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6 Feb. 2006 -- Greetings from Londonderry, Vermont! The body of our ski journey has grown one leg. . and what a beautiful leg it was. But before I tell the story of tipping boughs, chocolate dollop currency, and emergency maxi-glide sessions, there are still a few days of basecamp living yet to be told.

Bathed and in clean socks we opened our arms to our families and close friends on Parent Visit Day. We prepared a breakfast feast of kasha, cheese, biscuits, apples, granola, and yogurt, which we ate in joyful celebration as we shared stories of the past month with each other. Then we all went our separate ways (which turned out to be the same "separate ways" for some people) for five hours with our families to go and do whatever we wanted; for some this meant greasy pizza, for others it was sipping tea in downtown Brattleboro, buying an extra pair of wool socks, or heading to the Food Co-op, but for Hans and his family. . they went skiing. The rest of the day consisted of showing off our tent, performing a skit of A Day in the Life of the Vermont Semester Program, and an amazing potluck supper of homemade, homegrown, organic food. It was a wonderful day! Thank you to all the families and friends who came and brought such delicious food, which continued to fill our bellies for the next few days, as the final push greeted us.

The final days in Newfane were a whirlwind of final preparations. No one was seen without an ever-lengthening list crumpled in their hands, walking along the gravel-covered paths at a slightly quickened pace. Here is a sampling from an authentic "To-Do List" entitled "1.29.06": Finish hemming tops of mukluks, Label gear (skis, headlamp, and gaitors), Attach gaitors to ski boots, Finish drawknife sheaths, Clean out cubby, Pack Big Job resupply in wanagan, Pack Big Job supplies in backpack for the trail, Address thank you notes, Put pickles in the root cellar then cover with a tarp, Pack spring gear in the barn, Pack backpack for trail, Decide what to leave behind until June, Meet with Misha, Sort through clean laundry.

Our lists shortened and shortened as the moon rose higher and higher in the night sky. Our final night together before the Expedition was the first night that all sixteen of our excited and tired bodies slept side by side, as the loud hum of the sewing machine stitching our yellow and white tent fly lulled us to sleep.

One portion of our journey came to a close as we stood in the parking lot, hand in hand, thanking the woods, the stream, the spring, our shelters, and the land for providing us during the month of January. After a closing poem we piled into the van with our backpacks and traveled for an hour to Somerset Reservoir, the site of a very important beginning. With "goodbye chocolates and cookies" in our mouths, and the warmth of Misha’s hugs and farewells in our hearts. . we finally hit the trail!

With excitement and anticipation we skied 2.5 miles on wide snow mobile tracks, avoiding mud, rocks, and water, sandwiched between our Navigator for the first leg, Hannah, and Sweep for the day, Tommy. After bushwacking down a short hill and skiing across a beaver pond we came to our first campsite. . . . and this begins our trail life together.

Setting up camp takes about two hours. . and we’re improving each day, as we become more comfortable and knowledgeable with setting up our winter camp. The first thing that we do before we separate ourselves from our backpacks is to sing while stamping out a flat area for the tent and for our gear. After this we scatter ourselves to do camp chores, which we establish with a much smaller travel-size job wheel. The trail jobs are as follows: Navigator (Hannah’s apprentice), Sweep, Firewood, Indoor Cook, Outdoor Cook, Water, Boughs, Tent Set-up, Gear-Stove-Candles, and Master Dryer. The Firewood crew head out into the woods searching for dead, standing, dry trees, then split enough wood for the evening and following morning. Indoor Cook starts making supper on the stove, while Outdoor Cook sets up the fire screen between two trees. The fire screen is quite an exciting piece of equipment and received many ooh’s and aah’s the first time it was set up; a fire is built on top of a wire net, which hangs below the wire where the pots are hung. The Water person fills pots with fresh flowing water from streams. Large armloads of boughs are collected from Fir and Spruce trees, and are laid down covering the flat area that was stamped out for the tent. First a ring of boughs are laid around the edge of the tent, then the rest of the floor is covered with the tips pointing outwards. This creates a most beautiful, sweet-smelling, and soft floor. Tent Set-up people find two center poles about nine feet tall to hold up the tent. Ropes on the tent are tied to skis, which are stuck into the snow. The gear is organized, with our skis scraped and set neatly leaning on a tree, our backpacks in two neat rows, and candles set up inside the tent. The quiet winter night tells us that it is time for us to relax, rest our bodies, eat supper, and enjoy each other’s company. . while the Master Dryer continually rotates our wet clothing.

