2026 Full Circle Semester Blog #1
In the gradually lengthening days leading up to January 12th, 13 young people made final preparations, said goodbyes to those they loved, and grappled with various feelings of self doubt, expectation and anticipation, But that is not the full beginning.
Our life at Kroka basecamp takes place across the entire campus and in the local community. Pictured here is the Big Yurt where we eat most of our meals, have class time, and spend our evenings. It has hosted many semesters before us and will host many after we are gone!
Their story came into being worldwide, in German computers and Ecuadorian schools. It wormed its way into heads and hearts ranging from California to New York, and with slow silent tenacity, it slunk closer. Its heads rearing and many faces bared, it roared and thundered as a myriad of feet broke through doorways and out of homes into undeniable uncertainty. This is their coming of age, their heroes journey, their folk tale – and every odyssey starts with the first step:
KATE
For Katherine Nell Carter (Medic, 18), this happens in the still dark of early morning, after a restless night of racing thoughts and little sleep. She leaves her warm wood and glass home in the California countryside at four o’clock in the morning, taking that first resolute leap of faith through her doorway. Saying fond farewells to friends and family the night before is strange and terrible, but Kate’s steady perseverance keeps her on her chosen path – towards Kroka. She brings this quality and many more to her time at base camp; quiet empathy, strength, stoic fortitude and eddies of endurance are traits noticed by those around her. Kate is an overcomer and a doer.
JOAQUIN
Across the globe, in Quito, Ecuador, Joaquin Duran Peralta (Food Manager, 16), a self-described “kind of bald, skinny” boy made sure to visit all corners of his house before the final goodbye, committing a mental picture of his beloved home – a tranquil place, in which Jack Johnson was always sure to be pouring through the walls – to lasting memory. It’s important to Joaquin to always know where home is – all that he left behind. At first, he struggled with the bitter cold characteristic of a New England January, but has shown his adaptability, and now he’s confident that he could “walk around in his underwear.” Joaquin is kind, earnest, and genuinely funny. (“I miss you Taitos” – Joaquin)
JULE
Jule Dana Fischer Petersohn (Navigator, 18) fittingly departed home in a rushing blur of snow and wind, catching her flight to the U.S in the midst of a powerful winter storm. At the airport, already far distant from her white house with grey windows in a little town in Germany, she wistfully watched the plane graphic trace her impending journey across international borders, the reality of what she was daring to do setting in. Jule is always honest with those around her, choosing openness over internalized frustration. Her dry sense of humor brings hilarious clarity to any situation – she says it like it is. She is intelligent, resourceful, and sticks every task out to the end, bringing every undertaking to its closure.
ZAHAVA
Zahava Grahem Kiernan (Gear Manager, 19) embodies the home she left behind in body and spirit. The yellow house in St. Louis, which she shares with her mom and beloved dog Lola Biko, is brightly painted, warm, and full of art and laughter. She shared the final night before her leaving with family and friends – those she loves gathered for a parting Shabbat dinner. Zahava has an infectious, playful personality, an artistic nature, and an unfortunate habit of flatulence. A student on the fall Roaring Canyons Semester, she enjoyed a mere 3 weeks of leave from the hectic bustle of Kroka, before her triumphant return – back to the thrill of adventure. She shares what she learned with those around her, experience and knowledge generously given, along with constant caring and a strong work ethic.
TAIO
For Taio Matalino Pilapil ( Navigator, 20), the reality of what he had chosen to do didn’t truly set in until packing was long finished, ticket purchased, and plane boarded out of North Carolina. Watching snow flakes waver on their downward course through the airplane window, memories of his childhood Vermont home came into focus and the full circle twined its way around him, beginning coming back to the present, head biting tail. Sacrifices were made: Contact with friends and family – cut off. Dog – left behind. Creature comforts – all disposed of. Perennial warmth and sunlight usurped by the biting chill of a New Hampshire winter. Despite this, Taio exudes openness and honesty, always showcasing his truest self and nothing less. He prioritizes fun, enjoyment, and true interpersonal connection, encouraging others to do the same.
