Our brave and excited campers arrived in VT this past Wednesday! Right away we played in the clearing, worked on some crafts like cordage, tried our hands at bow drill fires, explored the woods and learned about the treasures collected on our nature desk, and, of course, did some pumps (to pressurize our water system). The rain didn’t dampen our spirits at the Friendship Fire that evening, where we all shared what we wanted to bring to Flying Cloud, what we wanted to leave behind in the world, and what we wanted to learn from our time in the clearing. Here are a few of the things spoken:
“I want to leave behind my phone and other distracting things”
“I want to learn what it means to be a man”
“I want to enjoy my friendships and happiness to Flying Cloud”
“I want to work hard!”
“I want to leave behind racism and prejudice”
“I want to have fun without a TV!”
So many wonderful things were spoken that evening. The day after, we learned how to use tools safely and all the ways to properly respect fire. Then, after playing games and eating some lunch, campers came together and made a list of things we want in our community, and things we want outside of our community. On Friday lodges went out for wanders around the area, seeing cool things like our ever-flowing Magic Spring, eating lunch in the woods, and getting the lay of the land before heading down to Saltash Mountain for a fun afternoon of swimming in the hot sun!
Til next time!
Charlie