Our staff have arrived. This week, they’ve been gaining skills to prepare them for their work this summer.
Over the past ten days, more than 60 women from around the country have gathered at Indian Brook to share their experiences, inspiration and enthusiasm for the 2011 Farm & Wilderness summer. Rain or shine, both new and returning ladies at IB have hit the ground running to prepare for the arrival of our amazing campers!
We finished “Skills Week” off strong, with five newly certified “Water Safety Instructors”, lots of new (and re-certified) Life Guards, Outdoor Living Skills and Rocks & Ropes instructors and team members ready to lead our campers on exciting, challenging, and rewarding outdoor adventures!
“We are all set and ready to guide our girls through cool new challenges…like climbing the ‘Chimney’ wall at IB,” said a Rocks & Ropes team member.
Kitchen staff has been planning menus, preparing meals, and perfecting delicious and healthy dishes, using lots of food grown here on the farm. IB staff has been so kind as to “taste test” anything from sugared ginger spiral bread and vegan biscuits to baked ziti and thin-crust pizza.
Tamarack Farm crew led several Barns & Gardens workshops – we picked herbs from the garden to make mozzarella and ricotta cheese, used fresh farm milk to church creamy vanilla and mint chocolate chip ice cream, hand-spun and dyed wool, and learned how to weave, knit, and needle-felt. We learned about organic and sustainable practices, and practical advice such as: “If you go visit a farm, be sure and bake chocolate chip cookies for the farmer!” said TF’s Farm Manager.
As of last week, IB has two beautiful chocolate-colored calves – Hemlock and Havarti – which campers can meet and perhaps even bottle feed! Get ready for barn chores, because we also have goats, rabbits and other amazing animals that would love to be groomed, fed, or taken for a walk.
After dinner (and chores!), mellifluous sounds of guitars, rhythmic drum beats, beautiful voices, and laughter filled the cool Green Mountain air. Hiking boots, socks, and rain jackets are laid out to dry, as we sip steaming hot cups of cocoa and tea, discuss exciting social justice issues, teach songs, skills and games, and build friendships that are sure to last a lifetime.
This weekend, many of us completed trainings for certification in Wilderness First Aid and CPR, and completed some camp beautification projects. Our talented Works Projects women helped built a trash shed for the main F&W office, to learn “hard skills” – from building the roof and rafters to laying out the floor and applying siding – necessary to guide campers in the future.
“I’m excited for campers to get here, so we can work in this environment. We’re going to build chicken coops and a new swing set,” said a Works Project team member.
Our campground is overflowing with food, fun, and friendship. Our library is organized, our dining room is sparkling clean, and our staff room is freshly painted. We can’t wait to meet our campers!
We have truly made “love visible” through challenging and rewarding efforts in preparation for an incredible summer. I’m excited to see how the skills play out when campers get here. Next week is “Staff Training”, so be sure to check back for exciting IB updates!