Today began much the same as most days here - wake up earlier than I'd like, munch on breakfast and get ready for the day ahead. Today this was a hike through the Gasterntal for most of us whilst Robyn & Saffron stayed behind to sort things on site.

Luckily we'd arranged to get the bus 2/3 of the way up the Gasterntal, leading some of us to believe this would be an easy hike. However, this myth was quickly dispelled as we set off on the uphill portion of our trip. There were tree roots to avoid and much of the walk took place over shale and rocks, which we later learned were the result of avalanches in the area. We also got to cross an incredibly bouncy bridge over the Kander, much to our delight! Shortly after 11am (and following much heavy breathing and panting on my part) we reached the highest point of our walk: over 1700m up. This was celebrated by a spot of early lunch (today with the addition of Smarties - yum!) followed by a few new games which Daia (our guide) taught us. We quickly realised that all of the Guides (except for Nairne) have still not worked out the solution to the wordplay game 'I Went To The Moon'. Although to be fair Saffron has been trying to solve the game for 8 years and still hasn't managed so there's time yet. Of course this was also the perfect opportunity for 259 to show off their new Guacamole song to our guide! She was very much impressed, as were we because at least 2 more verses have been added since yesterday (although burritos are now also on the list of foods I never want to see again!)

We then continued on with the walk, each of us breathing a sigh of relief that it was all downhill from here! Once again we were deceived, as this was probably the harder portion of the hike. Luckily Nicky decided to sweeten the deal by treating us all to ice cream - a treat we all greatly enjoyed given the heat! This also gave us a chance to eat our second lunch. This was the only "official" toilet stop on the walk; any other stops required bushes/rocks. As you can imagine we were all pretty keen to make the most of a decent toilet, regardless of our experience with yesterday's toilet (which the Guides have still not quite gotten over). Much to their surprise this outdoor toilet was lovely: Daisy declared that it "Even has tiles," as this is a clear measure of the quality of a toilet.

As we continued our hike Nairne and Hannah W repeatedly declared their love for hiking and how much they were enjoying themselves, although we suspect this had something to do with wanting to use Nicky's straighteners rather than a new found love for walking. This suspicion was confirmed when they also offered to do all the washing up, drying and cleaning for the entire unit. Ahh, the things a girl will do for straight hair!

As we walked we realised that occasionally some of the leaders would disappear and fall behind the group. Nicky & Kate were both loading their backpacks with interesting rocks from the walk! I suspect that their backpacks ended the day much heavier than they started. We did see some amazing rocks and beautiful views though. I've just been informed that they only collected 8 rocks.

The final portion of our walk was the most difficult, with a very steep downhill section which included a fairly large drop on one side. This was carefully navigated by us all (I know I definitely resembled Bambi on ice with my attempts not to fall) and we made it down in one piece! 20 minutes later, and much to our relief, we finally caught site of home. There were multiple times I didn't think I could make it but we all did, and we're definitely feeling pretty proud of ourselves (although our feet are a little sore!)

For tea Robyn treated us to Fajitas (which seemingly Nairne and Lucia had never tried before - this trip really is full of firsts, particularly with food!) and they went down incredibly well after such a long day. Durning clearing up we realise the Lucia's necker seems to have become a super hero cape - we definitely need to teach the unit how to properly roll, tie and wear a necker! Nicky's Hair Salon also re-opened, this time offering hair straightening instead of plaits. This was followed up by free time for the Guides and a well deserved sit down for the leaders.

Today we managed over 29,500 steps so it's no wonder the leaders are walking like penguins at the moment (this has been named the Gasterntal Shuffle). As I write this we are waiting for the girls to return from free time. The leaders are all exhausted and we deeply regret Nicky's decision to allow the girls free time until 10.30 as this means we must sit up and wait until they're all in bed before we can sleep. But at least we get a lie in tomorrow. And biscuits, the thought of which is what got Rachael through today's hike (we definitely earned them!)