Hostel In The Forest's topics - tribe.net

yoga retreat july 18 - 20

papillon — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:02:01 GMT

friday night campfire discussion

saturday morning vinyasa yoga

saturday afternoon karma yoga (which means service to the hostel, probably in the labyrinth)

sunday morning yoga & meditation

details on the website.

does anyone even look at this hostel tribe site anymore? besides smartmouth thomas joy, that is...

:p

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 7 replies

artist retreat june 13 -15

papillon — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:13:31 GMT

just like that title said; details to follow. last year was precious stone carving, old blues discography, and a play reading. i hear it was immensely popular. the spring spiritual retreat was pretty awesome, like pretty much everything else in the forest.
life at the hostel is currently great.
carry on.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 6 replies

summer internship on sacred land available

Jason — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:05:48 GMT

hi folks,

There is a pretty nice internship available in Massachusetts at a place called Earthlands. It is the spot where I put on Forestdance each
Labor Day weekend, which was inspired and created first at the hostel. The land at Earthlands is very special.
This is a note from Patrick, who is an awesome brother.
I hope the water level is rising back up, and yes, of course, I'm missing the forest there.
blessings,

Jason

hey there lovelies,
so the ecological living project didn't get the numbers needed to run it so we've canceled the program and are switching focus to an organizational/programmatic development phase this summer. as part of this, we're running an apprenticeship and i'm looking to spread the word to folks who might be interested. we would greatly appreciate it if you would pass this info on to anyone you think might be into it.
oh, and to get the spring excitement going, we found parsnips in the earthlands gardens today that are popping out of the ground and ready to eat! they conveniently stored themselves over the winter and so we're eating from the garden!
hugs,
patrick

Apprenticeship

University of the Wild is an Earth-based higher education program that offers mentored, self-directed and experiential learning and living in community. Combining contemporary and ancient wisdom, the curriculum integrates self, community and the natural world. Through its residential programs, intensives, and college and university partnerships, University of the Wild is at the forefront of growing a new and sustainable culture.

University of the Wild is in its start-up phase and is looking to build a community of passionate leaders committed to the vision of growing sustainable cultures. We have openings for resident apprenticeship positions available. Apprentices will be part of a small team that will collectively be focused on the following areas (i.e. apprentices are not solely responsible for these):
1. Organizational Development:
a. Marketing: Building the brand of UofW through regional presentations, fairs and conferences;
b. Fundraising: Working on a fundraising campaign to raise capital for the continued operation of UofW;

c. Strategic Development: Refining the mission, vision and long-term plan of UofW;

d. Non-Profit Status: Working on creating 501(c)3 status for UofW, as we move out from fiscal sponsorship from a current non-profit. This involves building a Board of Directors, creating by-laws and the application process;

e. Partnerships & Networking: Build partnerships with Colleges and Universities and networking with regional organizations and people.

2.Learning Community
a. Participate in the creation of an on-site Learning Community that will focus on modeling the educational approach of UofW;

b. Initiating self-directed learning projects that synergize personal interests with community learning needs. Finding creative ways to have learning opportunities available.

3.Educational Programming
a. Creating, organizing and facilitating education programs for the public. These program may range from weekend workshops to day-long workshops and to evening events.

4.Research & Development
a. Participate in a process of regular reflection, feedback and integration of experiences with the purpose of improving and refining UofW's education approach and organizational model.

5.Facilities Caretaking
a. Contribute to the up-keep of the land and facilities in preparation for rental programs. The site is also used as an Environmental Program Center which requires maintenance for groups renting the facilities and land.

6.Community Involvement

a. Participate in community meals, staff meetings, community gatherings, food shopping etc;

b. Creation and up-keep of on-site organic/permaculture gardens
Time-Period: May 1st through October 31st, 2008. Flexible start and end dates, with possibility of building a more long-term position.
Qualifications: We are looking for people who are self-directed and are passionate about sustainability and alternative education. Apprentices will be living in a small community where accountability and open-mindedness are essential. Lastly, we are looking for people who are excited about growing a new organization and building a vision for a sustainable culture, and at the same time modeling this culture by growing personally.
Remuneration: In return for contributing to the above responsibilities, apprentices will receive lodging on-site. Food from gardens will be available and the amount we can provide towards covering full food costs will depend on fundraising efforts. Work week is 30-35 hours with a flexible schedule. Office space with phone and internet access is available.
Interview Process: Prospective applicants should request, complete and submit an application form. All applicants will first be interviewed by phone and then invited on-site for a tour and second interview.
Contact: Patrick Draper, University of the Wild Director, (978) 724-3448 patrick at universityofthewild dot org

--
Patrick Draper
Director
University of the Wild
39 Glasheen Rd
Petersham, MA
01366
(978) 724-3448
www. universityofthewild. org

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

House of Healing

DarklingThrush — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:30 GMT

Everything feels different here. I needed this. Re-centering. Re-grounding. "Remembering who I wanted to be."

