In the Peace of Wild Things 

Eastern Hellbender Semester blog #1 2026  

‘The peace of wild things”
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me,
And I wake in the night at the least sound
In fear of what my life and my children lives may be,
I go and lay down where the wood drake rests in his beauty
on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of the wild things
Who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief
I come into the presence of still water
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
Waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world
And am free.    

Rest in peace Wendell Berry (who passed on the first day of our semester)
may your words bless each meal and your songs carry us home

Although the details of how we all came to be here may differ, I believe that we Hellbenders are all here in search of the same thing: that evolution of mind, body and soul that is birthed in the individual and evolves in community, and moments to live and listen in the peace of wild things.

Throughout this journey we will strive to live in connectedness with the natural world, within and alongside communities strewn along the east coast that, much like Kroka, have developed a more intentional and harmonious way to exist as human beings in the world we have been gifted. As we make our way to North Carolina, we will immerse ourselves in the changing landscape in a way that is only possible by bicycle.
It is our intention to be present and aware of who we are, where we are, and how we are moving through the world. This trip is a love letter to the east coast. To many of us she is our mother, our place of birth and the setting of our childhood. Others are meeting her for the first time. For us all, we are all eager to get to know her more intimately, with love and appreciation for all her mountains, rivers, valleys, fields and peoples. For this reason, we are giving up our feather beds, our cell phones and our electric blenders in exchange for wind, rain and sun, cold feet, tired legs, pumping hearts, long climbs up steep hills, exhilarating descents, the view from above, below and in between. We will take what the earth has to give us, revel in it, and give back.

It is a remarkable thing to give up the comforts of all that you know, to dive into the middle of a river you’ve never swam in without a rope or raft and let yourself be taken by the current, faithful that somewhere downstream something brand new and beautiful awaits. May what we find open our minds and our souls. Here we go, Hellbenders! 

Meet the 2026 Eastern Hellbenders…

Arlo, from Andover, VT, a town so small that there is no post office, is, “one of the 3 children that exist in this town”. Keeper of the first aid kit and hand-washing police officer #1, Arlo is our Health & Hygiene Manager, which means he is in charge of keeping us clean and healthy on our expedition.

Willow, from a town with its own post office, yields from West Peterborough, NH, NOT to be confused with Peterborough, NH which has its own separate post office. Willow is our second Health & Hygiene Manager and will decide whether or not a second bum-washing is necessary on any given day after bikepacking. 

Bennett is a disliker of beans, out-loud-reader of the Hobbit, talented voice actor and proud Lempster, NH resident. As our dedicated Bike Manager he is in charge of caring for our fleet of steel mechanical steeds. Not all heroes ride bikes, but this one does.

Eoin, from the alleged “best place in America,” remarks on how Tickbush, TN has a deceptively small tick population (0). He is our esteemed Gear Manager, which means he is in charge of keeping our tents and tarps in tip-top condition, and will be the commander-in-chief of any gear related disasters and repairs during our travels. 

Gigi is from Marshfield, VT (marsh population: 0) and is a talented musician as well as the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. She is one of our Food Managers and has been working hard to plan our expedition menu and ensure we have all the delicious food and nutrients we’ll need for the long days ahead. 

Lucca, from Windham, VT, wins the competition of “smallest town ever.”  If you think your town is small, it’s not as small as Lucca’s. Convenience stores: 0; grocery stores: 0; parks: 0;  malls: 0. Lucca, our Kitchen and Energy Manager, is responsible for keeping the headlamps and bike lights charged, the axe sharp, the match kits filled, and the fires burning. Lucca, you bring the energy (literally).

Liam hails from Stoddard, NH, just a stone’s throw from Kroka’s basecamp. He’s also lived in New York City and is looking forward to sharing his local knowledge in just a few weeks when we pass through the Big Apple. Liam has TWO Big Jobs. During layovers he is the Truck & Trailer Manager, ensuring our resupply boxes are neatly stacked and accounting for each and every pound that enters and exits the bike trailer. On trail, he will be the Camp Manager, overseeing that the home we make each night in the wilderness is organized and beautiful. We are so blessed to have the real Eminem biking alongside us on this adventure. 

