Archive for July, 2007

Well, amazingly enough we’ve made the transition from first half into second! I’m having the surprising realization that no matter what we do, the summer still slides by. We’re at the fun part of the year now when I’ll casually mention a day of the week, and kids will say “cool…. When’s that?” It’s a nice sign that they’re truly living here and in the moment.
As always, the transition from first to second half can be difficult and painful, with a lot of really wonderful young men leaving the community, but at the same time, we’re all thrilled to be forming a new community, with even more excellent Flying Clouders. This year we had fourteen campers stay full season, which means that nearly half of the camp has already been here for a month. As a result, we’re finding that campers are jumping right into the flow of things with very few of the regular bumps around establishing community norms.

Since we had so many people here over Changeover Day, we decided to do something extra special. I’ve been telling people that the goal for this summer is to make Flying Cloud even more like Flying Cloud, basically meaning that everything we do should be from us, and based on the values we want to uphold. For Changeover, this meant having a party, of sorts….

By lucky chance, I discovered that a handful of people were planning to have a barbecue in our gravel pit the day of changeover, and so we decided we’d send our campers down to investigate. In teams of eight, including one counselor, the campers camouflaged themselves and stalked down to the party as silently as they could. As they approached the gravel pit, they recognized the party-goers as FC staff, listening to music, tossing around a disc and roasting hot dogs. Reassured that FC was at no risk, the campers decided to have a little fun with their beloved counselors. One camper snagged the watermelon we were keeping in the shade, and others snuck up as close as they could, planning all sorts of nefarious tricks. We counselors were caught completely unawares, and the campers were quite happy to have an opportunity to exercise their stalking and invisibility skills.

In another tidbit of exciting news, we’ve hired one more staff member! Wind Stirs the Embers has agreed to join us during second half, to help out with perfecting our FC bread baking techniques and to be a general support person. We’re thrilled to have him, and he’s thrilled to be here.

Finally, here’s a nice photo from the end of first half of our Fire Keeper lighting a bowdrill fire under the watchful eye of his mentor Forest Flame for all the parents who came and spent the day with us during Visiting Day. We played games, did chores, and spent a little while on activities, as well as having a delicious potluck lunch, courtesy of the parents. Thanks to everyone who came!

Today has been a slow day at Flying Cloud. We’re very much in transition. Tomorrow is Visiting Day so we’re getting ready for that, but more importantly we’re all relaxing and resting after last night’s Naming Ceremony!

We had guests from Indian Brook and Tamarack Farm, as well as a special guest appearance from our former directors Foxfire Oak and River Holds the Stone! It was wonderful to have everyone there.

 The campers worked well and hard yesterday to build a fire which was truly one of the best I’ve ever seen in my time at FC. It was hot but not too hot, provided plenty of light, was beautiful, and in the end collapsed in on itself perfectly. Congratulations to all for a job well done!

That night, while the fire burned brightly our community gathered close together and took the time to truly honor and appreciate the boys and men who were about to be named. At the critical moment, a camper is plucked from the crowd and brought forward to sit cross-legged on the Flying Cloud Naming blanket. The Voice stands behind him, shielding him from the heat of the flames. As the camper faces his peers, the Voice calls “who speaks for this camper?” and dear friends raise their hands to speak. Last night was a truly powerful time of young men praising and affirming one another in their own unique and beaufitul ways.

“He has a pure gaze that lets you know he’s fully there.”

“He makes me feel cared for.”

“He makes me laugh.”

“….and for these reasons and many, many more, I know he will get a wonderful Flying Cloud name.”

Four times the Voice calls for affirmations, and four young men speak as the chosen one sits on the same blanket in the same spot as every other person who has ever received a Flying Cloud name. There is no way to convey the humble pride and the subtle joys each camper feels as he hears the qualities for which he will be recognized.

Finally, the Voice stands tall and delivers the name to the group. The newly named camper takes his Flying Cloud blanket and stands. As he begins to walk around the fire, his brothers call his birth name one last time, and as he emerges reborn from behind the fire, they embrace him, howling and shouting his new Flying Cloud name.

This is how we honor our brothers at Flying Cloud.

    Well, campers are coming home from trips today, and that officially wraps up week two! Soon I’ll get you a few of the stories from the Conn River Canoe, Silverlake Climbing, Little Rock Pond Hiking, and White Mountains Hiking trips, as well as from the FC capstone Flagstaff where older campers spend a week hiking and canoeing around Flagstaff Lake in Maine

Though a whole lot happened this week, I want to focus on just one special event: the first Naming of the summer!
The Naming is a very special event for members of the FC community in that it’s a time to recognize and honor our new members with a name.
The Flying Cloud name is meant to represent many of the best qualities of a person, as well as to connect them to the local area and one another. One unique FC aspect of the name is that we try to avoid saying our own names. Since they represent our best qualities, we feel it would be immodest to state those attributes ourselves, and instead we have one of our Flying Cloud brothers make the introduction for us. As a result, your son or friend will have to wait to share his name with you until someone who knows it can introduce him. Don’t worry though, if you really want to know, you can always ask me or even better, there’s a master list of all the FC names EVER in the office.

At Flying Cloud we recognize that in addition to being a way to recognize someone’s best self, the gift of an FC name is also a way to mark an important rite of passage in anyone’s life. As such, before someone receives their Flying Cloud name they must go on a twenty four hour Solo. During this time those about to receive their name are taken deeper into the forest, away from the FC clearing to allow them an opportunity to reflect on themselves, their life and their experiences at FC. For most people, the Solo is a challenging experience. They are discouraged from communicating with their Solo brothers, or from eating or drinking. By placing these challenges before themselves, those about to be named have a powerful opportunity to look inside themselves and see who they are and what beliefs they hold most strongly.
Upon returning to the community, the Soloers are given a night of rest before the Naming Ceremony day. For many campers, the Naming Ceremony is one of the most vivid memories of their experience at FC. The campers spend the entire day building a fire and cleaning the Naming circle, with the knowledge that as dusk falls we’ll be having a serious party!
As the sun sets, the guests are seated in the Naming circle and the Flying Cloud campers line up in their FC blankets to await the lighting of the fire. For this first Naming, a gift of summer rain whispers away as full darkness falls to allow for a beautiful moon rise. As the first sparks fly upward, the drum beat begins and we raise our voices in song….

Hang on for now, and perhaps later in the summer this story will continue….

Hi everyone!
We’ve just finished up the first week of camp, and what a week it was…. Here are a couple of highlights:
Campers arrived on Sunday, which was a wonderful chance for me to meet lots of you parents out there, and finally put faces to names. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it up!
On Thursday we did Work Projects, including such efforts as sprucing up the pond, building steps on our entrance path, and digging stumps out of the trail on the way into the Naming circle.
For your enjoyment, here’s a photo of the new stairs, nearing completion. By the time you come to camp we hope to have a big wooden sign hung over the entryway saying “Welcome to Flying Cloud!”

Thursday closed with a conch stalk as an evening activity. This is one of my favorite wilderness skills training activities, and for many participants the experience can be life changing.

Saturday was set aside to celebrate our interdependence on one another, and the F&W spin on Independence day. After a nine mile hike to Timberlake for dinner, all of F&W gathered together to sing songs, dance, eat ice cream (or soy-cream!) and have a big bonfire. Much fun was had by all.
Interdependence Day is a very special one for Flying Cloud, because it allows us the opportunity to recognize and talk about the value of living in community, and how important all the other camps are in allowing us to live as simply as we do. Without the logistical help from them, and Saltash Mountain Camp in particular, FC would struggle mightily to exist. Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone.

More next week!
From the clearing with love,
-VZ