Blog #1: The Beginning

What is wilderness and what is a human’s place within it?

The first time somebody told me to break a bough off of a tree I thought they were crazy. While in the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway, a wilderness, I never could have imagined disrespecting a tree that way- until I did. As the explanation of the process went along, it further revealed the rationale in using the broken off branches. Meeting the trees and thanking them for the gifts of their branches made me realize that trees are people; the trees aren’t there to look at. To meet a tree, you must touch it, be hugged by its branches in rest, drink tea made from its boughs, and be warmed and dried by the fire heated by the death of a friend. To learn what wilderness means to me, you must know the trees, meet them, sleep with them, and sit beneath them. The wilderness gives the opportunity to provide for yourself and be simple in living and needs. This philosophy may seem odd in the time of the wilderness community’s motto, “leave no trace”, but I have come to realize that the understanding of wilderness is almost impossible when removed and untouched. We become detached from Mother Earth and forget what she provides. Humans always make an impact, but when we block out the idea of reciprocity between people and wilderness, our impact can only be negative. Although humans take advantage of the Earth, through lumber and mining for example, when we become more conscious of the gifts from the wilderness, we will realize the positive value of connection.

~Lillian Nelson

Sunset bathes the snow-walkers 

The Beginning

As our parents sent us off with farewell hugs and kisses, we were greeted by the open arms of our new friends and mentors. The first day was spent getting to know each other and our new environment. For some of us this looked very similar to home, as home was not so far away. For others from California, Latvia, Minnesota, and other far away places, this was a bigger adjustment.  But playing games, sharing meals, and meeting with our new community made it easier to jump right in.

            On our first full day at Kroka we woke up bright and early (or not so bright as the sun had yet to show its face) at 6am to begin morning chores. The rest of this day was spent drawing out a blueprint for what our semester program would look like over the next couple of months, and what things were important to know and learn before we would leave on our very first expedition that Thursday. In order for this preparation to go smoothly we all picked a big job that we would be responsible for all the way through until spring. Some of us are responsible for gear, others for food, and I chose to update you all on the joys and struggles of the upcoming semester. In the afternoon we took turns in groups working with Misha, learning how to skate-ski wherever on campus that we could find snow. Hopefully after our first expedition we will have many more days spent outside skiing around Kroka!

Saying good bye as we head off on our first journey

Calm

Through thought and reflection

I reach a stand –

Proud and tall, I question

the workings of speech

and comprehension.

Tentatively, I face a fear of change,

a reluctance to challenge the

tenets of my being.

For is it not dangerous to

reflect without heed,

to search without purpose?

Yet greater still is a

fear of comfort, and a

searching for truth

and forgiveness.

Humbly, I stand to strive

for strength in my being,

wisdom in  my thinking,

and truth in my feeling.

~Ma’or Lev

All smiles from the forest!

Our fearless navigators preparing for the next day's route

Leg One: (Snow) Shoe Adventure

Twelve days ago, twelve brand new Krokuses marched off into the Kroka woods with full backpacks and hearts filled with excitement. Each of us held our own “big job” which is way for each student to become specialized in one area of taking care of the community, both at base camp and on expedition.

Navigation briefing by Martina and Lillian

                                                            Energy  – Luke

                                                       Navigator  – Martina

                                  Navigator and Logistics – Lillian

                                             Medic and Farm – Rachel

                              Water and Sewing  – Havah

                                                       Trail Food  – Ma’or

                                              Basecamp Food – Edie

                                                Day Food/ Skis  – Luīze

                                       Vehicles and Kitchen  – Liam

                                       Skis and Snowshoes  – Dylan

                                               Camp Manager  – Georgie

                            Crafts Manager and Scribe  – Emily

We began our journey by stepping out into the woods beyond our dwellings, headed to Kroka’s winter camp in the forest behind the campus. With our main teacher for leg one, Chris Knapp, we learning how to process our firewood and cook a meal in the bush. These early days were spent learning about the rhythms and systems that would sustain us during our time living in the bush. Setting up camp is a very communal activity, as everyone must contribute for it to go smoothly. We also have a very special way of being thankful for our meals by singing together before we eat. Over all, our time spent on expedition has brought us very close. We hike together, we eat together, we work together, and we all share the same big, warm tent together. In the bush we learn to work for what we have and in doing so, we learn its value to us.

Slip and sliding down the trail!

Circling up for a live-over day lunch

Some exciting highlights were the times we got to walk across large, open flowages or ponds and slide around on the ice. So much fun! On day two of our expedition we were treated by an encounter with a mica mine. The floor was an icy pool and as we peered down through its clear depth, we could see the cave floor below the ice! The ice looked to be about a foot thick, while the floor was ten or so feet below that. That day, with the help of Chris, we also spotted some bobcat tracks in the snow, along with various little forest critters. At one of our camps we saw some very fresh coyote tracks as we approached. That night during dinner as we huddled in our tent, we heard them howling back and forth to each other, and some of us still chose to sleep outside!

