Dominique Edgerly and James Douglass

Sitting by the front dock on the sunny shore of Lake Massawepie reading
pieces of creative essays, we spent one class period reminiscing on the
excursion of the previous week. Blisters have healed and smelly clothes
have been washed. Now we are getting used to our schedule, particularly
with one class per weekday in addition to weekly chores including
cooking and community meetings. Some, for example, had their first
chance to get down and dirty cleaning the clivus, our composting toilet
(hopefully not so dirty).

Our first class with Wil brought us around most of Lake Massawepie,
where he offered tips for identification of plants and insight into the
geological history of this area. That evening, a Friday, Reverend Mike
came to Arcadia to fill the evening with music as we sang and drummed
along to many of his songs. A good time was undoubtedly had by all!

The jam-packed weekend kicked off with a trip to two local farms:
Kent Family Growers and Bittersweet Farm. At the Kent farm, we
introduced to sustainable, small-scale agriculture and harvested some
vega tables to bring back to Arcadia. At Bittersweet Farm, we learned
more about organic farming, though primarily of a healthy way to raise
and slaughter animals for their meat. Five of our group each took this
opportunity to slaughter a chicken, which we'll undoubtedly eat for
dinner in the near future. It is fascinating to know exactly where our
food comes from.

On Sunday, we relished the opportunity to sleep in, particularly
given the long day at the farms the day before. Following brunch that
morning, Joe Longshore visited to introduce us to the basics of how to
increase our awareness of our surroundings and to control our movement
in the woods as to effectively become a part of nature around us. Given
the pertinence of this topic to life at Arcadia, many of us listened
with rapt attention to Joe's stories, advice and philosophies.

Monday's class yielded an enlightening field trip with Glenn to
Wanakena on Cranberry Lake, the abandoned Benson Iron mine and the old
company town of Newton Falls and its paper mill. Given the topic of the
course, Land-use change in Adirondacks, these three locations offered
tangible examples of internal colonization.

Following classes, chores and the usual loads of homework, it is not
uncommon to find the sauna fired up after dinner. A couple of days ago,
we raised the temperature to 242 degrees Fahrenheit. After sitting in
such blazing temperatures for even a short while, there was nothing
better than to sprint to the water's edge and plunge into the lake
while the stars shine brightly in the inky skies above.

Another week passes and we, the students of the Adirondack Semester, enjoy every moment.