Chapter 12 Leaving Camp - from my book Changes

My nephew learning to make fire with friction at our July 4th party.

Chapter 12

Leaving Camp

On the last day, before we left for the bus station, Tom lectured us about community.  Tom expressed how proud he was of us for taking care of each other and remaining positive throughout the week, despite the heavy rains and cold weather.  He jokingly dubbed us The Drowned Rats Medicine Society.  We all laughed, but with shining eyes and huge grateful smiles, we accepted that title like a badge of honor.

On this last day, Tom emphasized that he teaches us not as students, but as teachers.  His hope was that we would share what we learned with the people back home, so they could have more connection with the natural world, and with our mother the earth, as a whole.

The first night after getting home, my youngest child, 2 years old at the time, spilled some water from his cup on the kitchen floor.  My husband yelled at him for the accident.  I was appalled.  After a week of the most miserable weather, among the most cheerful people, all pulling together to make the most of the week we had, to learn together, my husband’s reaction felt so out of place from what I had grown used to at Trackerschool.

I told him, “You don’t yell at a two year old for spilling their drink!”  I was so disgusted. I went to bed with my kids and stayed away from my husband that night.  My eyes were beginning to open to the possibility that my husband did not know as much as I gave him credit for.  Maybe he is not as equal to me in sensible reasoning as I thought he was.

In the days following my return home to Florida, I showed my children how to work the bow drill and make fire.  Making fire still wasn’t easy for me but I was able to show them the proper positioning and technique.  I told them that who ever could get a flame using the bow drill kit, would get $20.

My three oldest boys, probably 18, 16, and 14 at the time, worked long hours together for three days, trying to get a coal.  I was proud of them for sticking to it for so long.  Oddly, they didn’t want my help when I offered it on their breaks in the house between attempts.

The neighbor man, who saw them and asked what they were doing, thought I was the worst mom in the world, and told them so.  I guess he thought I was crazy to want them to learn to make fire that way.

The boys did not get their coal.

Years later they showed me the video of them working as a team to get fire.  They worked so hard but there were several elements to success missing.

I didn’t know they taped it.

It was so interesting to watch.  They had their little brother of 10 hold the camera. The oldest boy worked the bow back and forth, the next two oldest held the hand held piece and the fire board, respectively.  It was a disjointed attempt, but they worked as a team.

The most interesting part was the group dynamic of their brotherhood at the time.  The oldest kept blaming the younger two whenever things went wrong, and the younger ones kept explaining that they had done what he had told them to do.

Later, when they were old enough, two of them went to Trackerschool and both of them were successful in making fire.