So we have reached the end of week one. The week seems short because our circle was only completed on Thursday, but, wow, did we have a lot happen!!!
The first couple of days spent at Flying Cloud, whether you are new or returning, is all about inspiration and orientation. We started out the first night with a good comfort meal – chili and corn bread. Once every had thoroughly filled themselves, we transitioned into a very important event.
We hold our inaugural ceremony on the first night of every summer, called our Friendship Fire. This moment is of the utmost importance as the rest of the summer is dependent on it’s success. Our Firekeeper (an experienced and older camper selected the previous summer) creates the fire, which will burn through the entire summer, by using the bow drill method. Bow Drill is one style of friction fire (the creation of fire by rubbing two sticks together! Bow Drill was a common method used by many primitive cultures, including the Abenaki, who lived in the same forests where Flying Cloud is located. If you search “bow drill” on the Internet you can find out more information on how the skill works.
Once the fire has been started, we introduce the core values of Flying Cloud. These are: Simplicity and Isolation, Common Gender, Honoring the Land, Honoring the Spirit, and Respect and Community. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Flying Cloud Ceremony if we didn’t have a chance for people to share. We asked the campers and staff two questions:
“What do you want to bring to Flying Cloud and share with your brothers?”
“What do you want to gain or learn from your brothers at Flying Cloud?”
It was so wonderful to hear their answers. Some of the common themes included bringing openness, a passion for nature, and love for each other. People wanted to take away new friends, new skills, and a sense of belonging.
After the ceremony concluded, I particularly enjoyed sitting on the edge of the clearing as all the candles dispersed through the clearing. Slowly, all of the tipis and yomes began to glow as fires were lit. As the evening drifted well into night, the murmur of voices faded and once again silence returned to the clearing. But it doesn’t last long!
The following day was about learning how we live at Flying Cloud. This includes knife, blade, and fire training, some get-to-know-you games, and pumping water and breaking up fire wood! In the afternoon, we broke up into smaller groups and learned the boundaries of camp and all of the cool spots to visit like Magic Springs (a natural spring that ushers forth from a crack in a giant boulder deposit by glaciers tens of thousands of years ago).
Moving through the rest of the week, we have had ample time to spend as a community and in small groups. We went well beyond Flying Cloud on Saturday for day trips. We traveled to the top of our own little Saltash Mountain, down to the Lake Ninevah area, visited the Lower Camps to use the challenge course, and our biggest day trip – a 15 mile trek across Shrewsbury, Killington, and Pico Peaks!
We have ton’s more planned for the upcoming week but I’ll make sure to let you know about that next weekend! Hope you are well and as always if you ever have any questions please feel free to contact me at Zach@farmandwilderness.org.
Although I know that seems weird since when we last saw each other we were deep in the Green Mountains, e-mail is the best form of contact. I try to make it out of the woods to work on staying in touch every 24-48 hours and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Be well and much love,
~FF~