South East Shield
Some of my greatest learning experiences and most beautiful moments in the wilderness have come at times when I had lost all sense of time and agenda. One of my favorite and most rewarding past times is just wandering in the woods and seeing what the day or night will bring. I can think of quite a few different times where I set off into the woods with a purpose, got side tracked, and ended up encountering a family of deer, finding a amazing waterfall and swimming whole, or (one of my favorites) coming across an entire black bear skeleton to take home as a treasure.
In all my programs I really try hard to go with the flow and interests of the group. If we start out tracking a mink through the forest and I get the feeling that the group is losing interest and then we come across a fallen birch tree and the group shows interest in making birch bark baskets, then I am always open to a new unplanned experience. Improvisation in education is a wonderful art and one I definitely embrace.
I always like to have an idea of people’s interests when I create a program and try my hardest to make sure requested experiences and skill practicing happens. The wilderness has so many lessons to teach, and treasures to share. To get the most out of your program I feel it is very beneficial to be open to a little wandering, and perhaps expect the unexpected. Who knows what you might find, see, or learn!
Almost every culture in history had events and ceremonies to acknowledge the personal growth of a boy or girl into a man or woman. Events and tests to let a growing individual know they are important to their society and empower them to play a positive role in their community. They also recognized all the different stages we go through in life from child to elder and highlight the lessons and responsibilities that go along with these stages in life.
A Right of Passage is an event and/or ceremony to recognize both physical and spiritual growth of an individual. Growing up in our fast paced modern world, I often wonder if these important acknowledgements are often missed. Could this have something to do with the large number of lost youth of today?
I did my first vision quest, lead by an elder on Vancouver Island, when I was 26. This quest changed my life, gave me incredible focus and direction, and filled a void I had always felt but never understood. This was my official entrance into the responsibilities of being a man.
I find the humbling wilderness can bring upon great growth in an individual. Learning skills to make one feel more independent and self sufficient can bring a lot of personal power to an individual and help them feel focused.
I believe everybody has a gift to share with their people and their community. My time alone and mentored by others in the wilderness has helped me to find my gift and empowered me to want to be a positive role model in my community.
Rites of passage can be a group of men or women going out into the wilderness like our ancestors once did. Maybe to catch their first fish with the elders of the group teaching the younger how to fillet and cook them the traditional way, or it might be an overnight solo where a young boy or girl spends a day and night camped in the woods by themselves (of course under the hidden watch of an adult) and a ceremony upon return.
If you are interested in rite of passage programs please contact me and we can talk about the interests of the participant and the many possibilities that may be appropriate. I am not trained nor will I lead folks on vision quests but there are many other possibilities we can pursue. Please consider this rewarding experience for your growing child or yourself.
So it was the middle of August and the bug season was finally starting to let up a bit. I was interpreting for a group of young boy scouts (age 13 – 17) on a six day trip on some crown land near Atikokan, Ontario (about 1 ½ hours west of Thunder Bay). The group was incredibly ambitious and wanted to travel 75 miles in about 5 ½ day across a stretch of rivers, large lakes, on land none of us had ever traveled on before.
The first few days of the trip were very challenging but great fun as well. We put in long days paddling 8 – 10 hours. We traveled across beautiful country trolling for fish as we went along and camping on secluded wilderness beaches under breath taking star filled skies. Often, we would stop for a break around 4 in the afternoon, much like the birds and animals do in the forest (have you ever noticed what a quiet time of the day this is in the wilderness?). We would be completely exhausted but the boys were determined to get their 75 miler award. After a short power nap in the great moss of the Boreal Forest (if you have never had this experience before, I would highly recommend it, I would take a bed of boreal moss over a king sized bed any day!) and a jump into the cool water to cleanse us and restore our energy, we would climb back into the canoes for another few hours of paddling before setting up camp. I know this sounds grueling but the rewards of putting in a good hard day in the woods are astronomical. You feel so healthy and proud of yourself and you’ll sleep better than you ever have in your life.
On our fourth day of travel, we came across an incredibly beautiful waterfall, probably 35 feet tall with a beautiful pool to play in at the bottom. We decided almost instantly that we needed to stop for the day and enjoy this magical place. We played in the water fall for hours, letting the fast flowing water pound down on our shoulder and back and massage our well worked muscles. After a few hours of playing in the water and a nap back on shore, one of the boys came up to me and said, “hey Chris, can we catch some crawdad’s for dinner?” He was a southern boy, so you have to envision that last sentence being said in a strong southern accent by a 13 year old boy. He was referring to crayfish. I had never eaten one before but hey what the heck. I’m out on an adventure and I love to learn from my trip participants just as much as I love to teach. We spent another hour or so catching crayfish in a near by creek and then went for a hike to harvest fresh wild greens for a salad. Our salad included dandelion leaf, oxeye daisy leaf, a small amount of steamed clover heads, and some plantain leaves. What an incredible feast we had that night! Not only had this land shared with us beautiful waterfalls, beaches, and stars, but now it offered us an entire tasty meal, all of this straight from the wild. We washed our meal down with a wild tea mixture that we had made with rose hips, fireweed leaf, and spruce needles.
After dinner we decided since the sky was clear that we ought to try and make up for some of the time we lost playing in the waterfall. We decided to head out on a night paddle. It turned out to be an experience we will all remember for the rest of our lives.
After crossing our last portage, just as the sun was starting to set, we set off down a very narrow winding river. It was a great place to begin our night paddle as there was only one way to go, down stream! With the stars above, and all the incredible sounds of the night, we paddled slowly and silently down the winding river. All of a sudden there was a loud commotion up ahead. CRASH< CRASH< CRASH!! Three large moose had not heard us coming and were startled by these mysterious floating objects in the night. They went charging into the woods. Our hearts were beating a mile a minute as our smiles stretched from one ear to another. The first canoe of our expedition was probably only 20 feet from the moose as they fled to the forest.
We finally reached the end of the meandering river as it opened up onto a large lake system. This was when our navigating skills were really put to the test. With our topography maps held under our headlamps and the North Star to orientate us, we attempted to line up the elevation lines on the map with the dark silhouettes of the rolling landscape all around us. Often confusing, but very exhilarating, we worked our way under the night’s sky through the lake and onto another river system.
It was close to 2 am when we finally came upon a small island in the river and decided we had traveled far enough for one day. We pulled up to shore, set our tents, and made a goodnight batch of hot chocolate to drink under the stars. That was probably one of the best nights sleep I had all summer and quite possibly one of my most memorable canoe tripping experiences. The lessons of that trip will be with me the rest of my life!
A Vision Quest is an ancient ceremony practiced by aboriginal cultures around the world. There are many different procedures and rituals around vision quests but often they involve: time spent reflecting with an Elder of the tribe and/or medicine person, time alone in a special spot in the wilderness, and often fasting (not eating for the duration of the quest). My Vision Quest was four days long. I spent the majority of the quest inside a 12 foot in diameter circle in the woods. I had no tent, no food, just a light blanket, a bottle of water, and the clothes on my back.
If you are thinking of doing a vision quest, I highly recommend seeking out someone trained in leading them. Having an experienced medicine person to talk with before and after the quest, really helped clarify the teachings for me and made it the amazing experience it was.
