Vermont Semester Update #11 - Running the Lamoille River to Lake Champlain

River Trip

For the past five days, we have been out on the Lamoille River. We did a lot less swimming than I had expected, which is good because the water was really, really cold! It has rained a decent amount during this section and it got quite windy too, but the paddling was pretty easy and the rapids were fun. No one capsized!

Now that it is marginally warmer, green things are growing. We have been eating wild ramps, trout lily leaves, and lots of ground nuts. All of these edibles are delicious!

The banks of the river accumulate some pretty strange stuff. We saw quite a number of dead animals, as well as a lot of trash and knick-knacks. We also found and skinned a dead beaver.

Some of the paddling days were surreal: Rain drizzled down from the velvety clouds as we floated down the river. Greens and browns blurred with subtle purples and grays, flashing with red raincoats and blue and yellow life jackets. Paddles dipped in slow, methodical rhythm and the sound of the moving water mixed with the patter of raindrops. Everyone enjoyed the day of sun immensely. It was short compared to the others, but it was full! We tossed a salvaged tennis ball back and forth between boats for a while, paddled a set of rapids, and got a little swamped. Despite the wet, we still had fun and were pretty warm.

After a beautiful day camped on the shore of Lake Champlain, we now have our rowing boats and our re-supply, and we are ready to go onto the next phase of this journey!

- Rosa

Journal Entry

Old yellow grass, fallen over, and flattened by the snow through the winter. Green mosses pushing up through the grass. Small bush-like flowers standing two and three feet high, brown and brittle, small dead bugs from last year cresting the branches. Raspberry bushes standing up here and there, still showing no signs of new life. The wind rustles the spruce tree behind me, the spiky green needles occasionally falling onto my page. The dead leaves rustle on some of the fallen stalks, adding a dry chime to the wind and birds of spring. A pile of sheep droppings, dried out over the winter, sits next to a fallen spruce bough. There is bright green moss climbing up the roots of the spruce, reaching for the trunk. The snow is receding, leaving a washed-out look to the ground, where the grass all lays in the same direction. In front of me, the forest seems ragged an unclear. The old maple stands tall against the grey sky. Its bark is large and chunky, and the one gallon syrup bucket is small in comparison. - Zac

Vermont Semester Update #10 - Parents Weekend and onward to the Lamoille River

Clowning around just prior to launching on the Lamoille River

Sky Meadow, 4/22/14

Parent weekend was really fun. The food was amazing, and now there is still a ton of it left over, which is crazy. The weekend was kind of hectic in its own way, with some scurrying, lots of talking, visiting, and activities.

Students, Parents, and Friends at Sky Meadow Retreat Center for Parent Weekend

The parents arrived on Friday afternoon. When our families found us, we dropped whatever we were doing and became miniature tour guides, showing them around Sky Meadow Retreat. We got them settled in, then it was time for dinner. Everyone crowded into the retreat barn, and we shared an amazing banquet brought to us by the parents and Sky Meadow. There was so much food! After dinner, there was dessert, and then we did a presentation for the parents. Our silly skits, reflections, songs, poetry, and a ballad of cheese tea were punctuated by the adored Hans und Franz, two students in the prime of their improv career. They kept everyone chuckling in between the explosive laughter and the thoughtful applause of the main presentation. Afterward, it was time for bed.

The next day was fairly easy. There were no morning chores, so students slept in much later than usual, attending a delicious breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast, there was a work period and parent-teacher conferences. For the work period, families did projects around Sky Meadow, such as hauling brush out of the woods, splitting kindling, and scraping hides. We worked and visited until lunch, but some of us stopped around ten to have a spoon carving lesson with Polly, Finn’s mom. We sat in the Dance Pavilion and made spoons until it was time to go eat.

After lunch we had another work period and parent-teacher conferences time. Families continued their service work until three, at which point a rousing game of Capture the Flag commenced. At four, after much running, capturing, and laughing, the parents had a parent meeting, and we cooked for Sunday’s brunch and did some other miscellaneous chores. When the parents were done, there was a Seder led by Janie, Molly's mom, and afterwards we ate dinner. Then the parents gave us a treat!   There was a talent show with juggling, jokes, acts, music, and plenty of laughter. After much fun, it was bedtime again!

