2025 Roaring Canyons Semester Blog #1
~
May you know in your bones
That this earth is your home
May you feel in your soul
You are worthy and whole
May you know in your bones
That this earth is your home
May you feel that you belong
~
Here we are, ready for this journey that we have all been preparing for. Through fitness logs, packing lists, and many “see you laters”, we have all gathered to embark on this adventure together, so here’s the squad…
Norah – Always ready to run, Norah’s from Peterborough, NH. She is kind and respectful towards everyone she encounters and brings lots of laughter to the group.
Lily – From Amherst, NH, she carries many aspects of community with her. She is always thinking outside the box and making sure everyone is taken care of.
Dylan – He brings his respect and creativity all the way from Montpelier, VT. Dylan spreads joy through his guitar skills, never fails to lend a hand and shows immense patience in everything he does.
Clara Rose – She’s bright and brilliant, from Waitsfield, VT. She often has her nose in a book, and shares her kind words and hugs, bringing warmth to everyone.
Daniel – From Phoenixville, PA he shares his wisdom and willingness to grow as a person. With a strong love for comedy, his attentive personality makes everyone in the group feel heard.
Dayal – Her abundance of joy spreads all the way from Leverett, MA. She never fails to light up someone’s day and to share her knowledge of Kroka songs with us all. She teaches us all to take care of our white water paddling equipment as well.
Charlie – From Putney, VT, he is up for anything, especially white water paddling. Always searching for adventure with a smile on his face, he keeps the group’s positivity up while including and encouraging everyone.
Zahava – She is always stepping up to the job, willing to dive into anything. From St. Louis, MO she shows her love through the farm animals and looks out for each member of our team. She is a very strong and grounding center for the group.
Lucy – From Greenfield, NH, Lucy embodies the idea of “family”. She is willing to lend an ear and truly listens to everyone.
Finnley – From Braintree, VT with many stories and a big heart to share. He is caring and always watching out for others, while still keeping spirits up.
Arrival Day:
To begin our grand Semester journey, we had a day full of goodbyes and hugs with our families and friends. We all participated in a big lunch and a ceremony to send everyone on their way. Ecuador Semester also started this day (a first in Kroka history!) so campus was brimming with 23 students and their loved ones.
Sol ( ’24 semester alum) welcoming Zahava to fall semester, surrounded by families, staff and alum
Most of our days at Kroka basecamp follow a similar flow…
6:00 am ~ wake ~ Jae or Zoe wake us up with a song to start our day; the morning fog and dew on the grass starts everyone’s morning off beautifully.
6:20 am ~ stretches ~ Right after we wake we join in a circle to help wake up our bodies with some stretching or some light movement before chores, with a snack to look forward to at the end.
6:30 am ~ chores ~ Kroka’s community and campus takes many hands to keep it working. We choose a chore in the beginning of the week that we work on each morning. Some examples are wood splitting, milking the goats, making breakfast and many more.
Zahava, Lucy & Finnley on wood chore
8:00 am ~ sit spots ~ We each choose a spot in the forest that we go back to each morning to just sit and spend time observing the surroundings. It is also a place to have quiet time during the busy day.
8:30 am ~ breakfast ~ The breakfast cooks from chores put together a wonderful meal.
9:30 am ~ academics ~ Each day we work with a different staff member to expand our knowledge on a subject. So far we have worked with Nathan to study maps and learn more about geography, Monica to learn more about the history of Waldorf schools, and Liz to learn about poetry and to create our “I Am From” poems.
Academics in the Kroka farmhouse
11:00 am ~ fitness ~ each day we have been taking time to physically prepare for our expedition. We go for runs, do yoga, hike, and do strength training (which sometimes involves “portaging” canoes solo around the Kroka campus loop).
12:30 pm ~ lunch ~ Everyone gathers at the farmhouse for a big beautiful lunch prepared by Jennifer, Kroka’s Food Manager.
1:30 pm ~ farm chores/knife making ~ We split into two groups to alternate working with Lindsay to create our knives that will be given to another member of our semester; and work on the farm to complete the tasks that need to be done.
In the Kroka greenhouses
Lindsay & Dayal hafting knives
During the knife ceremony, each students gifts the knife they made to another student, with words of gratitude and appreciation. Norah gifted her knife to Dayal.
6:00 pm ~ dinner ~ After farm chores we all gather at camp for a lovely dinner prepared by some of our peers.
7:00 pm ~ evening journal ~ This is a time to record our days, reflect, and respond to the journal prompt that we have been given.
8:00 pm ~ evening meeting ~ A time to gather together and reflect on the day, look forward to tomorrow, and give each person space to share from the heart and be heard by the group.
