I write from rolling hills and spring breezes, from the far side of a tumbling stream, my toes tucked into the sun-warmed mud, from the tall back of a cedar’s trunk, from the sun-kissed fields of farmland, from a thriving community of the heart.
We arrived here, just outside of Hardwick, VT, on Tuesday the 16th with our ski boots caked in mud and our skin glowing red from the spring sun. The dust from the road clung to our skin, and salty beads dropped from our brows as we climbed along the winding dirt road. Soon the trees parted and we found ourselves in open fields. We had arrived at our final layover.
We are staying at Heartbeet, a “Lifesharing” community in the style of Camphill Villages, where workers, volunteers from around the world, and adults with special needs and mental disabilities live side-by-side in large community houses. Life revolves around community living – every day we witness the care and devotion of this thriving heart. Having come from such a tight-knit community, we can look closer into the well-oiled joints of this larger group. There is much to learn from them and we have a great deal of respect for all the members who contribute.
Heartbeet is 160 acres of farmland. All dairy is fresh from their hand-milked cows and sustains the entire community. Much of their produce comes from their extensive gardens and root cellar. In our short time here, we have already jumped into community projects. Each morning and afternoon two of us help with barn and farm chores, with Anna, Anne, and others milking cows by hand. On Wednesday our group split in half, one half learning wet felting, the rest of us learning needle felting. Thursday we did a few hours of service work for the farm – Oliver, Yarrow, Erica and Scott repaired tools and replaced handles; Paul, Mistral, Melody, Kendra, and Anne raked the driveway and filled in the potholes; and Ari, Anna, Eliot, and I mucked out the chicken coop, which had been building up manure since last spring. It felt good to work, and we enjoyed returning a favor to Heartbeet for their extreme generosity toward us.
Wednesday we also had the great pleasure of meeting and listening to Keith Morris as he gave a presentation at Heartbeet. He talked about Permaculture – a holistic concept of ecological design and food growing – and looked closely at human impact on this planet and how we can transform it in positive, constructive ways. He had a wonderful and unique view of things, and we all left the discussion with a new perspective.
Along with the projects, we have had to squeeze in time to prepare for the last stretch of our winter journey. We will spend the last leg of this trip traveling in small groups, without our teachers for guides. Kendra, Anna, Melody and Mistral will be traveling together. Oliver, Paul, and Scott will be traveling as a group. Ari, Eliot, and Yarrow will go together, and Erica and I will be travel companions. Martin, who has had to go home sick, will not be with us and will be greatly missed – we look forward to his recovery and return to our group. This last leg is only five days, but it will be a true test of all of our knowledge and learning so far on the trip. We will be camping under tarps, and using outside fire for all of our cooking. The largest group (four) will be carrying a small tent and a stove. We will all be traveling the same route, though going at different paces, taking care of our own food packing, navigation, expedition planning, and safety. Our instructors Nate and Anne will travel behind us, staying out of range but checking on our campsites and collecting weather-proofed notes we will leave every morning along the trail. When we arrive at NorthWoods, we will rejoin as a group and spend the days preparing our winter base camp.
After we bid adieu to Lisl and Hans and thanked them for their wonderful teachings and joyful presence on the trail, Misha returned. Also joining him was Violet, his border collie. When Misha arrived he came in the thick of our illness, a 24-hour virus of unknown origin. I was the first one down. It hit fast. You start by feeling nauseous, and half an hour later, up comes your snack mix. The sickness struck every one of us and it was a difficult experience for us all. Some of us got it early on, while the rest didn’t get it for several days. White rice, lemon tea, and rest nursed us back to health, one by one. It was hard to travel while some of the group was sick to their stomachs, but after a day of rest and recovery we had to continue on. It took a lot of strength and will power to make it through the days.
Once things settled down, we began testing skills we had learned throughout the semester. We had to quickly and efficiently set up the tent, distinguish wet wood from dry wood and softwood from hardwood, sharpen our knives enough to shave hair, orient a map with a compass, identify all the trees we’d learned, and correctly tie the knots we’d been shown. Everyone hurriedly prepared for the testing and spent time reviewing. Everyone passed all the tests and it was a great joy to see how much we have learned.
As the days counted down to Heartbeet, Misha and Nate came to the conclusion that our group should continue on to Heartbeet on our own. We traveled through lush farmland, walking most of the way due to no snow, and met up with Misha and Nate again after we climbed over Mt. Elmore. When we arrived at our rendezvous, Misha treated us to a wide range of locally-made foods from the tiny general store. Four pints of thick ice cream, jugs of apple cider and milk, fruit and pickles, fresh jam, and tons of locally-produced bacon. After we had royally stuffed ourselves and were giddy with laughter, we waddled to our skis and prepared for a long day of travel. The sun was beating down and we pulled out our cotton t-shirts. Traveling together, making our decisions together, learning how to facilitate daily tasks, camp preparations, meals, and group well-being – this has been our greatest test, our test of community.
The days are warming up here and it seems as though spring is right around the corner. The grass is warm and the soil is cool to the touch of my bare feet. The icy brooks are breaking up, and the birds are singing louder than ever. We’ve been watching the geese coming home, making their way north and I hope to see them when we reach our northerly destination. The northwest wind has blown in clear skies and the blue stretches forever across these rolling mountains. I watch the warming sun touch each crest with its fingertips and travel so lightly the trail we ourselves are traveling, the trail of the mountains, the trail of the land, the trail to the wilderness.
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