Blog #4: Departing on Expedition

Hello All!

We are coming to the end of our time here at base camp. It has been over a month now since we arrived and oh how we are ready to take flight, but first let me update you on what we’ve been enjoying during our final stretch of this leg.

When we arrived back from the White Mountains intensive we glided back into the flow of base camp, jumping right in with chores and a regular schedule. We had a lot of stinky laundry and unpacking to do which made me wonder, “If that was only 3 days, what will it be like when were out there for 18 days? Or 21!” I hope that we’re all smell blind by then for our own sake.

Later in the week we had the pleasure of making shoes with Sarah Shields who is a parent of a winter semester alumna from 2018. It was an incredibly fun process and involved a lot of hard work, focus, and friendly competition. At the beginning of the day as the lesson was starting Miron announced that he wouldn’t be able to make a pair of shoes, but if anyone finished their own and was able to make a second pair for him, he would grant them a giant chocolate bar. This peaked many of our interests as our semester particularly enjoys snacks. The game was on and many hands were made quick to see if they were capable of completing this challenge. Around lunchtime many of us realized that it would test our abilities to finish our shoes before Sarah had to leave. Still some with a particular sweet tooth kept with it. Every once in a while Oliver, Sophia, and Rosa (the last standing in the competition) would frantically look up from their work and see if they were still in the lead. Whoever was the leader would smile to themselves and make a quip about how delicious the chocolate would be while the others would get back to work, moving their fingers over their work as if it could disappear if it even lost an ounce of their focus. Though they were particularly keen on receiving the treat, unfortunately for Miron, there just wasn’t enough time in the day to make a second pair.

I found the process to be very gratifying because I find that we often take our shoes for granted and rarely know the process of how they are made, or even who makes them. For me, cutting the leather, gluing the sole, and marrying all the pieces together with thread was a potent learning experience. Sarah also brought with her many different colors of leather and ways of personalizing our shoes so when we finished you could look at someone’s feet and tell who they were by the shoes they were wearing.

All the finished shoes- so beautiful

That evening we slipped our shiny new shoes on and put on our finest attire so that we could look our best at the Nelson Contra Dance. Once there we had a wonderful evening full of laughter and delight as we twirled and swirled across the floor. While we milled around the room we had the honor of being completely schooled by dancers who had been dancing contra for 40+ years. We were all very grateful for the hospitality and support we received from that community as they gave us a farewell and wished us luck on our expedition at the end of the event.

One crucial aspect of our expedition is the meals we will be bringing for our next 4 months on trail. This past month Sophia and Grace J. have been tirelessly studying what our bodies will need in order to survive in a sub zero climate and figuring out what food will keep us nutritionally balanced and healthy. They have been focusing on devising the proper nutritional proportions for us with the knowledge that, for the most part, we will be carrying everything on our backs. This is the final stretch of preparation as this is our last week at base. To assist these two in completing this portion of their big job we had a food pack out day where we prepared the meals for both the Uapishka leg and Green Mountains leg of our expedition. The Farmhouse was full of music and brimming with grains, dried goods, and chocolate covered pretzels. The smells that filled the air were tantalizing and made us excited for the yummy meals that our rumbling stomachs would consume on trail.

During the day we took a sledding break to cool down and step away from the temptation of all the delicious foods we weren’t supposed to eat. Bobby made a ramp in the snow that was a little higher than expected and sent many who dared to use it walking away with a sore rump.

In the way of preparations we also started working on our theater performance for parent day. We had ample help from Morgan, Miron, and we acquainted ourselves with our guest teacher Rebecca who will also be our teacher when we are in Manhattan. We did all sorts of exercises that taught how to communicate without really needing to say anything at all. We stitched together a story of what our first month together has been like and what has really impacted us. Like going pee in the middle of the night when it’s freezing out. Simone even wrote a song for us to sing involving every big job and how we can function as a team.

So sleepy!

When parent day arrived we were all nervous with anticipation for what it would entail being temporarily reunited with our families. At 9:00 am parents started flowing in and finding their young wanderer so that as a team they could go out on a small adventure race around campus. It was framed in a way that allowed us to express what we've been experiencing while living at base camp. Though lots of families didn’t finish every task it was still enjoyable to go for a walk to the beaver pond together, or chop some wood at Rodgers Road. Later in the day we had our performance and shared as a group what its been like living and growing alongside one another. It was really beautiful seeing everyone interacting with their families, hugging, snuggling, and telling stories. We ate a potluck feast together and then after watching a short slideshow, we commenced the parent talent show. It was an engaging evening with a medley of talents ranging from songs, drawings, dances, and poems to a herpetology show with the focus on geckos.

When the evening was drawing to a close we hugged our parents goodbye, saying "Alright, I love you, I'll see you 4 months," and walked out into the bright moonlit night. Gathering together in the tent that would be our shelter and sanctuary for our journey, we recounted the day’s events and shared with our own little family how each of us was doing. It is difficult being reminded of ordinary life when you are preparing to go out into the backcountry for so long. It can almost feel like you are going backwards at times. But it is good medicine too because it reminds us that there is something to come back to: the warmth of a loved ones heart. And the only way we can truly grasp this overflowing gratitude and understanding of place and privilege is for us to set off and ski into the wild unkempt in all her beauty. And so we shall.

Until Mid March,

Imua!

-Grace Zaboski