Indian Summer, Adirondack Dreams

Well, I have to say first off that I never expected that life would be so busy that I wouldn't have time to update this journal since March! Wow! That pretty much tells me what kind of a busy spring/summer I have been having this year.

I will gather no moss this season.

(Unless it's sphagnum moss, which can be used for many different wilderness living needs! )

I just got back from the Adirondack Expedition, where we ventured into the Pharoah Lake Wilderness Area, and spent our days climbing peaks, swimming in crystal clear lakes, hiking through hemlock groves, listening to the calls of the loons and making great food. I was sick for about two of the days in the middle, but it was nothing serious, maybe just a sample of the flu that then morphed into a cold, so I was ok.

Being in this wilderness area was very intense for me, in several ways. One was the intense feeling of silence, of quiet and being surrounded by nature sounds, all day, all night. Especially at night, as the stars were reflected all crazy and wild, in the mirror of the lake, I just started to feel like I was losing the grip of human form. The owls call seemed to come from a deep place inside of me, and I could feel the wind in the treetops in the ends of my fingers.

The other way that the wilderness affected me was found in watching our group. Watching how each person changed each day, slowly, methodically, moment by moment, dropping away cares and worries and opening towards the beauty that surrounded them constantly. Of course, if you were not watching for it, you would probably not see it right away, because we had our share of jokes, bad jokes, constant chatter and playful banter that permeated our daily interactions at times. The change was there, and our last day of hiking out was one of power, sweat, beauty and closeness to each other and nature.

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There is so much more to talk about, with the summer, my trips to San Diego, CA and Baltimore, MD as well as all of the camps and programs.... I just don't know where to start. I am glad to be heading into the fall season, and I know we must have done something right this year, becase we are all so tired! The Fall Instructor Training Program Semester is starting in a few weeks, and there are so many things to wrap up and get ready that I know there is no real rest in sight. But it is good work we are doing here, and I am glad we can do our part to bring nature and leadership opportunities to all these children.

Have a great fall!

Ricardo

A Glimmer of Spring

Our Instructor Training Program Spring Semester just started this week, and we are already deep into several projects. We have each person doing two-three hides for making buckskin, and they are all moving along nicely. We are making bone hide scrapers, too, which is fun and brings us a little closer to doing it in nature, rather than relying solely on steel.

I am enjoying this group because I am able to teach them more from a native approach, more free-form and less of the structured college style classes. There is a mix of conversation, stories, teachings, fun, and appreciation for the returning birds, as we all worked together in and around the barn. It is both relaxing and hard work at the same time.

I am also excited because I am taking our group out to go trout fishing on opening day. We don't usually do any hunting or fishing unless it is primitive style, but when I realized how many of the students didn't know how to fish with modern style, it looked like a good opportunity to have a field trip to some new areas, explore the trees and see if we can find some fresh trout! I think it will be a fun learning experience that can help us all be better fishers in the long run. Besides, how often do you get to fish the East Branch of the Delaware River? Any respectable fly fishermen know what an honor is get to fish these world class waters, so tomorrow should be an experience we can all remember. I just hope no one falls in! That water is cold!

We are getting ready for a survival trek which will be coming in a few weeks. There are lots of skills to practice, learn and develop, and many of our students are fairly experienced so we should be able to enter the woods with just the clothes on our backs and be able to survive for five to seven days, no problem! (We always bring back-up gear for safety and emergencies, but that is a given.) I am excited about this and I think these students will do a lot better than they expect out there. The earth will help us and provide for us, if we take the time to listen and go with the flow......

I have to get to class, but check back soon to find out how we did on our buckskin and fishing! Have a great Spring!

Ricardo

Mid-Winter Days,

The bright sun felt good on my back as I walked to the office today, and it helped me to feel warmer than the 23 degrees F! The wind was a little gusty and blew through the trees here and there, freeing them of the powder snow that fell last night.

The shuffling tracks of a skunk wandered in a crazy line along the driveway, looking like a weaving drunk driver. I could see where the fur on his or her fat belly pushed the snow out away from the sides, with the short feet making tiny, bear-like tracks that compressed the snow nicely. There was no odor at all in the tracks or snow and I could almost feel the hunger moving this little creature along.

I got into the office and the woodstove was hissing nicely, with plenty of heat. I am totally excited about our new website, which should be up by Friday and fully online. It will be a huge relief to have that up to date and happening, so everyone can find the information about the camps or instructor training stuff they need.

Barry Keegan arrived shortly after one and we all headed up into the woods to peel birch bark for some birch bark cooking containers. His work at the Farmer’s Museum and Fenimore House involves demonstrating pre-Contact maple syrup processing using rock boiling, birch containers directly over the fire and clay pots. We had mallets made of wood to pound the bark, and our knives and the usual warm clothes.

The first trees we chose worked ok, but it didn’t come off even close to easy. Peeling birch bark doesn’t kill the tree if it is done right, and the best time to do it is in late June or July, when the tree is growing and expanding. Barry showed us how to get started, how to pound and how to pull it off so that the sheets would be thick enough to use for cooking containers. My sheet had a few lenticil holes and separated into different layers, so it can be used for other things, but not for holding water. I might use it for a basket type of container or a quiver or something else like that.

We got back to the farmhouse and Barry had brought some black birch tea, sweetened with maple syrup, which was excellent. He showed us how to fold and bend it into good containers, and then Brian demonstrated how to make and use an Egyptian style bow and drill. He used some dogbane cordage he had made a few days ago, and was able to get a coal very shortly, with a bow of about only 12 inches in length. He learned it by reading my copy of Wilderness Way Magazine, so I think I am going to have to start reading it AND practicing stuff in order to keep up with my students!

Tonight should be in the single digits again, but the warm days are so awesome, I don’t even care. I hope to get outside tomorrow too, but for now, I will just say, hey, today was great. Eli has been packing up his gear and stuff for his trip to California, and then when he returns in April he will no longer be an instructor here for a while. It is great to know he is doing the things he needs to do, and that he will be having some good adventures, but sad too, knowing how many years he has been a part of our place and our programs. It will be strange not to see him here on a daily basis. I know I will miss his presence on many occasions throughout the spring and summer, in the middle of programs when his steadfast approach was strong and constant. Good Luck out there, Eli!

It is getting late and almost time to head home for family time. It has been a good day!