Wintercount

This year at Wintercount was really fun because my sister came with her three girls. It was so awesome to share the gathering experience with her. She said she loved it and is already planning on coming to Rabbitstick in the fall in Idaho. This was the sunset our first night there.

I spent the week playing babysitter to Amelia and Maggie and we had lots of fun playing in the dirt and walking around camp. I didn't take any classes this year because of the babysitting, but I did bring projects of my own that I wanted to finish. I was able to complete ironwood chopsticks, a gourd canteen, and fix my sleeping bag. I also got closer to finishing a wood bowl, knife sheath, and tire sandals and managed to snag some free gourds to new projects. As always I brought my school work and was able to find some time to study.

I did find time to compete in the atlatl distance throwing competition. For those of you who don't know what an atlatl is, it is a primitive hunting tool that predates the bow and arrow. Essentially it is a stick with a hooked end that you use to throw a long flexible spear/dart. Its function extends the length of your arm so you can throw with much greater force for longer distances. I am still working on making my own distance atlatl so I used one made by one of the instructors. I was able to beat my record by 33 feet for a new personal best of 248 feet. I did win the competition for the second year in a row and my prize was a basketmaker style atlatl. I figure if I make my own and get it really dialed in and practice with it that I will be able to hit at least 275.

examples of atlatls: the top is one that I am working on, the middle was my prize for winning last year, the bottom is my prize for this year

A Sacred Dawnstar

This weeks family camps were amazing. The family reunion I was able to witness was one of the most amazing I have ever seen. Let me set the stage by explaining that when this YW first came to Anasazi, he barely spoke to us and ran 25 miles back to town. Now at the end of his walking, his parents are in sight and he yells out "mom" and runs into her arms. He hugged her with such force that they both fell to the ground. There were tears and much laughter between them. I look forward to the day when I can embrace my parents in such a way, both my earthly parents as well as my Heavenly ones.
I was able to teach a YW all of the path drawings. For the path of water, he taught me a lesson from the water cycle. It was that lakes are always giving through evaporation and precipition. Some of that water comes back to it very quickly through streams and surface runoff. The rest takes longer as it travels deeper within the earth until it hits bedrock and then eventually makes its return to the lake. This is like good things we do for others: sometimes we see immediate returns for our sacrifice and other times those blessings take longer to come to us but eventually they will return. In the path of stone, we talked about how sedimentary rock is like our life. Sedimentary rock is made up of layers and bits of other rocks. We are a product of our experiences, seeds of greatness and thoughts. The Path of We was really cool because I was able to teach it to the YW and his mother at the same time; I don't know of that ever happening before certainly never for me.
At the Dawnstar ceremony, so many wonderful and thought provoking things were said that I can't even remember them all. One of them that was said by one of the YW's was speaking of his walking. He said, "when I first arrived, I couldn't fathom the darkness because I was so deep in it, but I have experienced the light and I don't ever want to go back." This young walker also talked of sitting next to a tree and learning from it that he is still growing mentally and emotionally and will be for the rest of his life. Others spoke of realizing how important having a heart-at-peace is and just how powerful invitation to others to have that same way of being can be.
After the ceremony and final blanket steppings, the two families had their own sacred circle. They drew a spiral into the dirt, which is one of the symbols of the Path of We, and all took turns saying vocal prayers of thanksgiving and help as they reenter the Wilderness of the World. I was amazed and moved to see them doing this. I have never felt a more powerful Family Camp and am trully humbled that I was priveledged to be there among such great people.

Ridgeline Hike

Today my friends and I did the ridgeline from Flatiron to Carney Spring. It is a little over 12 miles. You begin by ascending 2800 feet in a little over 2 miles to get on top of Flatiron and then hike 10 miles over little peaks before passing Superstition Peak and descending down to Carney Springs. The worst part of the hike for me was the climb up. Its right at the start of the day and it really is a push. The rest of the day is fun. Just below Superstition Peak, I took a 20 minute nap which completely rejuvenated me and the last 4-5 miles were terrific. I got ahead of the group and stayed there for the rest of the hike. It took me exactly 8 hours to hike from one car to the other. Pretty good for a day hike but not my fastest which happened on the 13 mile stretch of the Tahoe Rim Trail from Spooner to Kinsgbury which I did in 7 hours including a one hour nap.

You can see the Ridgeline we hiked in front of us. This is about four miles into the hike so we still had a ways to go.



Taking in the view of the Superstion Mountains as we hiked.



Waiting for the rest of the group to finish by hiding in the shade of the truck bed.



Hiding from the highway patrol as we headed back to pick up the other vehicles. They didn't need to do this since its legal to ride in the back of trucks in Arizona so long as you are seated on the actual truck bed. I once rode all the way from Payson to Mesa in the back of Bishop's truck after a hike (it took about an hour down a good size highway; it was a lot of fun but really windy and I got sunburned). This time I decided to ride in the cab.

anatomy hell

I hate my current anatomy professor. I have completed two essays so far for my class (yes I have to write essays for a science class. yes its ridiculous but that is what rio salado expects in all its classes. apparently its supposed to help us apply the information we are learning. total crap!). anyway, the first essay which was on someone having a problem with their parathyroid gland and I had to say what the problem was based off their symptoms and possible treatment options (don't get me started on how I am not a doctor nor in medical school so i couldn't even begin to give treatment ideas). I felt I answered the stated question very clearly and yet i received a D grade. my professor said i didn't tell her where the parathyroid was located and i should put that in so my reader will know that i know what I am talking about. For crying out loud! she is my reader and should already know where the heck this gland is located. I am not about to put extra information in just to make myself sound smarter or make my essay longer.
Then on this second essay which was about a baby that had its pulmonary vein and aorta switched, she says pretty much the same stuff as on the last one and even put in information that apparently I should have known about the circulation except that we hadn't learned about the blood vessels yet and how the hell should i know it. I got a D- for this essay.
I am trying my best and its not easy when I have shortened weeks to do these essays since I'm on the Trail half the time. Maybe I could do a bit better but I don't know how. She isn't very forthcoming on helpful information.
In my last anatomy class, my first essay would have received a B and the second a B-, at the least, but this professor expects higher level answers then what I am able to give based on the fact that I am not a graduate student. At this point I only have three more essays left and I don't care about them anymore. maybe i won't even do them because apparently what I am doing isn't even good enough to get a C. I can't wait for the professor review at the end of the semester.