Archive for the ‘Year Round Updates’ Category

Hello Again Blog Readers,

Here in Plymouth, we are learning more and more that Nature truly has a mind of its own. After the damage done by Tropical Storm Irene, all of us here at Farm & Wilderness have been doing everything we can to help the community. We were fortunate enough to have minimal damage to our property.

And with all the rain came Autumn as well. The temperature is dropping (we even got a frost or two!) and the leaves are starting to turn their colors as well.

As we get farther from the summer, we only get closer to the next. So, I am very excited to announce the camper leaders for 2012!

The role of Speaker will be fulfilled by Moonsong Chickadee.

Stepping up to Fire Keeper will be Maple Holds the Spring.

As Drum Keeper we will have Stone Turtle Shines.

And finally, as Spirit Keeper we will have Ember Speaks.

Please join me as we usher these four incredible young men into their new roles. Being a camper leader is most certainly an honor, but not one without its own responsibilities and challenges. I know this is an opportunity for some personal growth that these young men will not take lightly.  I look forward to the chance to work with them.

Before I close out this message, I also wanted to let you all know that I have started posting photos from the summer on the Flying Cloud Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flying-Cloud-Summer-Camp/151054301606358).

Just looking through all the photos we took has put a smile on my face I just can’t seem to wipe off. So I just want to say one more time, thank you all so much for such an incredible experience. I hope you have a wonderful school year and please check back in every so often for monthly updates.

Be well,

~FF~

Greetings Blog Readers!

We are getting closer and closer to the summer now. Even though it is only a couple weeks away, we still have a good deal of work to do.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Flying Cloud could exist in its summer form all year? In reality, we build all the lodges at the beginning of the summer and take them back down at the end. This summer, we are setting up eight tipis, two yomes, and two wigwams as living quarters. There is a ton of other work that goes into making Flying Cloud possible. We’ve cleaned out the food shelter and stocked it for cooking meals, set up our water system, and prepped our bigger shelters, such as Two Kettles, the Tool Shelter and Kahonkahona. We want to have Flying Cloud in tip-top shape for the arrival of the campers.

In the end though, we all know that there is so much more to Flying Cloud than its structures and campus. That’s why,  even though the tipis aren’t standing throughout the year, we can all carry it with us in our hearts. It’s the people that make it so special, and soon enough our village will be united once again!

Be well and much love,

~FF~

Ps. Here’s a photo of the staff setting up a lodge in the woods. The smoke you see is a new ritual we are beginning this summer. Every time we build a home we light a fire to recognize the connection between home and the hearth. Can you pick out with lodge site this is?

FC staff set up a tipi in the woods

As promised, I present to you the second half of the Lodge Staff that will be working at Flying Cloud this summer. In this batch, I’ll introduce a couple of men who have come back to Flying Cloud after some time away, some returning staff from the last summer and a new staff member. Please join me in welcoming these five incredible men to the Flying Cloud Staff of Summer 2011!!! The introductions for these guys will look just like the last, I have asked all of them to let me know what they are most excited about this summer.

After being away for handful summers, Jared “Yarrow Heart” Curtin returns to Flying Cloud. I am very excited to have Yarrow Heart back at Flying Cloud and here is why he is thrilled to be back in that magical clearing:

“I am very excited to take a step back and get closer with the natural world. I would like to gain some more appreciation for the little, every day things we all take for granted, and I looking forward to spending time with my new and old friends this summer.”

Next, I would like to welcome back a face who has been in-and-out of Flying Cloud at various times over the last six summers - Zachary “Moon’s Embrace” Heyman. This summer, Moon’s Embrace is very excited about a number of things and but I think his quote sums up his sentiments quite nicely:

“My highest goal this year is to see those moments when a camper’s face lights up with sudden understanding and confidence, when the atmosphere we’ve built– one that’s both supportive and challenging, both safe and adventurous - is transformed into an instant that the young man will carry with him always.”

Next up, we have two staff members who are becoming strong, constant presences at Flying Cloud. Both of them are returning for their third consecutive summer as Lodge Staff. First, I would like to share what Ried “Forge Song” Meyer shared with me:

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work at Flying Cloud because it gives me chance to encourage positive values in young men. I also love spending my time working on leather crafts, and doing so with campers in the woods makes it even better. And aside from the excitement I have for the the big box of spoon blanks I just made up, I am excited for another summer with the amazing campers and greater community that Flying Cloud is.”

