Clearing The Path
When Tate Hausman reached out to me this winter with a special request, I knew we had something meaningful ahead of us. His son Lincoln's grandfather Bob had one simple holiday wish: a family camping trip at the site of the former Flying Cloud. There was no place he'd rather be than returning to this special place that had shaped so many lives.
After clearing the administrative hurdles, I was fortunate to join the Hausman family for what became a beautiful demonstration of how "work is love made visible."
The Journey In
The entry to the site remains as challenging as ever, accessible only to large trucks without significant risk. The Hausmans courageously navigated the numerous dips and potential bottoming-out sections in their Toyota Sienna. While they made it through, Mike the Logger later reported that the cover for the oil pan had been sacrificed somewhere along the trail on their way out—a small price paid for this meaningful pilgrimage.
Three Generations, One Purpose
What struck me most about this visit was the beautiful level of intention present throughout our time together. The trip consisted primarily of clearing brush from the numerous trees downed by ice and wind storms over the past 24 months, along with sweeping out and tidying up the Round House.
Bob Hausman, who served as Flying Cloud Director from 1966-67, exemplified this intentionality perfectly. While clearing a path, he made sure it was wide enough for a counselor to walk side by side with a camper. As he explained, "It's about more than getting from A to B, it's about having the conversations." Even in this maintenance work, the educational philosophy as a Director shone through.
The family shared stories that brought the site's history to life, including tales of "The Great Leap Backwards" in 1968—led by Bob's brother—when the feeling was things had gotten "too high tech". This change was primarily about getting rid of the noisy generator to pump water, but donkey also got the boot!
Learning from Experience
Lincoln shared valuable insights about the practical realities of camp operations that will inform our future planning. One detail that surprised me: a pile of brush as tall as my head will likely all be used in a single day. It's easy to underestimate such quantities when you haven't lived the camp experience.
He also showed me the circle where obsidian chips were historically found and turned into necklaces and other crafts—a tangible connection to the land's deeper history and the hands-on learning that defined Flying Cloud.
Former Executive Director Len Cadwallader also hiked in to join our efforts, adding another layer of institutional memory to our work.
Looking Forward: Damage Assessment and Future Plans
The winter storms left their mark on the outhouse infrastructure. Two KYBOs took hits from downed trees. The KYBO above the trail near the Meeting area sustained repairable damage. However, the Drumming KYBO's fate was sealed when a massive tree, downed by lightning, fell directly upon it. A new era will indeed bring a new KYBO.
As I looked ahead to programming returning to this clearing in the woods in 2026, I asked Bob about the ideal capacity. I was surprised to hear "40-50" as a perfectly manageable number of campers. While we'll likely start with about 32-36 maximum for the new program, it's encouraging to know we have room to grow.
The Road Ahead
We're targeting Memorial Day weekend 2026 for a work crew of 24-30 people to camp and prepare the site for the first sessions the F&W Base Camp program of 2026 summer season. This will likely include constructing that new KYBO and addressing the various maintenance needs we identified during this visit as well as... clearing brush!
If you're interested in being part of this site preparation effort, please click here to fill out the survey to help us plan for the Memorial Day weekend work session.
This family visit reminded me that Farm & Wilderness's greatest strength has always been its people—the connections formed, the lessons learned, and the love for this special place that spans generations.
About the Family Members:
Bob Hausman: TL camper '53-56, TF 57-58, TL staff 59-64, FC Director 65-66.
Rick Hausman: TL camper 55-59: TF 1960; Counselor Apprentice (CA) at TL, 1961; counselor at FC (under Brother Bob’s direction), 1965; FC director, 1968-70; F&W Board Member in the 1970s and 80’s; [Editor of the Interim, ’69-70; helped establish Camp Seaforth, 1970; Ninevah Foundation Board Member.
Nate Hausman: TL 90-'91, FC camper '92-'95, FC counselor '99-'04, FC co-director '04-'06.
Tate Hausman: Went to camp as Dan Hausman: TL 86-91, TF 92, TL staff 94.
Lincoln (Wolf) Hausman: TL '18-23, FC 21-23, TF 24-25
(There are more Hausmans, this is who made it on the trip!)