9:00 pm ~ sleep ~
Daniel rappelling during one afternoon of expedition training at the Marlow Profile
Big Jobs:
These are the jobs that each individual is given and which they are responsible for during expedition. We each become experts on these peices of expedition, so that when we are on expedition together every job gets done well and right.
Logistics & Waste: Dayal is in charge of working closely with Dave to help plan our expedition, driving routes, and sweep to make sure we are taking care of all our trash.
Hygiene & Medic: Lily is our medic and will be keeping our first aid kits and hygiene management under control, as well as our toilet system.
Food: Zahava and Daniel are our food team, keeping us fed and happy. They organize, manage, and plan our menu as well as making sure we have enough to eat and helping to pack out our food.
Camp/Shelter: Dylan is making sure our many homes for the next several months are comfortable and safe. He will be helping with the tent and tarp setup.
Van, Trailer, H2O: Finnley is ready to make sure the van and trailer are are tidy and well-packed. He will also always be ready to make sure water is secured wherever we may be.
Scribe & Academics: Our scribe is in charge of telling you the stories of our travels as well as any academic logistics. Lucy (me!) will be writing the blog after each leg of Semester.
Gear & Repair: Charlie is in charge of keeping our gear organized. He makes sure we have the necessary equipment to participate on our many adventures, as well as making sure everyone’s gear is working and fixing any broken equipment.
Energy & Fire: This job is all about keeping headlamps charged, keeping track of batteries and making sure our fires are supplied with wood and ready. Norah has taken on this responsibility.
Kitchen: Clara Rose is always ready to set up a well-organized and functional kitchen to prepare all our meals in. She makes sure that the solo stoves are on a steady surface and that all our kitchen equipment is where it needs to be.
Deerfield and Connecticut River Expedition: Week 2
After our first week together, we embarked on our first small expedition to ready us for our journey west.
Day 1: We started in NH on the Connecticut River paddling about a mile to a small island called Burnap’s Island. There we set up camp all admiring the beautiful toilet located in the middle of the woods surrounded by bushes and trees. We ate dinner and breakfast on the sandy shore watching the water move calmly by.
Day 2: That morning we learned some basic white water paddling strokes and practiced swimming in the current to get us ready for swifter water.
Back on the water, we stopped at a dam with a gorgeous waterfall to admire and take some pictures. After our quick detour we made a stop at a small white house on the river owned by a dear friend of Kroka’s (Martha). There we were able to fill our water containers with fresh water. After that we were on our way to our first small rapids, before stopping and setting up camp at Sumner falls for the night.
Clara Rose & Lily
Day 3: The next morning we put on our cold wetsuits and ate breakfast with hot chocolate to warm us up. Then we were off on our 4 mile paddle back to meet Zoe with the van. We ate some lunch then drove to a campsite next to the Deerfield river called Dunbar Brook Campsite. There we set up our home for four nights.
Day 4: Our first day on the Deerfield we started with some basic white water paddling skills, encountering plenty of small rapids and wave trains. After a quick lunch on the river we practiced swimming and rescuing with throw ropes. As we made our way down to the end of our 6 mile route we stopped to scout out the class 3 rapid (Zoar Gap) we would be attempting the next day.
Day 5: The next day we attempted the same route gaining better knowledge of the skills we had before. We each attempted Zoar Gap with only a small number of flips.
Day 6: After a nice breakfast of soupy grits with kale we had a lesson with Jae to observe trees and connect with them on a deeper level. Then we made our way to the Bear Swamp Visitor Center to learn more about hydroelectric dams, specifically on the Deerfield River. Finally, we made our way to Zoar gap, paddling it 3 times. We were all successful, with some lines that weren’t the most reliable and some flipping, but all fun!
~
A Poem by Finnley
I notice he is sturdy and strong,
standing dead for years on end.
I notice his armor falling to his side as his skin gains stress
from ages of sunlight.
I notice his arms reaching outwards
as if to protect those below him.
I notice his many scars from decades of battle
with many winters, and many springs
I notice a thousand eyes staring at me,
blank expressions is all they convey.
I stare back with thoughts of wonder,
“For how long was he standing in many winters and springs
before God called his name?
How many men have been kept safe in his arms,
and how many more have defaced his armor?
How many times has he fought with the sun?
And how many battles has this old man won?”
Finnley belaying
~
Week 3:
As we transitioned back to Kroka from our paddling trip we have been mostly working on preparing for our long journey out west. We have each been working together to finish packing and complete what we need for our Big Jobs. In the afternoons we have Wilderness First Aid class with Dave. We went to a local contradance, and then said goodbye to the Ecuador semester. Now we are finishing the last steps on our list before we depart!
The journey out west is coming up fast, so I will have to leave you for now…until next time!
Your Scribe,
Lucy