The next day, we woke up early to attend a sunrise service at six, led by Nancy, Meg’s mom. It was wonderful to watch the sun spread throughout the valley and touch the tops of the trees with gold. The service was followed by some work time, then an Easter egg hunt! Many chocolate eggs were discovered and eaten very quickly. At nine, there was a sacred circle dance. Ten o'clock was brunch, made by semester students and it was delicious! After brunch, we said our goodbyes and the parents departed. The rest of the day passed quickly. 

Yesterday we began our paddling training. It started in what we dubbed as “an overgrown puddle” Hardwick Lake, a decent sized but very shallow, muddy body of water. We practiced the basics at first, then ventured out into more complex turns. Partway through the day, we portaged the dam and paddled part way down the river, practicing more maneuvers. The day was warm and we only had two boats capsize. We reached our take-out point, cleaned up our gear, had a snack, and returned to Sky Meadow. We depart tomorrow to start our canoe trip down the Lamoille River, ending up in Lake Champlain. 

Onward!!!

-Rosa

MORE ON PADDLING with Misha

We had two full days of paddling training on the Lamoille. First day we paddled on Harwick Lake and on moving water below the dam. Lake froze through this last winter. Only the first foot or two was thawed out, so we would hit the ice below with our paddles. On the second day we practiced in class I and II white water through the town of Hardwick. It got warm and then it rained and river rose, making rapids harder. In addition the fog rose, reducing the visibility. It was an exciting and memorable day with many flips, swims, rescues and chasing capsized canoes down the river. We lost three paddles and learned a lot about paddling, river reading and hazards, team communication and self rescue. On Wednesday after packing marathon we begun our river expedition. Our plan was to paddle empty canoes through the rapids of Wolcott and then pick up our gear and continue downstream. However a barely 40 degree overcast day with gusty northern wind told us to skip the rapids. We were off by mid afternoon cold, but determined! Spring expedition has begun!

Zac and Forest

John practicing cross draw stroke

Meg at stern, Jazmine at bow

On Hardwick Lake

John

Jazmine

Kevin

Zac

Jazmine executing a draw stroke while Meg performs a pry

Per and Cassandra

White water!

Finn and Adrien

Kevin

Molly and Kevin

Sofia doing a sweep stroke with Rosa paddling away

John and Becky

Yeah for life on the river!

Vermont Semester Update #9 - The arrival of spring!

Sky Meadow, 4/13/14

After a very long journey, over snowy mountains and across frozen lakes, we are here at Sky Meadow Retreat.  It seems like it’s been forever since we left Kroka, but the winter expedition seems to have gone by in a flash.  We have made it, and the snow is melting!

On leg 4, we split the group into guys and girls, and headed out on two different expeditions.  As expected, we arrived at Sky Meadow at different times, but what wasn’t expected, was that the guys would arrive at three in the morning.  The girls arrived a day later, on April fourth, to multitudes of stories about the guy’s wild adventures, including one about Adrian falling asleep while standing up.  Many more stories were told that night from both groups.  It is amazing to be back as a whole group again. 

We’ve been really busy since we arrived at Sky Meadow.  To make pack baskets, we first pounded ash logs with Chris Knapp, which was interesting and fun.  It involved scoring and pounding the logs with hammers until the growth rings began to peel off.  The pounding took us two days, but in those two days, we accumulated enough material to make seventeen medium sized pack baskets.  Yesterday, we started weaving the ash strips into baskets with Laurel Iselin and “Grandfather” Ray Reitze.  It was beautiful outside, so we were sitting and weaving in t-shirts, enjoying the sun.  

In between the ash pounding and making baskets, we were involved in many other  interesting events.  We ate dinner in the retreat barn with the Sherts family on April sixth.  The food was amazing, and so was the company.  On the night of the seventh, it rained fairly heavily, and the wind was incredible - enough so that the girl’s tent blew down part way and we had to wake up to fix it.  The night of the eighth, we had Big Job presentations. There was poetry, charades, acting, reading, and a pair of skiers who skied rather haphazardly out of their clothing. That completed the winter expedition Big Jobs.

