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Updates and News
Volume 8
4/1/2009

Update March 20, 2009

We made it!

Here I sit, at the front desk at North Woods Stewardship Center, taking in the grandeur of it all. Daniela is done with all of the calculations and has announced the final figure: 480 kilometers, or exactly 300 miles. We, twelve students from different places and experiences, traveled the length of Vermont on our own power, one push-off-and-glide at a time. And we did it with glory, and joy, and magnificence!

Our last leg, five days from Sterling College to North Woods, was completed in small solo groups. There were four groups: Miron, Aidan, and Ari were one group; Hagay, Hytham, Jacob and Dylan were another; the four girls were a third; and Ethan was on his own. We started out from our campsite in Craftsbury on the 20th of March just after breakfast. The three boys left first and the rest of the groups left one by one until only the girls remained, cleaning the campsite and then stuffing their skis in their backpacks and heading out. Over the next five days we would travel 65 kilometers from Craftsbury Common to East Charleston.

Different groups chose to go different ways, but all followed the same general trail through the town of Barton and past Lake Willoughby, east toward Northwoods. Ethan went around the southern edge of Willoughby, scaling Mounts Hor and Pisgah and the Willoughby cliffs, while the rest of us went around the northern edge, following snowmobile trails. All of the groups made it to Northwoods on the 25th of March, the day they were supposed to arrive, with lots of stories about their journeys.

As the groups arrived we began setting up the semi-permanent tent village that we would be living in for the next month. The camp set up went to a whole new level. We set the large canvas wall tent that we made in January on the north side of the field. Next to the big wall tent we set the small tunnel tent for the teachers and two small wall tents - one for guest teachers and one for the girls. The good old expedition tent was set up for the boys after Lauren had finished sewing on a new skirt. Projects like a recycling station, an outhouse, a shower and an outdoor cook stove followed, and some are still in progress. Yes, camp is beginning to look like home. Systems have been set up, and we are falling into the groove of base camp life once more. We gather, cut and split wood, cook our meals in the big tent, and do academic work.

Having reached the mid point of our journey, we come to a time of many changes. Among these is the Big Job switch. Yes my friends, the time has come for me to announce my successor. She’s been taking notes, familiarizing herself with the laptop and practicing those finger exercises… Yes that’s right, folks, its Ida! On turning over my position, I leave her the official Arabic Beauty and the Beast update notebook, my much loved and doodled-upon Pink Pearl eraser, and a number of broken pencil stubs that I found in the bottom of my ski pants’ pockets which she will probably find no use for. Farewell and adieu, my dearest readers, and welcome Ida, to the Scrivner position, may you serve it with splendor and vivacity.
Hallo, kor mange nordmenn les detta? And hello to all my English speaking readers. Before I have the time to write too much wrong I will grab the opportunity to excuse my future grammar mistakes, since English is my second language, but I will do my best! For you who do not know who I am I can tell that I am from Norway (det gamle Norge med klippe borge meg huer best) and I went to Fosen Folkehogskule last year together with Lily, Stefan, Saul and Laurel and I also know Emily. All of them are from Kroka and they were telling me all kind of amazing stories about Kroka and they were all very special people. I figured that Kroka had to be a special place and so I applied for the semester program, and here I am!

We are getting settled in here at NorthWoods, both at our camp and at the center. The first days with Misha we worked finishing camp setup and big jobs, and as a celebration we had a party with a delicious cake Lauren and Miron made, and an improvised talent show. The evening moved into playing games, and ended with a ‘smudge” outside. Ask me not what that is; I only know that it involves a lot of smoke and handholding circles.

As Misha left Lisl and Grandfather came. Grandfather really is a grandfather but he is also our paddle-making teacher. He brought us pre-cut boards of white ash that we turned into paddles with help of Grandfather’s knowledge and advice. He stayed with us at our camp and became a part of our community for a few days, working on the paddles in the workshop in the day and sharing his wisdom in the tent at night.

As an inspiration to finish old big job work, essays, repairs and other winter things that we were supposed to have finished already, Lisl tempted us with a visit at Butterworks farm. Butterworks is a dairy farm that is 85% sustainable. They produce yogurt, cultured skimmed buttermilk, cottage cheese, flour and sunflower oil which they ship to Canada, press it there and ship it back to distribute it here. They also send their milk to Grafton to make cheddar cheese. It was good to see a little farm that sells under its own brand and produces many different things – hay, grains, flour and vegetables – in order to sustain itself.

On our way home we stopped at Berry Creek Farm and bought eggs. The man said that we could probably get parsnips and spinach in a week! Speaking of veggies: we are kind of low there, so if some of you readers know of an organic farm close to the Canadian border with a big greenhouse and an early season, do not hesitate to call our lovely semester coordinator, Lisl Hofer, at the Kroka office (do not worry about the German accent, she is from Austria!)

And then we went to visit Red Fred in the Shed, or Fred Webster, which is his real name. He has a lot of sheds, or shall I say barns? We ate our lunch in a creatively constructed wagon building, then sunbathed in the field for a few minutes. Fred showed us his collection of antiques: sleds, axes, school desks, and books; all sorts of carts, wagons, ploughs, and farm equipment that can be pulled by horses or tractors; a barn full of horse driven saws and manure spreaders, plus washing machines and butter makers. In short, every old thing you can imagine can be found there.

A few days ago we started building the canoe with Bill Shamel at Bill Manning’s workshop. Bill and Bill are really funny guys that always turn around, both of them, when someone calls: “Bill!” Bill Shamel brought the mold that we build the canoe on, which is from the 1920’s and has been used to create more than a thousand canoes! For the last two days we have been working on the ribbing of the canoe, steaming cedar planks and bending them into place. Today we finished the ribbing and began work on planking the sides with cedar.

For the Vermont Semester Program at NorthWoods, this is Ida, whose last name you will not know until I figure out how to find the letter I need on this computer.

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