Vermont Semester Update #14 - Final Update

Kroka Base Camp, 06/04/14

Three more days left on our incredible semester. We’ve had hard times, and the best of times, and it’s all coming to a close. The prospect of the future is a looming one, but we’re headed straight for it and there’s no turning back now.

This past week was a busy one. We’ve been charging around camp with our finished moccasins and pack baskets crammed with raincoats, journals, books, and most of our other possessions. We’ve also been doing chores with school groups in the morning.  

We have been building a Cree earth lodge over the past 10 days and we’ve finished our portion of the process. The lodge has been waterproofed, so you can sleep in it, and all that’s left for the summer is to collect and layer-on the sod. We worked to harvest and peel hundreds of poles, set the foundation and the frame, and fill in the gaps between the vertical poles. For the first four days, we worked on the lodge all together. The lodge is live-able now, and it feels amazing to sleep in a building that you’ve constructed together with a wonderful group of friends and teachers.

Sever the golden rod

From its standing post

At ease, though ever steady and strong,

Your work is far from over.

Pull away the outside layer

To reveal the golden inside,

And smooth the cutting sharpness 

From tip to tip.

Create the building blocks,

Foundation, frame---

And fill the gaps with gold.

Then, come night,

Sleep in golden shelter

Not to hide from rain or wind

But to see the sunrise

Through the beams

When morning comes around.

-Semester student, before the lodge was waterproofed

On the bike portion of our expedition back to Kroka, we stayed at Basin Farm in Bellows Falls, VT. While there we were invited to a wedding celebration and last Saturday, we made our way there. We arrived late, since we had our final math test earlier in the day, but we got there in time for the vows and the bride and groom’s departure. Then there was the celebration with incredible music, lots of dancing, and a wonderful tea called Matte. We were really honored by the invitation and were delighted to attend and participate in the festivities.

It’s almost time for all of us to part ways and venture off, back into the front country, or back into the woods we came from a few weeks ago. We all are thinking about the future. Some of us will return to school, some of us will move forward to do other things. Some of us will travel far and wide, some of us will stay around our home states, but we’re all connected by a semester spent together in the outdoors, learning about the world, each other, and ourselves. We are connected by the trails we’ve skied, the rivers we’ve paddled, the lake we rowed, the roads we biked, the fires we made, the trees we climbed, the wild edibles we ate, the places we camped, and so many other things.

Adrian: Semester was amazing! I have become stronger and more willing to take on responsibilities. I am going to miss this group! I can achieve anything I want if I put my mind to it.

Jazmine: Semester has given me the confidence to continue the rest of my life as an expedition. Yay! I will never forget the friends I have made here.

Molly: Semester is totally rad. I’m biking home and will be there some point later in June. If you want to play music, make things, or cook, hook me up!

Cassandra: Everything in my world seems to scream yes. Whatever it may be, I can do it. I can hike the long trail, and go on long trips by myself. My fears no longer keep me at home.

Zac: Semester has been a great way to end my high school career. I’m excited for all the possibilities semester has opened up for me, and for the next stage of my life.

Maja: Semester has been an amazing challenge. My challenge now is to hold it dear and use what I’ve learned to accomplish the things I love to do.

Meg: Semester is amazing. Do it. After this, I plan to bike, play music, and cook amazing food. Maybe tan a hide or two.

Rosa: Semester was more than I had ever imagined. My semester mates are my family, and I will always remember them. I’ve become so much more than I was when I started, and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to face my future.

A hundred feet above the ground, I am high on height, adrenaline, and air. Climbing this huge white pine was a dare that I couldn’t turn down. Right now, my head is above the tree line, level with the highest needles of the tree itself. I sway in the wind with the trunk, perched on branches so skinny that one individually wouldn’t hold my weight, but together I know that they will. Far below me, my friends are ants scurrying about a toy-sized camp with little model row boats. I am watching the sun set in the west for a second time, because it has already gone down on the ground. The wind picks up and I scream and laugh at the same time. I feel so alive, and now that I have conquered this, other challenges seem easy. It’s time to come down.

-Semester student, during the rowing leg

On Depth- after Morris cave

Pounding. The throb. Weight immeasurable settled down above thy head. Whether it be stone or water- a more lovely tomb never has there been.

I stood beneath the mountain. His roots were about me as a fortress. Over me- his whole being sat enthroned. The pressure was intoxicating and the silent black a succor in my heart. Trapped was I not, the mountain granted me safe passage through himself freely.

Beneath the sea. The black more flowing velvet than the rock’s dusty interior. Colors parade their faded selves by- each colder than its predecessor- a blue streak, a purple hue, a green fog. Next, a heavier presence  passes me, the ocean’s heart pushes me as it is displaced by an entity of the deep... 

Pounding. The throb. Weight immeasurable above thy head. Whether it be stone or water- a more lovely tomb never has there been.

