Smiling kids on a survival camping trip and a ray of hope

[Guest guest]

Went camping with a friend and found in the remote valley a pack of feral

children from a local summer camp program run by a tracker having a survival

outing. Bright eyed and enthusiastic I was impressed by how happy and in awe of

the wilderness and the skills that enable one to be safely there they seemed to

be.

The kids kept coming over to our camp to see our shelters (rock crevices

turned into a small debris shelter) and the miscellaneous doodads like bow drill

firemaking kits and primitive baskets. They also wanted to get approval for the

stuff they were doing like making " wilderness stew " and almost catching a

snapping turtle.

They were enthralled by the contents of my herb bag and everyone had

booboos to smear the healing salve (comfrey, purple loosetrife, plantain, plus

essential oils) on. With essential oils they asked what they were used for.

" Well, you know if you learn to listen to your body it will tell you a lot about

the uses of the plants. Here, smell this, " a bottle was passed around and the

oldest girl said, " That calms one down. " " You got it, aromatherapy is powerful

for that. " " Are you a doctor? " one asked? " Naw, just someone who hangs out a

lot in the woods and chooses to know how to take care of oneself. You know, a

lot of these medicines come from the plants that are around us right now... "

This refuelled my hope for America. There's a huge shift that needs to

take place but earth based skills speak directly to a child's instincts and are

more powerful than the Xbox if there are people around to mentor them.