ELLA
Ella Margalite Vanderhoek (Food Manager, 18) is the funniest person you will ever meet. It’s not even her jokes or words that make you laugh, but her own laughter. Her endless peals of hyena-like giggles will leave you rolling on the floor with her. She is infectiously lovely, exuberant, and inquisitive. She makes you think, makes you wonder. Her philosophy is that of boundary pushing, of testing the level of comfort you can endure – then going further. She embodied this philosophy personally, in leaving her Harlem home for a 5 month, grueling backpacking trip in the wilderness, embracing the challenge with open arms, mind and heart. She is a constant, a force to be reckoned with.
NOAH
Noah (Energy Manager) isn’t new to leaving his home for a wild outdoor adventure, in fact, he’s not new to Kroka – Full Circle Winter Semester is his 13th encounter with the organization. Noah’s recently favored word – tenacity – is a quality he embodies in all of his undertakings – most often rigorous mental and physical challenges he prescribes himself, in the constant pursuit of personal betterment. Noah is without fail the first to rise in the early frosty mornings, and just as frequently the first to fall asleep each evening, with his head lolling on his knees, feet encased in cozy capybara slippers.
EMILY
Emily Lunet Chrisafuli (Food Manager, 20) had been raring to go for a while ago – the car was packed yesterday, and preparations had been done in their characteristically tidy and timely fashion – but her attention snagged on a movement beneath the dining table. Two beautiful blue eyes catch hers, a furry tail twitches. This is the hardest part about going for her – letting go of the one she has to leave behind – but curiosity wins over comfort. Her adventurous spirit spins her around, and she takes her first step of many away from a blue house with a red door, into her uncertain future. She is adaptable, independent, and fiercely strong – but will always miss her toe-biters.
OLIVER
The city sky is usually grey, alien in its blankness, but tonight the stars are glimmering faintly, shining down on Oliver Regent Squires (Energy Manager, 19) as he walks through the dark woods of Prospect Park – tall, silent, watching trees sway, and sirens blare in the city night. His speaker bumps “My Own Worst Enemy” out against the dark as his silver belt buckle glistens under the street lamps. His trip started long ago with months of travel through European cities – Berlin, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Budapest, Prague – but his steps here, playful and light, take him to the next leg of his journey. He smiles up at the moon, totally present and at ease, the protagonist of his own movie. Wondering if he’ll come back changed, he shrugs his pack higher and strides off into the night.
CHARLOTTE
Charlotte Elaine Luekens (Gear Manager, 16) traces her path up the tree with her eyes, tracking from branch to familiar branch. This tree is her childhood, bark broken and brushed off where feet and hands have landed a hundred times before. With each passing year she pushed a couple feet higher onto thinner and less stable limbs, trying to reach the sky. It never scared her, climbing – she always felt connected to the ground beneath her, to the roots spreading into it, to the broad thick trunk. The fear came from not being able to go further – to running out of courage and feeling only regret. Her solution was easy – to never stop pushing, and to enjoy the discomfort that built her. Her will was iron hard, and so her body had no choice but to push itself till her head broke from the canopy, and sun hit her face, wind whipping her hair. These next steps wont be hard – she only hopes the adventure can keep up with her.
BERNIE
It’s past midnight in Ecuador as Bernardo Wright (Medic, 17) kneels down next to his dog, running a gentle hand through soft fur. All his bags are loaded, but he can’t help but wonder what he’s doing leaving his whole world behind. His ring finger scratching behind a fuzzy ear is what pushes him onwards. An old mentor once explained that it meant commitment, a standout amongst the other simple and vulgar digits. He has never shied away from adventure before. Climbing ice walls and summiting Ecuadorian peaks has taught him to love the process of the journey, to value the beauty of the unplanned. He knows his family will be there when he gets back with open arms and a wagging tail. Looking back one last time at his brown door, then down at the adoring eyes of his loving pet, he stands up and turns around and walks into his future.
ROHAN
Rohan Isaac Gelber-Higgins (Scribe, 19) came to the wild woods of New Hampshire from the bottom floor of a boxy brick apartment in Brooklyn, the very picture of a New York City stoop, the door a brilliant flash of orange in the dull brown and grey fog of its surroundings. His lust for adventure and personal fulfillment has led him to Kroka, a place where both his wanderer’s spirit and poet’s soul can find a home away from home. Those around him know him simultaneously for his lighthearted energetic nature and his ability to share deeper parts of himself, and in the process drawing those aspects in others to the surface. (A current goal of his is to grow out his mustache during semester, so look out for updates.)
