two jackets (Yes, I said two jackets because the water was about 50°F. The day we went was actually the closing day for the summer activities because it was getting way too cold. But, it was totally worth it!) and helmets. Each helmet had names stickered on them and that was what the guides would call us throughout the day. We were told to choose our names carefully (although I didn’t seem to hear that part). I first found a helmet that fit my head with the name “Octopussy” on it. Luckily, my friend, Dom, brought that to my attention and I was able to switch to something much better…LOVE! Hannah chose Miss Piggy. And Natalie chose Dumbo.

Once we got all of our gear, we piled into the van and headed up to the Grimsel Canyon. The drive up there alone would have been worth it even if we did nothing else. It was so beautiful; I just couldn’t get over it. And then after about an hour drive, it was time to canyon!

Our guides were able to film our whole adventure with the go-pro camera clipped onto their helmets…so, I was able to put together a little video! Take a look!

*The song is “Ça plane pour moi” by Plastic Bertrand. Ça plane pour moi is a French idiomatic expression, which means “Everything is going well for me” and I thought it was pretty fitting to my experience living abroad and getting to participate in amazing adventures like this! Also, we speak French in Switzerland…so I thought the French lyrics were pretty fitting too!

We had such a blast and I am so thankful for our guides at Outdoor Interlaken (shout out to Stan, Tim and Mustard) who were so much fun and made us feel incredibly safe! If you ever get an opportunity to go canyoning, I highly recommend it!