-Kevin Wood

We only have a little time left, but we still have things planned. We are performing skits of our own creation based off the idea of “A Hero’s Journey,” for the children from the Cambridge Montessori school tonight. We had a transition workshop today with Lisl Hofer, and Katie and Bill, the owners of Badger Balm. It was a really interesting experience, to set out your life in front of you and change it to what you want it to be. We’re really grateful for their help and knowledge. We are also planning an earth ceremony with “Grandfather” Ray Reitze, and preparing for our graduation on the 7th.

 Its been splendid to share this journey with all of you out there, and this is the last post there will be for the Vermont Semester of 2014. We made it!

 
-Rosa Dews, spring scribe

Not all who wander are lost.

The construction of the lodge begins

A visitor

Laurel, construction manager, making a determination about the next step 

The semester work is complete!

Vermont Semester Update #13 - Arrival back to Kroka!

Bonfire at Earth Sky Time Farm

Back at Kroka Base Camp, 5/27/14

WE DID IT!!! 

We’re back at base camp after three months of expedition, and Kroka is much greener and warmer than we remember. There are new staff to meet, new animals to take care of, and new chores to do, so we are working away as usual.

Our biking portion was amazing. We had absolutely fantastic weather, sunny and warm everyday except for the last two where we experienced soaking rains. Our spirits were not dampened as we found that biking in the rain was fun too. We crossed the spine of the Green Mountains towards the beginning of the leg. That day was pretty tough going, but we made it to the top of the mountain, and we covered a whopping 51 miles the next day! We also climbed Putney Mountain towards the end of our trip - a long dirt road climb. That day was also difficult, but we rode it at a steady pace.

On our first day, we stumbled across an Amish barn raising. It was pretty amazing to watch so many people working on one project together, and getting so much accomplished in such a short amount of time. We stopped at the Slate Museum in Granville, New York where we learned about slate quarries and their history in this region. Our destination that day was Merck Forest. Some of us ended up calling it Murk-wood, but the place was anything but murky. It was beautiful! The ride there ended with a very long and steep hill, which, after 33 miles of hard biking, seemed impossible to climb. We slept in an awesome cabin-like lean-to. The next morning, we did some firewood stacking and trail building in exchange for our lodging.

Our next destination was Earth Sky Time Farm. We arrived mid-afternoon, swam in their pond, set camp, and shared dinner with the farmers. After dinner, we had a meeting on their in-ground trampoline, and attended a bonfire. We did some service work in the morning before leaving: pulling weeds from the blueberry patch, painting a foundation, and moving some re-purposed windows.

The next day, we had a short ride to Mt. Equinox where we met up with a geology professor named Roger Hadock. At the bottom of the mountain we talked about the geological history, and on the way up, he taught us about the different plants on the mountain and why they grew there. It was super interesting to learn about how the mountains were formed, and how that effected the plant life. That evening, we arrived at Someday Farm, which was also at the top of a fairly ridiculous hill. 

The next day was a live-over. We packed our bikes with minimal gear, and rode to a local cave for a day of caving. I myself did not go into the cave, but the group had a good time and were extremely muddy when they returned. We then biked back to Someday Farm, back up the ridiculous hill, and went to bed. The next day was another live-over. We did service work on the farm for most of the day consisting of expanding the living space for the chickens and clearing some beds in the greenhouse in preparation for spring planting. That afternoon, we worked on academics and softening three deer hides for making moccasins. We stretched the hides by creating a trampoline and bounced each other on top of them. That was a ton of fun!

We left Someday Farm the next day with some regret, after some more hide work and academics. The ride the next day was a lot of uphill as our route took us up and over Mt. Tabor. We camped at the top of the mountain, next to a very pretty brook.

The next day was the 51 mile day. It was mostly downhill or flat, but it was a really long day. We stopped at a place called Taylor Farm where they very generously gave us some cheese and apples. We continued on after that and ended our day at Trollhaugen Farm (otherwise known as “old Kroka base camp”) where we set camp, ate, and promptly went to bed.

We had another live-over the next day. Lisl came and helped us make moccasins for the whole day. I had a lot of fun making mine, and I’m really excited to wear them after they’ve been smoked properly.

We left Trollhaugen Farm the day after making moccasins, and biked about 12 miles up and over Putney Mountain to Green Mountain Orchards. We ate our lunch there, set camp, swam in their pond, ate some apples, and worked on academics. We also played some fun games including one called Mingle, where one of the requirements was to leap into someone else’s arms rather unexpectedly. Lots of laughter ensued. 

The next day we did some service work by clearing out pruned apple tree branches from the orchard. Just after setting off on our bikes, it began raining hard. Everyone got soaked, but we had a wonderfully dry barn to sleep in at Basin Farm, inhabited by several goats and their kids, six cows, and some extremely cute kittens. After hanging the multitudes of wet clothing and gear, we ate dinner with the community and shared some songs and stories. We visited a little more and then went to bed, warm and dry! 

The next morning, we did some service work and transplanted sweet corn in one of the many 100 square ft. garden plots. The soil at Basin Farm is incredibly rich and loamy river bottom soil - perfect for growing crops. I don’t think I have ever seen or felt such high quality soil. 

Last Friday, we packed our panniers for the final time and set out on the home stretch to Kroka. It was mostly uphill, but the pace was quick. We arrived back at Kroka, to be warmly greeted by the staff with music playing. We were done with the bike leg and we only had a scraped elbow and knee, an not one flat tire! 

