John Olsen teaching primitive pottery. Greg Nunn teaching flintknapping. Cat Farneman teaching medicinal uses of plants. Dave Holladay topping them all with the antics of his primitive gourdworks class (make that art/music/shenanigans class). Slickrock 2008 was as much fun as it was a chance to learn from some true masters of their crafts. By day we learned and worked on projects, by night we feasted and played and danced and told stories around the fire. I especially enjoyed story time. So many great story tellers, so many old (but new to me) stories...

Once the gathering was over and it was back down to just BOSS (Boulder Outdoor Survival School) staff, we returned to getting ready for the season. We talked about where the school has come from and where it is going. We talked about our personal development and goals for the summer. We held competitions for wood carving and fire making. We capped off staff training Thursday with a surprise med rescue simulation.



Now we're making final preparations before our first batch of students arrive tomorrow. The others are in the kitchen right now, making 'rimitive pizzas' (stone-fired with buffalo, mushrooms, onions, & pepper jack). They feed us so good here, all natural and organic. I've built up my body's reserves, and I'm going to need them. Tomorrow I start a 14-day field course. We'll be covering long miles at high altitude on only about 1500 calories/day. The first two days ('Impact Phase' will be even more challenging - we'll carry no food and eat only what we find. After that we'll get the 'luxuries' of a few oats, rice and lentils each day - and a wool blanket! Wool blankets are nice at this altitude, even in summer. It actually snowed some here this week!

So far I know I'll be responsible for our lessons on survival attitude & priorities, bow-drill fires, primitive shelters, crypto-biotic soils, and making cordage from plants. I'm also helping to develop new lessons on weather watching and celestial navigation. Tonight we eat, drink, and make merry. Tomorrow, Darkling Thrush is outward bound - primitive style!

Currently reading : People of the Fire (The First North Americans series, Book 2) By Kathleen O’Neal Gear