I haven’t spoken much about other members of the group, because their stories are their own to tell and I don’t want to violate anyone’s privacy. But I will say that one of the most important things I’m getting out of this experience is learning to live and communicate with other people in an intimate, meaningful way.

We try not to let feelings build up inside us; we call it “truthspeaking,” and we try to express what we’re feeling whenever things happen. If someone’s doing something that is bothering me, I’ll try to voice it as soon as is appropriate.

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Belatedly: A photo of all of us in the Wilderness Guide program:

The hide is tanned. I spent the day yesterday tanning my deer hide. Took from about 9 AM till sometime around 5 or 6 PM.

Tanning and stretching a deer hide to dry requires good weather, and I wasn’t sure I’d get it, because it was quite windy and cloudy when I first got up. But I took a chance anyway.

There isn’t that much to say about the process; for those who aren’t intimately familiar with it already, it’s probably kind of boring, and for those who have done it before, there’s no need to describe it. It’s a pretty simple process of soaking brains or eggs into the hide (both have some property that coat the fibers of the skin, allowing it to remain soft when it dries instead of hardening back into rawhide) and then stretching and softening it out to dry.

One down, nine more to go.

My trip home for my friend’s wedding was a major turning point for a lot of reasons. I got a week and a half to kick back, eat, and recharge. I got some time to myself, away from the pressures of the group and the mosquitoes. I had some good time with old friends. I saw one of my best friends married. And I said goodbye to my childhood home, because my parents are moving away and selling the house. No more hometown for me.

My time since my return has been a whirlwind of activity.

The day after I got back to camp, I was just settling in after a filling dinner when Tamarack showed up to camp and announced that there was a fresh deer to clean, and would Neil and I go do it.

“Please?” he said.

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