We had an amazing week on the water last week, as the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester students used the paddles they recently carved to cross a remote lake and camp for the week. They learned a bunch of named paddle strokes, where hand and body position at the beginning and end of the stroke, as well as other details, are crucial. Previous canoe experience ranged from much to none, but by the end of the week everyone was able to paddle straight and replicate the named paddle strokes. Our campsite was a beauty that we go to every year on a nearby lake, and we had perfect warm weather and warm water which resulted in lots of swimming and a night spent sleeping in canoes for three of the participants.

It’s a rare thing in northern Maine to have warm weather and no bugs, but that’s what we had. I told everyone to go buy a lottery ticket as a result of being so lucky, but I’m not sure anyone did except me. If I win I’ll finally buy the Jack Mountain blimp, something that I’ve been considering for years.

We’re four weeks into our nine-week fall WBS. Five to go. We’re into the sweet spot, where everyone knows the routines and we can focus on the course content. And we’ve had nothing but beautiful weather thus far. And as usual we’re fortunate to have a bunch of great people on the course. Life is pretty good at the field school.