We all have new Big Jobs for the spring expedition:

Kevin - Bathroom and trash manager

Finn - Boats and bikes manager

Jazmine - Medic and hygiene manager

Sofia - Energy manager

Cassandra - Treasurer and van and trailer manager

Zac - Kitchen manager

Per - Water gear and safety manager

John - Navigator

Molly - Food and water manager

Meg - Navigator

Maja - Sewing manager

Forest - Food and water manager

Adrian - Tools and repairs manager

Rosa - Tents and tarps manager, recycling and compost, aaand... I’m the new scribe!

On Wednesday the ninth, we had a day-long communications workshop led by Miles Sherts and Nathan Lyczak.  I had a lot of fun that day, learning about how to better interact with my peers.  After the lecture part of the class, we had ten-minute one-on-one conversations with each other, offering positive affirmations and constructive criticism.  Everyone got to talk to everyone, and afterwards, the feeling in the air was serious yet cheerful.

On Thursday and Friday, the 10th and 11th, we started our two-day Wilderness First Aid course. Our instructor, Sawyer, was awesome. She was very clear with the information she provided, and it was quite easy to understand. She also had some really cool stories to tell, about pinching arteries closed, saving lives, and other incredible things. We practiced CPR on dummies, splinted each other's arms and legs, and moved through a variety of simulations as well. In class, we covered a variety of subjects, including the three major body systems (the nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems), the patient assessment system, anaphylaxis protocols, wound classifications, acute stress reaction, bleeding, infarction, and a whole lot of acronyms. The simulations grew slightly crazier each time, so that at the end of the first day’s simulations, we used fake blood. The effect felt much more real, which was ironic. At the close of the second day, we had our last simulation -  a “lightning strike,” and “mass panic.” There was a "forehead wound,” a “broken leg," a “shattered knee," a pair of “broken and burned forearms," a “broken shoulder," a “TBI” (traumatic brain injury), four”cracked ribs," a pair of “popped eardrums," two “epileptic seizures,” and a lot of fake blood and Alka-Seltzer tablets. It was crazy, but now, we are now all certified in Wilderness First Aid!

Today, we are finishing our baskets. They are a perfect size for carrying things around, and I fully intend to use mine as a backpack when I return to school. They are wonderful.

Two nights ago, we watched the sunset from the top of the hill in the back field. The glowing color spread as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky, shooting tendrils of pale golds and pinks across the horizon. From thread-like, pale gray clouds and streaky light blues in the north, to fiery oranges and reds in the west, to purple and violet billowy clouds in the south, the whole sky was gloriously beautiful. Even the moon showed its pale face in the east, catching and mirroring the sun’s fading light. We sat, in largely awe-inspired silence, until the sun had vanished completely behind the distant mountains.  Then, we returned to the tent for some long awaited cheesecake!

Sunset Poem

The Elder Furnace sinks lowest, wavering at the tightened edge of the West.  

It howls its gentility, pleads its vigor - the end of cyclical Creation.

~Kevin

Parent weekend is coming up, and everyone is looking forward to it! After that, we begin the spring expedition. For the first leg, we will be paddling down the icy-cold Lamoille River to Lake Champlain.

We are heading towards spring with the force of melt-water fed rivers, and the speed of the snow’s disappearance.

-Rosa

Reflections on Winter Expedition

Through the winter

I have strived

Through windy nights

And stormy skies.

Through the winter

I have survived.

Nay,

Through the winter

I have lived

And given all that

I have to give

To this life

In the bush

Through times of strife

In the spring,

When the snow 

Turns to mush.

I have danced through the falling snow

And I have sung

Through the windy blow

The lands have brought

Beauty and change

Mental and physical 

As we crossed the range

Through the rain

And across the ice

I shouldered the pain

To our spring paradise.

