Happy Holidays to one and all! I’d like to take a moment to say how thankful I am for each and every one of you, and for the special web of connection we all share thanks to Flying Cloud. So often I’m amazed at how far our network stretches, as well as how deeply it’s rooted in me. As I travel the world, I always fall back on the values I’ve learned in my special summers at Flying Cloud.
I’m writing to let you all know about one of my favorite F&W events of all time…. That’s right, Ice Cutting is coming up! In just a few weeks, hundreds of F&W campers, families, friends and alumni will be gathering at the Tamarack Farmhouse for a weekend of playing in the snow, delicious food and lots of good hard work packing away ice for next summer!
No matter what your connection to FC, it would be great to have you there as part of the team. Perhaps you’re a former camper or staff member and you just need to get a little of the Flying Cloud love. Perhaps you’re a current FC’er and you know how important this work is for making camp run. Better yet, you’re new to the F&W community and this will be your first experience. Lucky you!
Ice Cutting this year will happen on President’s Day weekend, February 15th–18th with the official cutting all day Saturday. Usually this means that everyone arrives Friday evening and settles in at TF, and then after a big breakfast of Farm sausage, scrambled eggs and hot tea, we all head up to FC where the fun begins! Whether you’re sawing ice, pulling blocks out of the water, or running them up the hill, you’ll have a blast, and whenever you need a break there’ll be hot chocolate, GORP and oven-fresh pizza to get you fired up!
So far, we’ve got a nice little handful of FC staff on board, and I’ve heard from a few more guys who really want to be there. I’ll be flying across the country from Washington to see you all! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You can also expect to see Medicine Shield Dancer, Buffalo Brother Smiles, Wind Stirs the Embers and Osage Panther out there cutting up the ice and packing the Mines chock full!
Come for the weekend or come for the day, however it works out, it’ll be great to get together as a Flying Cloud community and show just how much we love life in the woods. For more information, please contact Janet Stocker in the office at (802) 422-3761 or check the website: http://www.farmandwilderness.org/.
As a reminder of how great it can be, here are a couple of photos from last year (click on them for a larger version):
First you have to get there, which can be hard if you don’t follow the trail!
After cutting ice for a while, it’s time to pull it out.
And make sure to take some time for fresh hot pizza and igloo building!
Once the ice house is full, it’s time to reflect on all our work before heading down the hill for a hot dinner and some dancing! Just one more reminder that work really is “love made visible”.