Sixteen smiling faces, thirty-two clasped hands, three glowing candles, sixteen bowls of steaming food laying in our laps, thirty-two ski boots hanging to dry, too many socks and mittens to count, one song (three parts, four different keys), one home. . . . we are happy to be out in the woods together. . . . First face plant! I call it! –Andy

A great day. I enjoy being out on the trail! –Hans Aaahh. . . . excitement bubbles up like a spring. –Lily It’s awesome to be on the trail again. –Stefan

After a month of tension building for this trip, a heavy weight has been lifted off of us and left us with the open trail. –Colin

I did it! We did it! Here we finally are. . . and I am so happy to be here. This is an amazing start to an awesome journey. Yay!! –Sarah

This is life. . . . we start our journey of different places each day, each night. . I am so happy. These Vermont woods are pure magic. Ilene

This is the life. -Ashirah

Ipswhich. I dream of airplanes. Holy Crap in the woods. Beaver dam. –Lucas Very good! –Daniel

It feels good to be on the trail, much more simple and basic. –Paul-Ivan I can’t imagine being in a better place, than sitting in this tent, next to these people, on this wonderful night. –Tom

"Let the beauty we love, be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." (Rumi)

How could I ever live another way? These woods, this smoky tent, this group of people around me, this is home. I feel more vibrantly alive than I’ve ever been before. –Hannah

Today has been amazing, even though things keep going wrong. I have made six very watery brown piles out in the woods, but I am happy. –Tommy

Home again! Free and smiling in the bush! –Chris

We have started our expedition after all this time of preparation, and that makes us mighty. –Evan

Although the warm weather is perplexing and feels out of place for us, the skiing has been great. . sometimes with the help from our friend Maxi-Glide, which makes the wet snow not stick to the bottom of our skis. Here is a shortened Expedition Log of our travels thus far:

Jan. 31st: 9 1/4 miles. Arrived at the Catamount Trail in the afternoon! Camped at the intersection of Stratton Pond Trail and the Catamount Trail.

Feb. 1st: 8 1/2 miles. Skied through gorgeous woods on the Catamount Trail and on some snow mobile trails. Camped at the confluence of Winhall River.

Feb. 2nd: 6 1/2 miles. Bushwacked down a steep heel, had to remove skies. Crossed Route 30, 1/4 mile road walk on French Hollow Road, beautiful skiing back on Catamount Trail. Camped near Eddy Brook. *Sausage for breakfast!

Feb. 3rd: Trail layover day. Rained throughout the day. We spent much of the day in the tent working on various sewing projects and writing in our journals. Threw snowballs at each other. Had a knot-tying lesson with Stefan, in which we learned the Bowline, Tugboat, and Prusik knots. Walked around in the woods, identifying trees good for firewood and discussing healthy forestry practices. Writer for National Geographic Adventure, Tom Clynes, skied in and ate supper with us.

Feb. 4th: 6 1/2 miles. Arrived at Taylor Farm in Londonderry. We had an interesting and emotional discussion on the topic of global warming. Some icy spots throughout the day. Beautiful woods, lots of water to ski through, twisty, hilly, bendy. We skied over a large beaver flowage. Took showers at the farm and ate delicious pie. This was the day that Colin took a fall, gashing his knee on his ski binding. Our Medic, Tommy, handled the situation very well, keeping Colin smiling and comfortable. This couldn’t have happened on a better day. . it was warm and sunny. Stefan was able to ski quickly to our layover to get a vehicle, which drove Colin to a hospital, where he received seven stitches. He’s doing great and will have to take it a bit easier on the next leg. Feb. 5th and 6th: Taylor Farm Layover. Big Job Main Lesson Page work, Food pack-out for the second leg. Navigation work for the second leg. Meetings with Misha. Rewaxing skis and ski boots. Eating fresh food that we can’t eat on the trail. Waiting in line for the bathroom. Drawing trees. A very exciting Geology lesson with guest teacher, Roger Haydock.

And now here I am, sitting at a round table, papers spread all around me, like a newspaper reporter trying to meet a deadline for an article on a cross-country skiing Expedition. But what we are experiencing is much more than these words will ever tell. The feeling of skiing for six hours each day, carrying all that we need on our backs or in sleds behind us is changing something inside of us. We are learning to ask questions, search inside and outside for answers, live together as a community, put others needs before our own, see the wilderness around us in a different light, and to listen to what the Earth is telling us . . and to save a few chocolate dollops from our day food bags to use as trading currency. . because you never know when you are going to need something from a friend. We hope that you are all smiling, laughing, and spending time doing the things that make you happy.

A poem I wrote:

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A floating fire I’ve never seen
The amazement of a fire screen
Setting up our tent, a wonder to see
a home for thirteen students, plus three
An important in-the-bush know-how
the tipping and laying of the bough
A soft beautiful floor of green
like an ocean spread before us it does seem
After a peaceful night of needed rest
we pile the boughs over logs, making an animal nest
The kick of our skis is what we hear
as I wonder what we look like to the birds and the deer
As we rest by fallen Hemlock trees
from our day food bags come nuts and cheese
Skis are scraped, they’re no longer dirty
a group of sixteen sprints across Route 30
Life is amazing on the Catamount Trail
I hope this comes across in my email. . . .

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