I showed up just hoping there was a bunk available. A lovely new staff member, possibly sensing my need, invited me to join the (already crowded) full moon sweat lodge. I prayed to Ray ("everyone is saa-ad and lonely"), to Rumi (we are all reed flutes calling out for return to the one), to Hafiz ("Why not become the one who lives with a full moon in each eye that is always saying, with that sweet moon language, what every other eye in this world is dying to hear?"), and to Michael Franti ("is your love enough, or could you love some more?"). I prayed to live life with fearless humility, compassion, and joy. I prayed to role model not attaching conditions to my happiness, because beautiful things are happening all around us all the time and life is pretty damn good, when you let it be. And I gave thanks. Thanks for having a life full of travel and adventure. Thanks for having found work that I love, and that I am (at least occasionally) very good at. Thanks for those who challenge me, who inspire me to grow. And thanks for those who thank me, who give me the occasional pat on the back, letting me feel appreciated so that I have the energy to do it all over again.

I saw myself as a child climbing trees and looking toward wide horizons, feeling free and limitless possibilities...

We sweated till we were light headed, then made a run for the lake, muddy naked butts running wild through the forest. We swam and laughed and made our way back to the domes for a home-grown feast, followed by music and dancing around the fire.

I fell asleep on the couch in the common room. Someone dimmed the lights. Someone else brought me a blanket and tucked me in. People tip-toed by so as not to wake me up.

Today I cooked up a big pan of hash browns to share with everyone. I savored a hot outdoor shower, then went out to the lake with Rumi and a hula hoop. I ran and I swam and swung naked in a tree swing.

And I remembered! the green flowing me I wanted to be! The me who’s too busy reveling in all the wonders around to share to ever waste time worrying about what he wants but doesn’t have. And I got happy again.

Thank you Hostel, for reminding me.
Life is good, when you let it be.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

visceral history

papillon — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:14:31 GMT

so as y'all know, the old dome came down a few weeks ago. around the same time, the hostel purchased some land out on our borders that are slowly being invaded by development. (you can see houselights at night from the lake.)

for the first time in a long time, or maybe ever, the hostel has a mortgage payment, and is looking to secure its borders on other sides as well.

to help raise money to shepherd it along down this new path, the hostel is selling off 100 cedar shingles from the old dome, at $100 a piece. all money will go towards the new land, not towards operations or into anyone's pocket. (especially the staff, ha ha.) it comes in its own neat little package, stamped and loved up by hostel staff.

if you'd like to own a piece of hostel in the forest history that you can fondle with your hands and support the hostel with some dollars, contact the hostel for more info. (free lung infection from mold with every shingle! no extra charge!)

a new dome will be erected over the course of the spring and summer, with help from old friends like dirt and mattchew, and new friends who are called forth by the forest. new staff housing is currently going up along the old path to the lake.

peace y'all,

poppy

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 4 replies

spring fling march 28 - 30

papillon — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:45:47 GMT

dates are set for the annual spring spiritual retreat at the hostel, a weekend of workshops, playshops, a sweatlodge. the weekend will begin friday afternoon march 28 and culminate sunday march 30. anyone interested in presenting or teaching is welcome to contact myself or mikey; if you're coming to attend the spring fling, just call the hostel and make a reservation.

i'll update this post as the organism matures.

may the forest be with you.

:p

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 7 replies

Hostel in the Forest CD

Eric — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:24:12 GMT

Rob, the former manager of The Hostel in the Forest in 2002/2003, just finished the final editing of the music cd, made of high quality recordings of the music of this magical place. I just listened to it, and it's amazing.

You can order them directly from Rob or get them in person at the Hostel .
The majority of the proceeds go to supporting the Hostel in the Forest.

If you want to order them from Rob, you can contact him at robpjacoby@yahoo.com or through me. They are $10 + $3 shipping.

Below is an excerpt from the jacket notes written by Rob. Thank you, Eric

In the Summer of 2002, shortly after I started managing the Hostel in the Forest in Brunswick, GA, I began recording the artists that visited the Hostel with 2 condenser microphones. For some amazing reason, the most beautiful spirits and talented artists would find themselves drawn to the mysterious swamp forest from all over the world. All of them would come with tales of happenstance, or synchronicity, of how they learned of this truly magical place, and how they felt they needed to pay a visit. By the time they left, they once again remembered the importance that our youth instills in each of us...that importance is to play, laugh, share, sing, and simply be.
It is the intent of this musical journey to bring you as close as possible to the spirit of The Hostel in the Forest, as well as the spirit of beauty that lies in us all. May the forest be with you.

Majority of the proceeds go to supporting the Hostel in the Forest. Thank You.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Demolition

erinlangley — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:27:08 GMT

How goes the library?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 5 replies

anyone around on the 18th?