Although we learned a lot in the evenings after creating ourselves a comfortable home to live in, we also learned on trail as we hiked through the snow.  Each day our navigators (Lillian and Martina) would work with Chris on maps and compass to figure out our route for each day. Although the navigators worked very hard to master the skills of navigation, each of us learned about orienting maps and how to find a bearing and follow it. One day in particular that stuck out in my mind was the day we summited Bald Hill despite sleet, and as we took a bearing and followed it coming down the opposite side, it began to snow.

Meeting our tree friends on trail!

Hands on learning

Another aspect of our trail learning was weather. Each day we took time to record the patterns of the winds, clouds, temperature, and moisture in the air. In time we began to notice patterns - this enabled us to anticipate the weather that the following days might bring.

Yggdrasil: and the Trees

                                                                  True

                                                                  Relentless

                                                                  Edible

                                                                  Elegant

                                                                  Wondrous

                                                                  Overseeing

                                                                  Overcoming

                                                                  Diverse

~Liam Gardner

Leaving wood for next year...

Packing up the tent after a cozy night on trail

This rhythm of walking, finding camp, evening journaling, and sleeping continued almost every second day, but in between we would stay at our camp for a day and take time to study topics in more depth. We learned how to identify various local trees, such as red spruce, balsam fir, striped (moose) maple and red maple. We built a very close relationship with spruce and fir, as we used their boughs to create the floor of our tent each night. On our resting days we would sit amongst these boughs and carve spoons. First we learned how to burn the bowl with a coal when working with dry woods, and then on our last resting day graduated to using gouges to carve in green wood. This last day was very special as we reflected on all we learned and how much we have already grown together. Since it turned into such a sunny, warm day (a welcome change from the weather we were accustomed to) around 3pm we decided to pack up camp and begin the last section of hiking. An hour and a half later we marched out of camp and scrambled our way up to Lucia’s Lookout, not too far away. As we arrived, the sun was just beginning to set, so we took a moment to enjoy the beautiful landscape and take some group pictures to commemorate our accomplishment. As we continued hiking into the evening, we could still see the colors on the western horizon and as we watched in awe, the palette of the sky took on a deep ruby red unlike any color I have ever seen. As we traveled on, the moon guided our path- it was not yet quite full, but was very bright and we felt no need to use our headlamps. We found no place to set up a full camp, so we hiked off the trail for a little while and discovered a place to build a small fire with the wood we carried from our last camp, and cook some food for dinner. After our bellies were full, we laid out our sleeping mats and bags and took a very long nap until it was time to continue on the next morning.

Enjoying tea time in the woods!

Luīze splitting wood at our home for the night

The next day was a solo day, which meant that Seth and Chris hiked on ahead of us and it was all up to the students to find our own way to the Kroka van, parked down the road from Mount Sunapee. This was no simple task, but in the last couple of kilometers we had a lot of fun descending the sides of the ski slopes. Some of us walked, some chose to snowshoe, and others simply slid all the way down on any piece of slippery material they could find.

After we made it down the mountain we got a ride back to Kroka basecamp where I am writing now. Here we have been reflecting academically on our past expedition and enjoying the frozen lakes and ponds in the Marlow/Alstead area by ice-skating on them! The next couple weeks with be filled with new academic work, many craft projects, and learning how to ski!

Cooking dinner

Love Letter to Fire

You are amazing

with boundless grace,

tears in my eyes

from smoke in my face.

You give me safety

bountiful heat,

wonderful food,

a place to sleep.

What is it that

you cannot do?

You teach and nurture

and make me feel new

You give me refuge

from the fierce cold,

you give me help

from the burdens I hold.

I have your spirit

your dancing feet

your big blue eyes

your burning heat.

~Havah

Our home!

Stove

Hulking muss of metal,

waiting to hold a kettle.

Filled with embers bright,

setting you up is a fight.

Glowing with orange heat,

you make our tent a tropical retreat.

Chopped woods feeds your might,

with you strapped to my back I am quite a sight.

We huddle around you in a drove,

though you’re heavy, I love you stove.

~Luke Yourzak

Dylan enjoying his chef duties!

Thanks I give

Swift breeze through my hair,

cool kiss of the air.

Many thanks do I give,

unto those who let me live.

Thanks to spruce who pads my bed,

and thanks to fir on which I rest my head.

Thanks to fire who burns so bright,

and keeps me warm throughout the night.

Thanks to grains and thanks to meat,

those beings feed my inner heat.

Thanks to sun and thanks to moon,

whose daily cycle keeps me in tune.

~Emily Wasem

Emily, Lillian, and Luke- showing off their twiggy bundles

Thank you Chris, Hannah, and Seth for teaching us on our first expedition!

Stay tuned for my report of the next leg of Kroka Expedition’s Winter Semester 2018!

The crew!

Many thanks and happy reading,

Emily Wasem J

Lillian, Rachel and Luke- enjoying the view

A full load of spruce and fir boughs to lay upon our tent floor

Soup on the stove

Getting picked up after our two week journey to head back to Kroka!