The other returning staff member I am excited to introduce to you is Daniel “Loon Dreamer” Blackman. Loon Dreamer has been a camper and a staff member for a number of years now:

“I am excited to be living in the Vermont woods again in a community small enough to support itself from day-to-day while learning more about the forest. I look forward to the personal growth and bonds that Flying Cloud cultivates in and between us all.”

Lastly (but most certainly not least!) please welcome Jack Sinclair to Flying Cloud and the greater Farm & Wilderness Community. Jack was introduced to me by Forge Song and I think he will make a great fit with our little family. Jack shared these sentiments about his first summer:

“I’m looking forward to refining my own outdoor skills while helping campers develop theirs in an atmosphere that supports a healthy and genuine sense of masculinity. I am also hoping to discover ways in which I can be a more effective teacher and leader as I work to help campers engage in nature.”

Alright! that’s the whole crew, all 16 of us (I know, I only introduced 15 people but I think you all know me well enough by now). Assembling this group of men has been quite an experience. I believe whole-heartedly that, not just as individuals, but as a working community, these men are going to craft a totally new and awesome experience for the campers and themselves this summer. After all, when has Flying Cloud ever been anything short of an absolutely incredible and unique journey!

Be well,

~FF~

Hello Again Flying Clouders!

We are getting pretty close to the summer now. In just a couple weeks all of the summer staff will be arriving at Farm & Wilderness to start getting ready for the arrival of all the campers. It’s an exciting time of year here in the Valley and I wanted to let you know a little bit more about the summer. I have already introduced the Support Staff of 2011 to y’all, and now I am very excited to be announcing the first batch of Lodge Counselors that will be in the clearing this summer.These are the staff members that will be living in the Tipis and the Yomes with the campers. Some of them are returning from 2011, some from summers past, and some of them are brand new to the clearing.

In thinking about how to introduce all these wonderful men, I thought “what would be the best way to give you an insight to who they are?” Everyone gets excited about Flying Cloud for different reasons. Some are more similar than others, but in the end we can all say that we are thrilled to be at Flying Cloud. So here are their voices on why they are excited to be working at Flying Cloud this summer!

After a brief absence from Flying Cloud (Lodge staff in ‘05 and ‘07) Michael “Sunrise Mist” Dyck had the following to say about why he excited to make his return to the clearing:

“Outside of camp, I am a physical therapist, musician, and nature enthusiast. This will be my third summer back at the Cloud, and I am eagerly looking forward to the hiking, exploring, skill practicing, playing, and many more activities that make up our wonderful summers. I am also excited for the community building and the heightened sense of presence that are perennials at Flying Cloud.”

A former camper making his return to Flying Cloud for his first summer on staff is Langston “Night” Epps. I am personally very excited to see Night back at camp after having had the opportunity to work with him as a camper and watching him grow into a wonderful young man. When asked about what he was excited about, Night shared this with me:

“I look forward to being a part of memories that will last a lifetime. That, and setting the boys on the path to discover their own meaning of manhood.”

Changing camps and moving farther up Saltash Mountain, I am excited to introduce Daniel Filstien. A former Saltash Mountain Counselor from 2010, Dan will make a great, experienced addition to the team. Dan shared these sentiments:

“I’m waiting in great anticipation for this summer, my first at FC and second at F&W, where I know we will have an incredible time building a community together based on respect and appreciation for each other and for nature. I am looking forward to getting to know each one of you and sharing many experiences learning and improving our wilderness skills and growing as humans toward personal and collective awareness.  A beautiful summer in the Vermont woods awaits us!”

New to Flying Cloud, but not a stranger to Farm & Wilderness, I would like to welcome Nick Canby to the Flying Cloud family.  Nick shared this:

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to set foot in the pristine wilderness of Vermont and smell that fresh scent of early summer. I’ll be looking forward to really immersing myself in the forest and forgetting all about these pesky computers and phones and technology that we spend so much time with these days. I look forward to really slowing down and getting to know you all this summer, and to seeing how the community develops over our time together. I’m sure I have much to learn from all of you, and I hope we can all come to this experience with open minds and just see where it takes us.”

