We’ve had quite an exciting ten days to start off our August Session. Our full-season campers have jumped right in, taking on the responsibility of welcoming and orienting all the new campers to life up at the Cloud. While it could be something as simple as how to wash your personal dish after a meal or sharing the meaning of our ceremonies, these young men have truly stepped up to make a well informed and integrated community this session.
And the new campers! Wow! These guys are incredible. They have jumped right into camp, despite it being undoubtedly the rainiest week of the summer. The first round of rainfall reminded us how important it is to build a good bunk. A little dampness after one night can teach a big lesson. I’ve checked in with the lodge counselors and it sounds like any wet spots have been taken care of and everyone is nice and dry now. To all those campers that thought Flying Cloud wasn’t that “hardcore” during the last couple of summers, remember, those were some of the driest summers we’ve seen in a long time.
So what has been happening at Flying Cloud? We went on some day trips in the local area, getting a chance to really explore the rich natural landscape around us. Campers got to go canoeing on Lake Ninevah, hiking on Salt Ash Mountain, and romping through our local swamps in search of signs of wildlife and tools for survival. After that we jumped into our normal activities routine. There have been all the classics: Friction fire, tracking, naturalist identification skills, leather crafting, wood carving, and so much more!
The summer moves quickly – before we knew it, a group of young men were out on their quest getting ready to receive their Flying Cloud names. If you haven’t heard much about Flying Cloud names, I suggest reading a couple of the previous blog posts. The important things to understand are that we all receive Flying Cloud names as representations of our best qualities. The representations refer to not just the natural world around us, but also to how we relate to that world as humans. Without getting too lost in the details, please help me in welcoming eight new Flying Cloud brothers:
Riverbed Sage
Red Stone Flute
Raven Flies North
Caribou Spark
By the Shore
White Pine Ermine
Sunray Deer
Valley Swift
We had an incredible night. Many of the other camps came to Flying Cloud to celebrate these amazing young men. The Camper leaders facilitated the ceremony in the best fashion I’ve seen them do yet. As the sparks danced long into the night after the ceremony, their new names settled on them with the gift of recognition, but also the burden of always challenging oneself to grow.
From there it was a quick turn around. Less than 72-hours later, the Flying Cloud community shouldered their packs and left for their overnight trips. They will be gone from Flying Cloud for four days and three nights, returning on Saturday evening. I can’t wait to hear all about their adventures and then get back down to a keyboard to let you all know.
As always, if you have any questions or just want to talk about Flying Cloud, shoot me an e-mail. Remember I only make it out of the woods every three days or so, but when I love getting a chance to catch up with the rest of you.
Be well,
~FF~