6 things You Can Do to Commemorate Indigenous Peoples on Columbus Day (Or any day of thereafter)
Christopher Columbus arrived as an immigrant to “the New World.” He did not “discover” America. Today, let’s remember and celebrate the People who were here first!
1. Learn about the American Precolonial Roots of Democracy. American democracy was founded on the principles of The Great Law of Peace founded by The Haudenosaunne People (Iroquois) in the Northeast. Read more.
2. Watch 1492 set the record straight about Columbus and the Doctrine of Discovery.
3. Learn about Native America’s endangered languages and what is being done to revitalize them. Send an E-postcard in Euchee. Visit ourmothertounges.org
Engage your friends and family and raise awareness about endangered languages by sending an e-postcard with a Native language audio greeting.
4. Make Your Voice Heard about Indigenous Peoples’ Rights.
Support the community of Santa Cruz Barillas, Guatemala in their opposition to a hydroelectric dam being built on their sacred river. Send an email today!
Thanks to Laura Jean Whitcomb, publisher of Kid Stuff for letting us reprint this article about a ground-breaking move by a small school in central Vermont, The Willow School. One look at the their website almost has me rethinking our departure for New Zealand this fall, and instead, having our young son attend the school!
Outward Bound mandatory for all young people?
Like legendary Headmaster Dave Fowler at Proctor Academy in Andover, NH where he pioneered incorporating Outward Bound principles of experiential education and community building into the school’s fabric in 1971, it sure looks like the founders of the Willow School are doing the same thing for younger students. The article below covers what will hopefully be incorporated in many schools across the U.S. and abroad. In New Zealand as well, (where we’ve been living), bullying appears to be a problem.
Proctor’s experiential model
I’m reprinting this article in hopes that it will fall into the right hands of school teachers and administrators. During my 15-plus teaching years at Outward Bound, the debrief and reflection were key to a successful outcome for the students, and helped insure some strong “takeaways” that they could use as life skills. In fact, Outward Bound Professional Development courses also incorporate these basic techniques Read the rest of this entry »
New Zealand Alpine Club‘s Climber magazine, sports John Taficuk climbing the Temple Buttress at Temple Basin on the South Island at Arthur’s Pass. What do you think?
I happened by the Kittery Trading Post last month, and there was climber, Ed Webster doing a book signing. I had never met him, but certainly knew of him. I was instantly drawn to his book-signing table, as he talked with a family of four who wanted to know more about getting started in the sport of rock climbing. He seemed engaged and affable. Ed authored a rock climbing guidebook to the the White Mountains area which I carried with me on my early climbs in New Hampshire. It sits on my bookshelf, beat up from use. He’s also got quite a reputation as a climber.
Ed was recently in the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee region presenting his slide show, Everest the Hard Way. His 1988 Everest Kangshung Face new route, Read the rest of this entry »
Led by a unique team of experienced world-class outdoor adventurers, guides, instructors, and experienced meditators, this weekend will provide room for exploring the layers of self-knowledge possible through adventuring in our natural environment. During the weekend, lovers of nature and those interested in hiking, rock climbing and kayaking will come together to adventure without and within.
To get an idea what see the interview of Lama Willa Miller by R. Richards below:
Read more on the program at our MSI and Wonderwell’s Webpages, and stay tuned for more details posted on this blog.
“The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, ‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
I started Mountain Spirit Institute in 1998 when we led our first trip to Peru, with the basic mission “to facilitate a deeper connection to the natural environment, each other and ourselves.” Since then it has become ever more apparent how we need “nature time” more than ever. It’s good to see people out on the trail, and in kayaks these days, but National Park use is down in the U.S, and technology competes for the breath of fresh air. We just offered a presentation last night in a small town in New Hampshire called “Get Outside While You Still Can.” The piece below echoes a lot of what we covered in our presentation, and why we started MSI.
As I’ve said in this column before, I’m afraid it may be too late to avoid the devastating effects of global climate change. Read the rest of this entry »
• Get Out into nature that is
• How do you view nature?
• Find it hard to get nature time?
• Technology Got ya?
How do you spend your time?……
Doing This?
Or Doing This?
Come and explore, with Mountain Spirit board members
Bob Stremba and Randy Richards, Nature Deficit Disorder
&
Why we need to get outside while we still can!
GETTING OUTSIDE!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25th , 7:00PM
Cost: Free
Lake Sunapee Bank Community Room
116 Newport Road
New London, NH, USA
For more information call 603-763-2668 or http://www.mtnspirit.org
Wildlife Bridge Overpass – Giving animals a leg up on the auto traffic
Where’s the merge lane and who has right of way when the only traffic are animals such as tigers, wallabies, possums or kangaroos? I suppose whoever is highest on the food chain gets to go first across these overpasses with no roads, and only trees and grasses.
Someone posted the aerial image at right this evening. At first glance it looked like the same bridge under which I passed two years ago on the east coast highway heading north from Sydney, Australia. I dug in my files, and found the snapshot of the bridge and include it here.
I was so taken aback by the site of the strange overpass, which looked like a neglected highway department lapse in maintenance, that I stopped the car and took a picture. At the time, I didn’t know what it was, and after some discussion with my wife, decided it must a wildlife corridor.
Wildlife Overpass – East Coast Australia
It’s good to see there are others. The Facebook image didn’t have a caption indicating where it was, but looks like it could be another location in Australia. Anyway, “Good on ya” for building this you Aussies! Anybody got an idea how many of these wildlife overpasses there are, and who’s the traffic cop?
While putting in at the Connecticut River the other day in Lyme, NH, I met Daniel Embree, owner of Bunker Hill Boatworks in North Pomfret Vermont. Dan was jut pulling up to the landing in a beautiful double ended rowboat, the likes I’d never seen. Then again, I don’t get to the Adirondacks that much anymore. He explained his boat was an Adirondack Guideboat, which is quite common in “the ‘Dacks”. Having started to understand the healing power and love of working on boats, (mind you, I only do minor repairs) I immediately noticed, as anyone would, the beauty of the workmanship of Dan’s craft, which is also…his craft. Dan built the boat.
Dan has been making boats since 1990, and has decided to build on and improve his traditional design based on 19th century patterns by D. Grant, and is considered by many the fastest fixed-seat rowing craft. The history of the guideboat is one of backwater travel for sightseeing and sport which was easy to row and portage, (unlike my beautiful but heavy Mansfield canoe which I just portaged to Morgan Pond the other day. My neck still hurts).
Dan uses a traditional wooden design with a the use of fiberglass. Each boat is first ribbed and planked and then coated with a fiberglass/epoxy resin. This increases strength and preserves the wooden look, and makes the boat easier to maintain. The Adirondack Guideboat is 16ft in length and weighs in at 75lbs. So make your portages short. The boats are made of cherry, birds eye maple, and white pine woods.
Nice Work Dan! A great boat.
I was taken by the product I thought I’d include it in our blog and let you know about a nice guy doing good work. Dan seemed to have an aversion to websites, so you’d have to reach him by phone or email at 802-295-3552. He does have an email, but he might tie me up to the stern of his Guideboat and drag me down the Connecticut if I give it out..no just kidding – I’ll post it here later, if he’s interested in letting it out. For now…
Dan Embree – Box 331, North Pomfret VT 05053
1. Learn about the American Precolonial Roots of Democracy. American democracy was founded on the principles of The Great Law of Peace founded by The Haudenosaunne People (Iroquois) in the Northeast. Read more.
3. Learn about Native America’s endangered languages and what is being done to revitalize them. Send an E-postcard in Euchee. Visit ourmothertounges.org
Mountain Spirit's Blog 