| OVERNIGHT PROGRAMS FOR AGES 11-14
INTRODUCTION TO WHITE WATER I
A RIVER JOURNEY
Teachers: Thomas Dammer, Lily Frey, Miron Golfman
7 days, Moderate
Skill level: Beginner
Ages 11-13, June 21-27
Adventuresome students are invited to join this fun-filled
kayaking, canoeing and rapid swimming week! After learning basic
paddling techniques on the Ashuelot River we will begin a 4-day
river expedition. Each day, students will have a chance to paddle
kayaks and tandem canoes. Students will learn to read the river’s
current, catch eddies, and ferry across the water. Time will
be given to basic white water safety and swimming in fast moving
waters. In the afternoons, we will set our camp in the woods
or on sandbars. After gathering fire wood and doing camp work,
there will be time for play and discovery. Days will end with
craftwork, a campfire meal, a story and songs that are rhythmically
in tune with the moving water of the river. Introduction to
White Water II is recommended as the next step in our white
water progression. See below.
INTRODUCTION
TO WHITE WATER II
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Teachers: Thomas Dammer, Clara Kazarov, Miron Golfman and
Paul Belenky
7 days, Moderate
Skill level: Beginners with interest in white water paddling
and graduates of previous paddling programs
Ages 11-13, July 5-11
This is a sequel to the first week of Introduction to White
Water I. It can also be taken independently. Our home base for
the week will be the Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts.
We will camp in the magical forest by the side of a clear mountain
stream and hike down to the river each day to practice kayaking,
tandem and solo canoeing, surfing, rolling, river reading and
white water swimming techniques. Working in small groups allows
us to focus on each students’ needs and learning styles. Kroka’s
unique, age appropriate white water curriculum is taught in
a cooperative and non-pressured atmosphere. Students learn skills
necessary for safe passage in Class II white water and, for
those who are ready, to begin tackling Class III paddling. Paddlers’
Journey up North is recommended as the next step in our white
water progression. Please see Mixed
Age Programs.
WILD
CRAFTS FOR BOYS
A WEEK OF BOW HUNTING AND FISHING IN BEAVER COUNTRY
Session I: Teachers: Tom Rosenberg, Hans
Mayer and Michael Kohout
Skill level: Beginner, 7 days, Easy
Ages 11-12, June 28-July 4
Session II: Teachers: Tom Rosenberg and Hans
Mayer
Skill level: Beginner-Intermediate, 7 days, Easy-Moderate
Ages 12-13, July 12-18
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a
time when all the necessities of life were made by hand from
the raw materials of the earth? This program will begin by settling
into our traditional dwellings made from poles and sod (dug
up grass) on the edge of the village forest. The next day we
will begin crafting our long bows, arrows and fishing gear.
Our work on the bows will be interspersed by lots of fire starting,
woodcarving, and explorations through the wild forest and field.
White shavings will fill our workshop, and your hands will come
to know every bump and twist of your beloved bow. And, of course,
there will be plenty of forest games, swimming, and even a day
of rock climbing. Everyone will return home with his own bow
and arrows and, in addition, a great respect for all living
things. Session II may venture out on an overnight expedition
by foot or canoe.
 ADVENTURES
OF A BIKE FARMER
Teachers: Ross Scatchard, Sueño LeBlond
7 days, Easy-Moderate
Skill level: Beginner-Intermediate
Ages 11-13, July 19-25
Have you ever eaten a whole meal made from that which you
have just harvested with your own hands, from a farm that you
rode to on your bicycle? Well, if you like biking, eating good
food, harvesting a field of vegetables, or trying to milk a
cow, then this trip is for you! Leaving Kroka, we will bike
from farm to farm on small roads and forest trails through the
beautiful countryside. We will help farmers and earn our daily
food through working with our hands. Along the way we will swim
in lakes and streams and make camps in the wilderness. Our days
will also be full of great fun and some craftwork. This journey
will take us from our home in the upland plateau down to the
Connecticut River Valley and across to visit our old farmer
friends in Vermont. We will be traveling four to eight easy
miles per day. This trip is appropriate for beginners. Note:
Students need to bring their own bikes and helmets.
INTRODUCTION
TO ROCK CLIMBING I
Teachers: Mathias Dammer and Nicole Marchan
7 days, Easy-Moderate
Skill level: Beginner
Ages 11-13, July 12-18
This adventure for beginner climbers will take students on
a rock climbing expedition to spectacular cliffs hidden deep
in the forest. The first few days will be spent living at Kroka
Village creating community, making crafts, working in the garden
and learning knots and a multitude of climbing skills on a local
rock face. Once the group is ready, we will travel to our remote
climbing site. We will create our own wilderness base camp and
everyone will get busy “ learning the ropes”; belaying, rope
handling, safety and climbing and rappelling techniques. In
the afternoons we will hike down to the river or the waterfall
for a swim and gather yummy sweet berries as we go. Our days
will end joyously with campfire stories and songs.