And for today I will introduce one last Lodge Counselor. Please welcome Jensen Morgan to both Flying Cloud and Farm & Wilderness. Jensen is brand new to our family and community and we are very excited to share with him Flying Cloud, and also to see what he has to share with us. The following is what Jensen said when asked about introducing himself to y’all:

“This will be my first summer at Flying Cloud and I am ridiculously excited!  I am from Utah where I have six siblings who love to laugh and wrestle and play games all day long.  I hope that they, someday, can experience F&W, and that my brother can experience Flying Cloud.”

For today, I’ll leave y’all with these introductions to read over. Check back next week for the remaining five lodge staff that have been hired this summer. We have a pretty incredible team! I feel confident that this crew will help us all have an amazing summer experience! Until then, be well and enjoy he wonders of discovery. Maybe you can take a long walk in the woods and see how many different signs of animal life you can find!

Greetings Flying Clouders, Families and Friends!

I would like to start by apologizing for the lapse in blog posts. I recognize it has been awhile since the last post and now that things are picking up it is time to start letting you all know about the preparations for Flying Cloud Summer 2011!

This summer is truly gearing up to be an incredible experience for all involved. As often happens with a director change, we have a number of staff members changing their roles and taking on new responsibilities. So without further ado, let me introduce to you the Support Staff (a.k.a. the “Funkies”) for this summer!

Stepping into a new position this summer, Tends the Grove will be filling the role of Assistant Director. Tends the Grove has been a part of F&W for quite some time now. As a former camper at both Saltash Mountain Camp and Tamarack Farm, Tends the Grove then made a shift to summer staff by starting as a cook at Timberlake in 2006. In 2007, he made the transition to Flying Cloud and has remained at FC in the subsequent years. He has spent three of the last four summers as our Food Coordinator. So, I would like to thank Tends the Grove for all his amazing summers on staff as Food Coordinator and welcome him into his new position!

Sun Panther Gives returns this summer as our Program Director and Trips Coordinator. Sun Panther Gives has been in this position with great success for the last four summers. I could not be more confident in his abilities and feel incredibly supported by his continued presence.

River Sways steps up to fill the position of Food Coordinator this summer. He has been a Lodge Staff for the last four summers and has become a quintessential Flying Cloud community member in his time with us. Although Food Coordinator is a notoriously difficult position, I feel confident that River Sways is the brother for the job. He will also have plenty of support from our former Food Coordinator, Tends the Grove, and from another staff member stepping into a brand new Flying Cloud position I am very excited to be telling you about next.

In pursuit of a more streamlined food system at Flying Cloud, I am very excited to announce that Kodiak Weaves the Thunder will be stepping into a brand new position - the Cook Crew Head. It will be his primary responsibility to work with the cook crew of the day to ensure the quality, quantity, and diversity of our meals - and to make sure that people are having a great time while prepping all our meals! If you have had the honor of meeting Kodiak Weaves the Thunder, then you know that there is no one better for the job than him!

And the last member of our Funky Team is also a returning staff member filling a new position. This summer, I am proud to announce that Badger Pool will be our Sensible Health Person. He is incredibly well qualified to be providing the on-site medical care for our community. Badger Pool is certified as a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), a Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and has his Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification as well. He has been working in the field for a some time now and most recently spent this last winter working as Ski Patrol here in the beautiful mountains of Vermont. As a former Sensible Health Person myself, I feel very confident in putting the medical system of Flying Cloud into his able hands. Further, we are happy to have Earth Ray Traveler returning as the Ninevah Nurse. Badger Pool will be working closely with Earth Ray Traveler to make sure that FC stays healthy and that any emergency that arises is dealt with in a efficient manner.

Well, I think I will close the staff announcements there. We are close to being done hiring the Lodge Staff and as soon as I lock those guys in you will hear from me again. But, I can assure you, the campers at Flying Cloud are going to be in absolutely spectacular hands. As Flying Cloud’s director for my first summer, I could not feel more optimistic about the upcoming summer’s experience for all of us. The team is coming together and, before we know it, the Flying Cloud Community of 2011 will be circled around  the inside of Kahunkakona as our Firekeeper crafts the first coal and we begin another incredible summer!

Be well!