Soleil, beacon of joy, laugher at all that is funny (and unfunny!) (She is cackling over my shoulder now), is from Chester Springs, PA. She is the second Food Manager and the master of Magic (sweet treats), as in – she has the most important job. 

Lewella is from Georgetown, ME (an island!) and she is the Logistics Manager, which means that she is in charge of keeping tabs on our itinerary, organizing reservations, coordinating with hosts, and is the manager of our finances! Fancy! She is also the public relations specialist and will be the main representative of our group to the communities and individuals we meet along the way. Lewella is intentional and level headed, and there’s no one better fit for the job. (She also attended a Weird Al concert when she was 11, proving that she was always destined for greatness.) 

Uli, singer of beautiful songs, knower of seemingly every lyric to every Kroka tune, the reigning champion of the rollypolly*, is from Montague, MA. She is our revered Navigator and has the job of thumbing through dozens of USGS maps from 50 years ago in a radical attempt to route us a safe, direct and legal passage down through the east coast. (*Rollypolly is a sleeping bag version of the king of the hill game… it is EXTREMELY competitive…)

Philadelphia is from the great, the mighty, Providence, RI. Philadelphia is also me, not to be confused with the city or the brand of cream cheese or the longest running sitcom television show ever (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). I am the Scribe! I am the voice of your children, of your friends, and with this great power comes great responsibility. (Documenting this epic journey with justice and finishing the blog on time.) I will do my best. 

Our Leaders 

Jae is the Semester Coordinator, she is a driving force of the group and a passionate educator here at Kroka. calling on her own personal knowledge and true love for the places we are about to visit, she has crafted our itinerary with great intention and dedication. Jae, we are so excited to have your love and passion as our guide through Appalachia and we are all envious of your sweaters.

Evan lives, laughs and loves bicycles and his personal philosophy about biking is the heart, soul and inspiration of this expedition. It is his goal to teach us how to foster a sense of connectedness with the land and the cultures we encounter in those ways that only a bicycle can unlock.

Hanah, the wise, the mysterious, the musical, is truly from all over the world. Born in the Netherlands, raised in England, India and beyond, Hanah has that kind of wisdom that only years and years of travel and experience can provide.

Geovani, who we lovingly call Geova, is a skilled craftsman, whether it be leather working, sewing, carving or fixing, if it is done with hands his hands can do it! He is also kind and funny and there is nothing he loves more than being together with the group, in good times and bad alike.

Basecamp: Short nights, Long days, Music, and Rain…

Many of us, it feels, have never been so busy. Life at Kroka runs on 2X speed. Wake up at 6, circle up, great each other with a proper Kroka hello; hugs, handshakes, fist bumps and eye contact.

“Hello! This is you.”
“This is me.”
“How did you sleep?”
“Me too.”

We are tired. We are excited. We are together Standing out in the field in the morning fog in our fancy blue raincoats. It is like magic. Then a quick snack and it’s time for chores. There’s lots to do everyday, and Kroka only runs because each morning we all get up and make it happen. Bennett or Gigi cook breakfast with Hanah, while Lucca, Eoin, Liam, chop fire wood. Uli, Lewella, and Philadelphia have been sewing bike bags while Soleil and Willow help out at the farmhouse. Arlo stirs the compost toilets…

After chores we regroup at the Hellbender lair, “Honey Hollow”, the Kroka campsite where we have been living for the past week and a half; home of our big canvas walled tent and outdoor kitchen, where we eat most of our meals. For now, for only one more night, this is our home. Breakfast comes, we sing and then we eat and then we ask for more cheese and usually get it. They spoil us now for they know that soon enough the only food we’ll have access to is what we can carry on our bikes, and the cheese then will be much less infinite in nature.