ANNA
Anna Valentine Whittaker (Scribe, 19), reaches up with an ink stained ring finger, twirling a lock of sandy blonde hair tight, as if trying to tug a thought from her head. The movement is unconscious, routine, but it betrays some of the racing thoughts that her eyes keep hidden. Like her patron saint, Joan Of Arc, she is steadfast and strong, resilient in the face of constant buffeting change. She is a guide, a trailblazer, and far more than what lies on the surface. These next steps away from home are nothing new – they follow a path that only she will choose. Regardless of where they lead, though, they will be taken with a wonderful smile. (A current goal of hers is to grow out her mustache during semester, so look out for updates.)
GEAR CHECK
On arrival at Kroka, their lives were spread out and laid bare on stainless steel countertops, meticulously dissected piece by piece – remnants of the past rejected based on nonconformity to the strict packing list: gear check. Scattered glances were shared between the assessed, first impressions formed and reformed from desperately grasped moments of intermingled conversation and sly looks into neighbors luggage.
Each day on Winter Trail we’ll be eating a small bread roll similar to “hard tack” in expeditions of yore. We partnered with Orchard Hill Breadworks in Alstead, New Hampshire – a local wood-fired bakery who was excited for a new project! With Noah and Lily’s careful preparation and guidance we shaped and baked about 500 rolls in a couple of different flavors. We’re excited to see how they taste on trail!
SKI
They find themselves on a wide open expanse of frosted white, close to two feet of snow covering lake ice – their skis cutting swaths from the satin fabric of snowfall. Clean, parallel line trace contours through the infinite white. Houses lit from within by lamp and flame border the frozen water. One by one, in a single file, the 13 glide down paths shorn through the winter fleece made by those ahead of them. The sky is obscured by clustering snowflakes the size of newly-minted coins, falling on shirtsleeves. Words of awe drop from numb lips, breath and voice turning to steam in the cold air. The sun sets in a beautiful watercolor sky, and night falls with the continuing snow – still they travel, until triumphant return to their temporary home, their momentary resting place.
Over the course of our time at basecamp we were introduced to telemark skiing! This is a new sport for all of us! From the Kroka campus, to Storr’s Hill in Lebanon, to ski excursions in the local area, we spent a lot of time learning the proper way to take the skis on and off, to kick and glide, to make controlled stops on a hill, to climb hills efficiently, and even to telemark turn!
On one particularly sunny and chilly Saturday we tested our trail-skiing skills and traveled all the way to Ezra and Katia’s house for a warm dinner!
Oliver ripping down a local trail
DANCE
They did not know how to contra dance, but they tried anyway, with flailing awkward fledgling movements, and steps taken half beats too late. As the fiddle raced and the caller called, they whirled and laughed with wild abandon, lost in a crowd of new smiling faces. Socked feet and dress shoes thump and clacked on the hardwood floor as eyes flashed joyfully in the soft light. With each dizzy do-si-do, energy mounted and people blurred, until the Nelson Town Hall and its contra kings and queens twirled off and away into tranquil twilight.
On two occasions we participated in a New England tradition – Contra Dancing! First we visited the Nelson Contra dance and learned from people who regularly attend the longest running contra dance in New England. Then Ezra, Colin, Kathryn, and Nathan hosted one for us at Kroka in the days before our departure.
SNAPSHOTS OF BIG JOBS
Each of us was assigned a Big Job in our third week at basecamp. This part of life at Kroka allows us to learn all of the elements that go into expedition prep. Over the course of the week we embarked on many projects. With help from many people at Kroka we sewed new Anoraks for expedition – jackets that will keep our puffies and rain coats safe from the fire. These are our gift to future semesters!
Food managers planned and packed 2 months of food, including threshing and winnowing beans, processing lard, cutting and drying root vegetables, and making menus and resupply lists.
Energy managers tested our fire and kitchen systems to make sure that we will be cooking as efficiently as possible on trail.