~Zac

Finn on Mt. Elmore

Maja pulling the pulk (pack sled)

The girls solo group doing a little modeling

The boys solo group at 10:00 pm after a quick dinner

The boys arriving at Sky Meadow at 3:00 am

Molly and Meg scoring an ash log for baskets

Finn removing a splint of ash for the pack basket 

Cutting the splints to size inside the Sky Meadow Retreat barn

Jazmine's Big Job presentation about tea

John's Big Job presentation - quizzing the group about tracks

Vermont Semester Update #8 - Sky Meadow

Sky Meadow!!!!

We have arrived at our spring location that just two and a half months ago, seemed so far away. It is miraculous!

On the final leg of the winter expedition, we split into two groups. The boys went with Oliver and the girls with Becky. We were traveling along the same exact route, and at times we would come across each other’s tracks and even stumbled across one another a time or two. The girls were skiing behind the guys on the trail for most of the time and so we had a full lesson on tracking. It was quite entertaining to see where one of the boys had fallen on the hills and speculate as to whom it could have been.

We will be spending the next two and a half weeks here at Sky Meadow Retreat in Stannard, VT, busily preparing for our spring leg on the water and then over the Green Mountains. We will be busy weaving pack baskets from ash strips and transferring our big jobs. Yes that is correct, I will not be writing to you anymore. I have really enjoyed it and I know that my successor will be able to keep you well informed about our spring journey and adventures in the months to come.

Goodbye!

Maja

Winter Expedition - Leg 4 

The report from the girls:

As we left Trapp Family Lodge, the snowfall turned to rain. It drizzled and misted for the next 2 days, but after that, we had clear skies and beautiful sunny days. Spring is definitely on its way even though there is still a good foot and a half of snow on the ground. We skied along the remaining portion of the Catamount Trail that veered east for a while before the trail turns north again along an old railroad bed.

Traveling along the railroad bed was a bit sketchy and haphazard at times. There were a lot of bridges missing along the route and the ones that remained were quite old. The wooden cross beams have moved out of position making the gaps between them alarmingly large at times. A train track bed is completely flat and since snowmobiles have already driven on it, the going was very smooth and fast.

Leg 4 Day 5      4/1/14

Today was fun. We had good weather and good travels. It is spring now and we were able to remove many layers of clothing to celebrate it while coming off of Mount Elmore. It is nice to feel free. We stopped to buy toothpaste at a general store in town and then left the Catamount Trail and got on a snowmobile trail. It is sad and weird to realize that we will never again ski on the Catamount Trail.

Distance: 14 km

Weather: sunny and warm, high 45, low 15 degrees Fahrenheit

Location: ½ km NE of the dam in Portersville, VT

-Meg (daily journal)

It was a totally different experience traveling in a group of eight instead of sixteen. There was more work to do, but I felt like I had more time to acknowledge each person, and get to know them better.

On day six, we passed through the town of Hardwick. The people at the co-op know Cassandra and she knew that they take "on-the-spot community service help" so we decided to stop by. We spent an hour or so washing windows, folding menus, and sorting multivitamins. It was really fun just to pop by like that as the people there were very generous and gave us clementines and oranges. The fresh fruit was so spectacularly delicious and refreshing!

One morning, I was on cook chore and so I had to wake up a little earlier than everyone else to start the stove and get breakfast going. I asked Becky and she agreed that she would wake me up even earlier so I could watch the sunrise. I got up, started the stove and then set off down the trail. I couldn’t see the sun very well from where we were camped and so I ran along the railway for a bit, startling some birds that I believe were grouses. I continued until I saw some rocky outcroppings and boulders. I climbed up on top of one of the rocky hills and did morning stretching as the delicate first sunrays washed over me. It was super invigorating! Once the sun was fully up, I headed back to the tent and sang the rest of my groggy group awake.

- Maja

 

Winter Expedition - Leg 4 

The report from the boys:

Who knew that we’d be here so soon? We left Trapp Family Lodge what seemed hours before, like our last leg had been only a relaxed dream. We traveled faster compared to traveling as a whole group - fewer people meant quicker decisions and simplified logistics. Every time we had a meal pot to clean, it was done immediately and with joyous vigor. 