After breakfast our day consists of two blocks separated by lunch. Those blocks usually consist of a bike ride, a class, or a project either on or off campus. Between activities we have about -3 minutes to get to where we need to be… the Hellbender cohort is chronically late, it’s something we’re working on…

The beautiful weather that graced us on Arrival Day held over just long enough for our bike fittings and our fitness test before giving the skies over to a looming and vindictive storm cell that settled overhead and stayed for 3 long, wet, chilly days. Luckily we were mostly kept inside for the duration of the bad weather as we completed our WFA (Wilderness First Aid) course, which was taught by a talented man named Oliver who tested our knowledge with simulations of injuries, cuts and bruises painted on our face and arms with makeup and fake blood. These scenarios required us to follow scripts and act in real Wilderness First Aid scenarios: dehydration, broken ankles, hypothermia and the works – to then be saved by the other members of our group. In the end we all passed with gnarly fake wounds and the ability to apply splints and tourniquets.
Another class we had was lead by a friend of Hanah’s, Peter Siegel, who is appropriately named considering the fact that he knew and even played music with THE Pete Seeger on his boat “The Clearwater,” which sailed down the Hudson bringing music, education and activism to the residents of the Hudson River valley and beyond. Peter brought forth a handful of songs from each region we will be visiting, starting with a classic contra tune from New Hampshire played on mandolin to which we all line danced and skipped and clapped on beat. Then came a banjo tune from North Carolina, ‘Water bound and I Can’t Get Home’, and lastly some songs about the Hudson River, all of which, in classic Pete Seeger fashion, had sing along sections. Because, why sing alone when you could all sing together?
Our most coveted classes by far are swing dance taught by Evan. Each week we gather for an hour or two, often with the gift of live music, and come away with a couple new moves on our rosters. Unfortunately for Evan, he has unlocked an insatiable hunger for new moves and techniques at a pace that he cannot afford to keep up with. The instructors know that there are other classes to teach but the children yearn for the dance floor. There is a beast inside us all, and that beast needs to country swing…

The good weather and music brought on the weekend and the weekend brought on Dirty Pizza, the legendary local gravel bike ride organized by a long time friend of Kroka’s, Noah Elbers, who owns Orchard Hill Breadworks right down the road. On Saturday we had our first overnight, packing our bags with gear before biking to the orchard, setting up tents and kitchen, and having dinner among the apple trees. Further down the orchard was a sheep’s enclosure marked by an electric fence. You may have wondered to yourself at some point in your life, ‘How much electricity does it take to keep in a small heard of sheep?’ You may have even concluded that the answer is not much. You would be wrong. Thanks to Grace, who bravely touched the fence on accident, we know that these lines contain enough shock to completely knock out a Grace sized human being. Holy Yikes. Thankfully, Grace was ok and recovered without the need for our newly acquired WFA skills.
Sunday morning came quickly and we woke up early: 27 miles of biking with 3700 feet of elevation awaited us. It is time for our first “real” bike ride and we quickly learned this hard truth: The hills of New Hampshire care not for your cries of exhaustion or aching limbs. You plea with the earth, but your prayers fall on deaf ears. So you push and push at the lowest rotational setting of your bicycle and when you finally see the summit up ahead you exhale with misplaced relief as sweat drips into your eyes. “This is it,” you think, a wave of relief washes over you, suddenly your legs don’t seem so tired, and, fueled by the view of the finish line, you crest the peak of this small hill only to realize that just around the bend there is another taller, steeper climb. 

“I think I genuinely saw the woman in the sky… the Lord herself..” – Soleil as she climbed the dreaded Murphy Hill. It was an exhausting bike ride, but that’s ok!

We know we must climb this hill now so that we can climb mountains later.

