Some updates from Red Spruce Grove!
On Monday, we finished Guilds for this session, with each group sharing what they’ve been up to. It’s been awesome to watch things getting built and crafted all over camp, and to see campers digging deeper into one topic of their choice.
Quilt Guild has been working on an epic RSG quilt, created from fabric scraps, bandanas, F&W t-shirts (and masks), socks, wool blankets, and other odds and ends. It’s a beautiful patchwork created by many hands. Campers got to practice their sewing skills, use their creativity, and work together towards a shared goal. The Guild will get to decide what the quilt will be used for in the future at RSG!
Primitive Trapping Guild has been running all over camp creating mischief. From building no-kill deadfall traps to ensnare our wily chickens, to stalking animals in the blueberry field while in mud and fern camoflage, they have been having some ridiculous fun.
Foraging Guild has explored the land around Red Spruce Grove, identifying edible and medicinal plants and trying their hand at harvesting and preparing them. Each camper in the Guild picked one plant to focus on, and on Monday we had a foraged feast for lunch prepared by campers! (Sorrel limeade, dandelion iced “coffee”, chokecherry syrup, and wild blueberry pancakes were some of the treats.)
My favorite times at the Grove are when everyone is in activities, with small groups all over camp working on crafts, building, cooking, and playing. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times. There was the knock-knock-knock sound coming from the Living Room, a shady spot in the woods, where one group was cracking acorns to make into a wild-harvested porridge; there was smoke rising from the fire and laughter drifting from the A-Frame, where campers were cooking dinner; and down by the barn, a group was sitting in the sun sewing the quilt and talking. The RSG flag (recently made out of hand-harvested poles, lashings, and a felted flag) was waving in the breeze. Our little village was humming along – in the solid rhythm we always get into in week three, when everyone knows each other and camp magic is in the air.
Tomorrow, everyone goes out on their 12- or 14-hour solos. Campers have been practicing shelter-building and fire making in preparation. They’ve also been asked to prepare an intention for their solo – a hope, a goal, or something they’d like to bring into their life after camp – which will be shared at our Intention Fire tonight. There’s some nervous energy in the air, but campers are excited for the challenge. It’s a bittersweet time during the session… projects getting finished, big challenges ahead, and celebrations planned, with the end of camp just around the corner. It’s been an incredible summer, and I’m so grateful we’ve gotten to create this community together on our little homestead at RSG.