INTRODUCTION
TO ROCK CLIMBING II
Teachers: Nicole Marchan and Ross Scatchard
7 day, Moderate
Skill level: Intermediate
Ages 12-14, August 2-8
This exciting program is designed for students who have completed
Introduction to Rock I, or those who have acquired previous
personal climbing experience. From Kroka Village we will travel
to several different local climbing sites where we will practice
sequentially harder climbs and rappels each day. Students will
review basic knots and belaying and repelling techniques. As
usual, at Kroka, special emphasis will be placed on cooperative
teamwork. This allows each team member to succeed in a supportive
family-like environment. On the way back from climbing we will
explore cliffs worth jumping into the water from, waterfalls,
swimming holes and wild blueberry patches. This program is an
important step towards participating in Kroka’s advanced climbing
program.
THE LOST TRIBE
OF THE ASHUELOT
Teachers: Tom Rosenberg and Sueño LeBlond
7 days, Moderate
Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate
Ages 11.5-13, August 16-22
Through an emerald green forest the Lost Tribe of the Ashuelot
walks silently on the moose path that skirts the porcupine cliffs.
Pausing only to investigate a fresh animal den and harvest some
Indian cucumber for snack, the weary explorers reach their secret
destination: a talking waterfall beneath the shade of a hemlock
tree. Welcome to an exciting week of living in nature! We will
begin by carving spoons and making tribal necklaces. Then, venturing
into the deep forest, we will learn about those who truly live
in the woods: deer, porcupine, beaver, and all the trees and
plants. These beings will serve as our guides as we make shelters
from leaves, boughs, and all the other gifts of the forest.
We will learn to harness the gift of fire as we cook our wholesome
meals over the open flame. We will paddle across beaver ponds
and scale cliffs; and may possibly even practice archery! Our
eyes will get accustomed to the dark and our ears will open
to the sounds of the wilderness. Our hearts will open to the
community of plants, animals and each other. We will sing, laugh
and tell ancient stories. There is much to learn from the beings
of the forest and much to bring back to our community of the
world.
WILDERNESS
ADVENTURES FOR GIRLS
Teachers: Johanna Gardner and Lily Frey
7 days, Easy-Moderate
Skill level: Beginner
Ages 11-13, August 9-15,
Attention Girls!
Do you like swimming, climbing trees, taking mud baths and exploring
the forest? Do you like to spend time with other feisty, fun
and adventurous girls? Join us as we venture into the outdoors
together, paddling across a remote lake to a magical, hidden
cove, where we will create a wilderness home. There we will
begin our mornings by rolling out of our tents to the call of
the loons and mists on the water. Days are filled with fun activities,
such as exploring the lakeshore, making crafts, tracking our
animal friends through the woods, and building fairy houses
in the forest. Of course, there will always be time for swimming,
singing, and play, as we follow the rhythm of the days. In the
evening, we will settle down for stories and songs, before drifting
into sleep to the lapping of the waves.
WILD GIRLS
Teachers: Marcela Restrepo and Clara Kazarov
7 days, Easy-Moderate
Skill level: Beginner
Ages 12-14, July 19-28
This grand adventure is a sequel to Wilderness Adventures
for Girls, but can be taken all by itself with no experience
required. The first part of the program will take us down the
river in Kroka’s giant homemade canoes. Sharing a boat with
six other girls, while moving “gently down the stream” is so
much fun! One can sing, dangle their toes in the water, bask
in the sun and dive off the gunwale when the sun becomes too
hot. Along the way, there are sandy beaches and mud flats to
play and spend time on. Camping by the river, we will listen
to the lap of the current amidst a circle of friends gathered
around a fire that sends sparks into the starry sky. While on
the river trip, we will cook and bake lots of yummy delicacies
over the fire, spend time on wilderness handcrafts and share
stories with friends. Returning back to Kroka with a newly found
strength and courage, we will partake in the fun of rock climbing
and white water rafting in an unpressured and supportive environment.
During our last few days at Kroka, we will have a chance to
gather wild edibles in the forest, contribute to the farm and
participate in community gatherings. Our program will end with
a special celebration.
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"I think my daughter
was surprised at how much fun she had—she was full of confidence
and just shining! She was expecting fun but this was more than
fun—this was really an experience where she came out with a
self knowledge that she can make things work and happen."
"He is in the middle
of that difficult life change called adolescence. He came home
in such a beautiful place and so centered in himself. I cannot
tell you how grateful I am to Kroka for providing a time in
the summer for him to return to himself and for us all to see
who he is again."
“She was glowing when she returned;
it was like some inner light in her had been nurtured and brought
into being. She was quite different for a week or so—more focused,
confident, serene.”
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