Soon we will be in Appalachia and we will be all the stronger. Besides, false summits only exist to bolster the glory of surmounting the true peak, and glorious it was! As the later half of the group approached the top we could begin to hear cheers and encouragements through the trail, there ahead of us stood our fellow Hellbenders, whooping and willying, bikes by their sides and arms outstretched in a chain of high-fives. It was then that we knew we were going to make it to North Carolina.
A great sense of accomplishment followed us for the rest of the bike ride, maple syrup shots awaited us at the food checkpoint along with mayonnaise and cheeses sandwiches, brownies, cake pops and WATER, GLORIOUS WATER. After a quick break we got back on our bikes and enjoyed a nice downhill ride with the most beautiful view of the New Hampshire countryside just brimming on the edge of autumn. Upon our arrival back to Orchard Hill we were greeted with groovy music and hot brick oven pizza, almost 100 bikers and bikes filled the front yard to take part in the celebration. We were all feeling extremely grateful to have had the chance to participate and also at ease, now knowing for certain that each on of us is ready for the challenge that lay ahead.

The day after Dirty Pizza was spent at Stepping Stone Commons, a micro farm up the street owned by friends/alumni of Kroka: Emily and Jacob. We spent the day learning about how hard it is to be a farmer in modern day America. It is a life of early mornings and late nights forever. No vacations, no employee benefits, lots of manual labor, actually tons of manual labor, and not a lot of money.. So why be a farmer? The answer is Principle. Emily and Jacob have decided to make whatever change in their community that they can. This is their way of standing up against big corporations, monopoly, and most importantly climate change and human waste. Emily put it like this, “One day I went to the store to get some cheese and I realized that it all came in plastic packaging. Well, I decided I didn’t want to buy cheese if it meant I had to create a piece of waste that would eventually end up in a landfill polluting the earth so I stopped eating cheese. But I love cheese, so I found a cheese maker who would put his cheese in a Tupperware container for me every week and that went on for a while until eventually I just got my own cow.” Now Emily and Jacob make their own cheese for supper and it is delicious. We had lunch that came entirely from their garden and then spent the rest of the day rolling around in a big hot heap of compost. Showers were necessary that afternoon; a small sacrifice to pay to witness the magic of decomposition in real time.

To be a Hellbender is to accept that silence is a rarity and understand that one has the duty to burst into song at every given opportunity. Many songs are silly, parodies, or old pop songs from 2016, but there is also a serious collection of talent in this group. Before every meal we sing a classic Kroka song with beautiful lyrics, compelling tunes. During free time, soft voices harmonize to change by Adrianne Lenker, and a minute later and we’re all singing Shady Grove at the top of our lungs while Lucca rips on the acoustic guitar. Everyone sings, everyone taps their foot, everyone loves to love music, it is in our blood. To be in this place is in our blood: we are here because for us there is nowhere else to be, no other way to be in this moment. 

“And at night, as we walk up to our tent,
We stop on the stairs to sing.
The silent night fills with
Guitar and drum and song and peace,
Harmony fills the air.
We finish walking up the stairs,
Finally ready for bed, but no! As the rustling of sleeping bags die down
A voice emerges from the darkness.
Its Gandolf and Bilbo and the dwarves
But actually, it’s Bennett.
Lulling us to sleep with the voices and
Sound effects of the Hobbit.
I fall asleep, full of song and full of stories..”
– Uli

Tomorrow we leave on expedition. We have loved our time here, but we still have many miles to go on this great adventure. So goodbye to Honey Hollow, goodbye to long evenings spent in the Boathouse, goodbye to our friends on the Kroka staff staying back at basecamp and to the Roaring Canyons Semester, Thank you! Take care and see you later! 

Your scribe,

Philadelphia
This blog and all future Hellbender 2026 entries are dedicated to our loving families and friends back home, and to our beloved 12th Hellbender, Grace, who departed Semester by her own choice during the second week of the program. We wish you all could be here with us as we pedal ourselves through the wild unknown, past forests, farms and fields. But know this; for as we go, we do not go alone. We carry you all in our hearts and our minds, and we’ll see you when there’s snow.   – 2026 Hellbenders