It was a cold morning, but with good layers and the warmth of the sun, we were comfortable and ready to go. We started off our day at Wild Ways welcoming a few new teens to the program, and then rolled into a Flying Deer classic, Bobcat Dodgeball! We reminded the teens that not only is this a game but a strategy for building their awareness and agility, two important aspects of moving in tune with the wilderness.
The walk to camp takes us up a steep climb and was a welcome warm-up in the winter air. The instructors went over knife safety practices during snack time and then we jumped right into camp tasks. Some folks got our fire ready, some split wood for logs and kindling. A few even learned how to use an axe for the first time!
Before lighting our fire, we had some harvesting to do. It’s important that when we are harvesting something, we remember the life we are taking, be it that of a plant, animal, or something else. In small groups, we roamed the land for a while to harvest Alder and Buckthorn for our carving projects. Every student learned to recognize which plants are ethical to harvest (because they will live on, or be shaded out by other trees, etc.). They also learned to ask permission before harvesting, listening and feeling which trees are ready to be taken.
The first group returned with alder in hand and learned (or reviewed) how to light a fire with flint and steel so that our other friends could have a nice warm fire to return to. We sat spaced out around camp working on our carving and chatting, telling jokes, and playing games.
After lunch, we finished up carving and then learned some new techniques and language around being aware and causing less disturbance. As we moved through the forest to our final location we practiced what we had learned. We moved silently (as we could, given our time restraint) and practiced stopping and listening/watching at transitions in the landscape. Most importantly, we tried expanding our bubble of awareness so we were noticing more of the world around us, and shrinking our bubble of disturbance so we could mitigate the ripples we as humans send out into the forest with every step.
The day ended with Jedi training, an involved game of agility, awareness, balance, and accuracy. We wrapped up by coming together and sitting beneath the red pines in silence before speaking something we were each grateful for. It was a beautiful moment with all of these young people voicing what they value.
—Josh (Barred Owl), and Raven (Black Walnut), January 29, 2021