It has absolutely been one of my favorite legs of the winter expedition. Our skills were sharper than before, our attitudes more mellow, and our goals more closely aligned. From day one, each of us had a goal to move well but without hurry, to do what needed to be done so that we could collectively enjoy our time on trail together. Our intentions came to complete fruition on our last day and night of travel in what Per and Finn called: “Operation Wild Rumpus”.

The plan was simple and easy to remember. We would start the day normally, breaking camp after a 6:30am cook’s wake-up call and head out on the trail. Instead of searching for camp in the late afternoon, we would just continue skiing straight through the evening and night until we arrived at Sky Meadow. We discussed this plan all week and we slowly refined it.

It began with a parody by our fearless leader, Oliver Mednick. Modeled after Aragorn’s inspirational speech featured in the film “The Return of the King,” we changed words here and there to suit our unique circumstance and then off we went! Down the road to the snowmobile trail heading east to Hardwick, we made stellar time, doing thirteen minutes per kilometer. Around noon, Adrian’s right ski binding came off of his ski so we all stopped in the sun to wait while Forest fixed it with epoxy. The day was extremely warm; mid 40’s to low 50’s Fahrenheit. We sat on our backpacks in the sun and dozed under the pretense that the glue was drying, although in reality John and Oliver were battling to determine who would finish a tough Sudoku puzzle first. Zac and I took the time to both read and soak in the sun.

We traveled slower after that long momentum-stealing break, but the conditions were beautiful and the snow stayed slick and fast. Walking through the town of Hardwick, a very sweet lady named Stephanie came out of her house and offered us water to drink. We drank several pitchers and shared our story with her. It really was a blessing - who knew you could sweat so much at the end of winter?

The trail was thankfully quite flat all day as the Lamoille River valley was accommodating of our dear Operation Wild Rumpus. In the late afternoon we caught up with the girls just before crossing the river over an old railroad bridge and stopped again to chat for a little while. They were covered in sunscreen and very hungry. Both groups expressed interest in joining up before we continued on, but it was decided that we would carry on separately. Shortly after our meet-up, the girls stopped to make camp.

Two more kilometers along we halted when John’s ski pole snapped in half. We had a half hour debate on the merit of doing a dinner boil-up or just doing a hot chocolate stop and a dinner boil-up later; considering every option in between on a sliding scale. At last we (laughingly) agreed to just eat then and there. We set our fire screen on a fir tree and next to an adjacent stump that was labeled “NO TRESPASSING.” We ate our macaroni and cheese with rehydrated jalapenos down by the riverbank. After the sun sank behind the distant hills, we donned our headlamps, strapped skis on, and were under way.

The beginning of the night was a big challenge. The soft snow of the day had begun to freeze and left a crust on top of the trail and cracked and grabbed our skis. Finally, we reached a more established snow-mobile track and from there on it was smooth sailing. Oliver timed us again: ten minutes per kilometer on the smooth, hard trail. 

We ended our “Operation Wild Rumpus” with five kilometers of road walk before reaching our goal. In the near pitch dark, we stopped and lined up on a long, frozen mud road. Oliver pointed out the cathedral trees and the star lined ceiling of our triumph and we stopped on a “pew” to revel in our accomplishment. In my mind I saw the image he painted and also the ice puddles as a stained glass floor.

At our last corner, Adrian fell asleep standing up and Forest yelled for him to wake up when he noticed him snoring on his feet. We would have all fallen over laughing if we hadn’t all been so tired ourselves! We walked into Sky Meadow silent as we could, over the icy trails to a lean-to. We laid our pads in the snow and fell asleep at 3:00 am, having traveled approximately 35 kilometers.

It was something that none of us had ever done before, and something that few people ever do. We were proud of each other and ourselves. “Operation Wild Rumpus” was our crowning achievement and a worthy pinnacle to the end of the winter expedition. It is a night that, although done half-asleep, we won’t soon forget.

   

- Kevin

Shoveling the tent site 

Zac preparing a tent pole

The cook tent is up!

Spring boxes and new clothes!

The girls arriving at Sky Meadow

Misha outlining the set up at Sky Meadow