Gear managers learned to set up the winter tent and waxed and scraped all of our skis. Up in the map room, the navigators spent hours tracing our route and planning the itinerary for the first leg. Planning for a 4 month expedition is a lot of work and made us truly grateful to live in a community so that we could share the load!
PLUNGE
The Kroka pond was frozen a foot and a half thick, fresh fallen snow turning the usual hockey rink into yet another ivory field. It seems so surreal to think that only a handful of days ago, this family of semester students was nothing more than a collection of strangers. As they howl towards the sky with frostbitten lungs, so happy that all moments but this have faded, their future rolls out before them, a cold carpet of untouched wonderland. When the chisel finally breaks through the ice, they peer down at the swirling dark waters of uncertainty, picking H2O diamonds out of it with ungloved fingers.
The hole widens, and one by one they change into their swimsuits, standing strangely warm in the frigid weather, like chickens all plucked and ready for dunking. There isn’t time to waste as they are being blown by the tundra wind – as soon as feet are bare, they dash, pitter patter, over frozen waters until, with toes clenched, they leave the ground and are submerged in the swirling black hole. It is cold! And as they bob in and out like ice cubes, each one is born anew: an arctic baptism. Legs that feel more like icicles dash pell-nell up the slippery slats of the boardwalk, accompanied by wild shrieks of equal parts pain and laughter.
Together, they purge the cold from their body with scalding steam, bathing-suited maniacs dancing in circles under spurting shower heads, throwing their hands high and low while they whisper chants and feel the innocent childlike joy of just simply being together. And then, for some bizarre reason nobody fully understands, they do it two more times.
While most days we go skiing for fitness, we also spent some time sledding on the hill outside of the farmhouse and playing hockey on the pond. At the beginning of basecamp we had several truly excellent days of smooth open ice.
SONGS
We sang songs we knew: Hallelujah, Folsom Prison Blues, Bohemian Rhapsody, Country Roads and American Pie. And we learned new ones: Young Rider, Misty Morning, Perfect Offerings, and Morning Light.
MISTY MORNING
In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming
When the corn is past its prime
When adventure’s lost its meaning
I’ll be homeward bound in time
Bind me not to the pasture;
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow
We spent most of our second week crafting the handles for the knives that we will carry throughout the semester. These knives will help us make tools, carve spoons, start fires, and cut food! We started with a “blank” or cut piece of wood, then set the tang of the blade into the wood using a drill press and epoxy glue. Over the next several days we rasped our handles into shape, sanded them smooth, and sewed leather sheathes. Each knife is a reflection of its’ owner and crafter!
PERFECT OFFERINGS
Forget your perfect offerings (call)
Forget your perfect offerings
Just ring the bells that still can ring (call)
Just ring the bells that still can ring
There is a crack in everything (call)
There is a crack in everything
That’s how (call)
That’s how
The light (call)
The light
Gets in (call)
Gets in
That’s how the light gets in (together)
“All circles presuppose they’ll end where they begin. But only in their leaving, can they ever come back round again” ~Colin (Kroka seasonal staff)
The funny thing about a circle is that it has no end, no beginning. Semester has both: clearly defined- an eagerly anticipated start date, and a dreaded ending one. A circle, also, goes nowhere. It carves ruts deeper and deeper in a familiar path, and in a way, that is beautiful. While the 13 students will end where they begin on this journey, they will be forever changed, booted from the furrows they’ve occupied for years. They will have momentarily left a cycle they’ve been perpetuating for most of their lives, cocooning themselves in the beautiful chrysalis of nature for months, hopefully to emerge as a butterfly – or something a little more dirty, and markedly less fragile.
It is a migration, though, both physical and mental. For many it marks a step into independence and adulthood, and for others a platform off which they might base their lives. There is no understating the monumental impacts an undertaking like this will bring about. So though the route is not a circle, we’re all spiraling upwards. We’ll get there eventually.
On Wednesday, February 4th we joined hands with a circle of Kroka staff for one last song before departing on our expedition. A big thank you to everyone who helped us get to where we are today – parents, teachers, mentors, family, Kroka staff, and local community members.
By the time you read this, we will be a few days into our journey. We look forward to reading your letters and sharing the tails of the trail soon!
Your scribes,
Anna & Rohan
Instructors Alex, Rebecca and Jo on a training ski