On Pain by Rosa Dews, prompted by a passage from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

And so, unwilling, I find the dark one again

And drink his bitter brew---

He is a well-known, hated friend to me,

One never ceasing, following my tracks...

And he, as sun, cracks the fruit’s stone

And the life inside has in its choosing: 

To grow and seek the warmth,

To flourish, feeding others as it feeds itself,

And to become, once grown, so much more

Than it could have ever been unopened--- 

Or in darkness chosen,

To succumb to the plague of its very being

And choose the easy path,

The well-worn trail to self-indulgence,

The slow but steady downward spiral,

To be resigned within its newborne shell---

A door that never opens leads to 

Nowhere by its nature...

So, fruit’s stone, choose easy 

Or choose right,

Seek the sun, or in the darkness

Know a decaying bliss.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have finally finished our journey of hundreds of miles and we’re back at where we started. The realization dawned on us all, and there was laughter and hugging with everyone. It was a triumphant and happy moment!

Now we are here at base camp and it’s a bit strange to be back. The grass is green and warm, and the mosquitos are flying. It’s rather surreal to be back after traveling so far. We are knit as a family in a way that we were not when we left, and we are reliving memories all together here. With graduation approaching, however, we are still very busy building our lodge, doing chores, and finishing all of our leftover work. We will be doing morning chores with school groups as they come in as well which we are all looking forward to.  

We hope many of you can make it to our graduation on Saturday, June 7th at 1PM!

-Rosa

Semester with the folks from Earth Sky Time Farm

Roger Haddock describing the geology of the Mt Equinox region 

Kevin, Adrian, and Meg

Spring flowers on Mt. Equinox

A successful caving expedition

At Someday Farm

Becky doing bit of academic work with students

Jazmine bouncing off the deer hide

Forest catching some air!

Oliver stretches the hide even further

Doing some repair work

Oliver awaiting lunch

A Green Mountain vista going up and over Mt Tabor

Maja and Rose

The trailer boys - Per and John

Taking a break in Jamaica

Oliver doing a reading on a road where the semester skied along

Jazmine and Sofia

Always!

Kevin and a new friend

A lunch stop along the West River

Lisl demonstrating a stitch used in making moccasins 

Per making moccasins

Finn and Maja 

Heading down from Putney Mountain

Meg smiling at the prospect of a long downhill stretch!

Molly milking a goat at Basin Farm

Planting sweet corn at Basin Farm

Maja

The Semester Has Successfully Arrived!

Kroka Basecamp May 23rd 5PM

Vermont Semester Update #12 - Life on the lake

We have finally reached the end of our water journey. Through headwinds, waves, and sunshine, we steadily rowed on. During our journey, we learned about the history of Lake Champlain. We stood on the shores of Valcour Island from which hundreds of years ago a battle was fought between the British and the Americans. We visited the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Crown Point, Fort Ticonderoga and other locations along the way learning even more history.

We ate wild plants, learned their names, and identification. We played, "toss the fish" with dead alewives and noticed other things around us resulting from the warmer weather. Our last day ended on the lake ended with an epic water battle the was initiated after a rudder was stolen. We boarded, tussled, and reclaimed our stolen property - and still made it to Whitehall on time!

We have less than two weeks to go before we return to Kroka's base camp...and so the days tick by!!!

- Rosa


Alewives

The dead fish are everywhere. Touchy things - if there is a sharp rise of heat during the day, they die in droves. "Invasive, invasive" the locals cry! "They are just like herring!" Why not eat them? I would love to build a shiny hut on the shores of Lake Champlain and spend my day netting the small fish to pickle and eat. Free, lasting food for the local community - making the best of something bad. It doesn't hurt my thoughts that I am craving fish at breakfast time.

- Kevin

Boats

There is something about boats that i can't get over. The sticky sweet smell of varnish and ropes, the constant thump, thump, thump of waves hitting wood. A boat can be sail boat, a row boat, or even a small canoe. As long as it is made of good hard wood.

- Sofia


Edible

Edible takes on a new meaning when on trail. The simplest foods become delicious. Who knew two peanut butter tortillas could taste so good? Wild edibles to become a new joy.

- Anonymous


Harbor

A safe place. A home. Shelter. A small nook out of the wind. A place to be open. To be yourself.

- Maja


Iroquois

I find myself intrigued by the history we have been learning about the Lake Champlain region. The Iroquois Nation lived on the New York side of the lake. Recounts of first interactions with the Mohawk people always interest me. Any information regarding the way of life before "discovery" or settlement I deem precious and exciting. The history lessons we had had provide ample information, keeping myself and others well captured.

- Zac

Heading south on Lake Champlain

Shipping oars

Rafting up for a lunch break

A bit of reflection time

A barrel of laughs...

A re-supply means new edible items!

 Molly getting oriented for the day

Per and Adrian

Per scouting

Morning exercises

Camp for the night on the lake

Finn, Per, and Jazmine with a delicious dessert

Warming up after a cold, wet day

The boating life!