Art Of Mentoring 2012

Arriving a few hours before the opening ceremonies, I spent some time enjoying the trail systems of Mansfield Outdoor Centre, as well as helping out the staff by setting out signs, and directing incoming traffic to the designated camping and parking spots.

At approximately 17:00hrs everyone gathered in a large hall where we were treated to a great supper provided by hard-working kitchen staff. We would be eating all our meals here during the next six days. The communal eating area was a fantastic opportunity to network with people of like mind and make connections.

A loud Coyote howl echoed through the countryside to signal everyone to gather for opening circle. During this circle, over 150 people gathered to watch Skeet use a bow-drill to create a sacred fire. Carly prompted a beautiful fire song to be sung during this time called “light it up to live”. It was very moving to sing the sacred fire to life.

During the opening circle, we were asked to “trust the process”. This phrase would be repeated to us many times over the next week following the question: “What’s next?”. This concept was designed for us let go of our regimented play-by-play lives and learn to enjoy the concept and process of nature. It certainly took quite a bit of getting used to.

The next morning I awoke in my tent to a beautiful sunny day with a fog which settled over the valley. During breakfast I sat at the Elders table and conversed about Nature Deficit Disorder, and met an amazing woman who camped in the tops of trees using a hammock and climbing gear.

Shortly after breakfast we gathered and were quite politely told to gather everything we would need for an overnight trip, and prepare to depart in ½ hour. I raced to my Jeep and grabbed my sleeping bag, and a few other items and met my team to depart for the next 24 hours.

Our intrepid, barefoot team leader Carly led us into the woods and to the river which runs through the Mansfield property. We hiked along the river bank and decided to break off into three small groups and find an appropriate campsite.
Pairing up with an amazing man named Richard, we crossed the river, and wandered into a beautiful cedar grove. After some evaluation time, we decided this was going to be the spot which we would camp in for the night.Returning back to our team, we relaxed and ate lunch. After lunch, some of the team went for a swim in the deeper sections of the river.
With a lot of hooting and hollering, our swimmers returned with a large, dead, smelly crayfish to proudly show the group. They invented a game in which we had to deeply inhale the crayfish odour while they counted “one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi”. By then we were all gagging from the stench. We had a quick debate on what to call the crayfish – “Cuddles” became his name.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, some of our team members used a bow drill to create fire, while others gathered firewood. In order to ensure there would be no trace left of our fire in the area, I gathered a pile of large rocks from the river bottom, then covered them in sand (to prevent the rocks from heating up, or exploding). When I had finished, the base of our fire pit looked like a freshly poured cement disc. This would be the perfect base to make a fire which would not scar the land when we departed in the morning.

After a drum ceremony, our group played several games including “blind trail” where we took each other into the woods blindfolded and had each other identify plants and trees by smell and touch. It was a great way to spend an evening. Mutton soup arrived cold, and we  created a tripod out of sticks to heat up our supper before bed. We made no shelter, and decided to sleep in our bags directly under the stars.

As dawn broke, I awoke from my slumber in the forest. Some of my camp mates examined the area and said there was evidence of deer walking right into our sleeping area during the night. We packed up our things, and made the river crossing and headed back to the main hall for breakfast. It was an amazing night out.During the day, we wrote a story of our experience told from the perspective of the crayfish:

The Art of Mentoring was a very moving experience which changed my perspective on experiential education, and having fun in the wilderness. Over the week I learned to connect with my ancestors in ways I could not have previously comprehended, as well as created some friendships which I will cherish for many years to come.