Jason — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:08:16 GMT

hi forest friends

it has been a long while
way too long
i'm coming down for two or three days with my sweetheart Tiffany on dec. 18th.

anyone else headed down around then?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 5 replies

Happy Yule

Mary — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 02:29:51 GMT

Bright Blessings all,
All the Our Haven Gang wishes each of you a Blessed Yule and New Year too.
Hugs Mary and the rest

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

New Years

The Lorax — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:58:00 GMT

I'm going to be heading down to the Hostel a couple days after Christmas for a long-needed dose of Forest medicine. Any other bright souls headed that way?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

Permaculture and eco-agriculture

Steve — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:35:14 GMT

Helle everybody, I'm a specialist in eco-design and I can help any lodge or retreat attain their goals of healthy organic fruit in five years. Let me know if I can be of any service. Thank you- Steve I can get any type of fruit, goji, noni, star, schisandra, goumi, chinese jujube persimmon, pawpaw, Kiwi in any climate and all the favorite most popular varieties. Let me know if I can help.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Hostel Arts Magazine -- Call for Submissions

The Lorax — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:13:23 GMT

I am compiling an arts magazine comprised of artwork in all forms relating to or inspired by the Hostel in the Forest. Poetry, fiction, photography, sketches, and paintings are all encouraged, as well as stories of synchronistic meetings and magic moments, the-first-time-I-came-to-the-Hostel stories, essays on sustainability and ecological philosophy, and little tidbits of information that even long-time Hostel Family might not know. Our goal is to honor the artistic spirit of the Hostel and to set down a bit of our history. Deadline for submissions is the end of August, so let’s spread the word and, in the spirit of the Hostel, combine our efforts to create something beautiful.

Please message me for mailing information if you or anyone you know might be interested

Or send via E-mail to: FrontPorchReview@gmail.com

May the Forest be with You.
Namaste,
Travis

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 7 replies

Forest Dreams

erinlangley — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:41:37 GMT

I dreamed about the forest two nights ago. I dreamed you had to pay more to get in now and you had to wait in line. Someone told me that you're not allowed to use the present tense at the hostel because no one would learn anything about you if you did. I disagreed and said we should speak in the present. I figured you can learn a great deal about a person from speaking only in the present. The people working at the hostel would occasionally let some of the old crew come stay for free.

Do ya'll have hostel dreams?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

Forestdance Massachusetts and Costa Rica Updates

Jason — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 01:50:30 GMT

hi forest folks,

For those of you that don't know, Forestdance started at the hostel over Nov. 11th in 2003.
Since, the gathering has travelled to four other states and next year will be headed to its second country. Read on if you are interested in finding out about the sacred magic that was seminated during a walk around the lake, on a weekend when we built a new lodge there.

Forestdance Mass. and Costa Rica Updates

Hi folks,

Registration for Forestdance Costa Rica is officially open. Come and do the sacred at the foot of Costa Rica’s largest waterfall, the Diamante Falls. Our hosts there from the Art of Union came to the very first Forestdance in Georgia during the Harmonic Concordance in 2003. The gathering in Costa Rica will be the 10th Forestdance since that magical week. This gathering will be Feb. 19th-23rd. Registration includes meals, and people are welcome to come a couple of days early and stay late for a small fee for lodging and food.

To check availability and rates for flights I suggest trying Spirit Air. You will need to fly into San Jose, and from there either rent a car, take a $3 bus to Musoc and a $12 cab ride to the town of San Salvador, or book a space on a shuttle van from the airport. The retreat at Diamante Sanctuary is called Heaven on Mother Earth, or H.O.M.E., and it is indeed a lush and immaculate taste of paradise. We will be truly blessed to be together on that sacred land, doing what we love to do.

Forestdance Massachusetts is just around the corner over the week surrounding Labor Day. There will be 8 seed groups to choose from. Read more about what the seed groups are about on the main site. The gathering runs from Aug. 29th- Sept. 4th. Wednesday and Thursday we will be settling in together, with a short fire on Thursday night. We will do all night fires for three night in a row from Friday to Monday morning. Monday and Tuesday will be integration days with connecting, heart sharing, entertainment, and community building exercises. Seed groups will run every day, and will run at different times, so each attendee can be part of more than one. Here are your choices with the name of the hub facilitator:

Vocal Magic: Billy Bardo
Herbalism & the Root Fire: Una Gallagher
Yoga: Lotus
Sustainability: Joel Sindelar & Orion Kriegman
Spoken Work/Speak your World: Travis Bowman
Percussion Around the Fire: Jon Holland and Lisa Bouchie
Body Workers/Healers Group: Missy Wilreker
Sacred Movement and Dance: Shakti Rowan

For descriptions, bios, other class information and tons of additional info, check out www.Forestdance.net.

This year our gathering is being brought to you by the heARTbeatcollective: Healing and Expressive ARTists for Balance, Ecology, Awareness, and Transformation. Find out more about this new group at www.heARTbeatcollective.org.

Looking forward to seeing you around the fire,

Jason Cohen

info@Forestdance.net

www.Forestdance.net

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Forest fires

americannomad — Wed, 09 May 2007 16:50:48 GMT

I've been hearing alot about the fires down their. Is there anything near the hostel?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

going to the forest March 1

mariana — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:54:31 GMT

so me and other friends ( the colombian crew for those who know us) are heading to the forest, nabila is also going to come down from NY so it will be like a get together kind of thing.
im so happy for being able to go back!
hope to see some of you there.
much love

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 5 replies

visiting in march...

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 07:08:41 GMT

hello my beautiful hostel sisters and brothers!

i will be at the hostel for a week long visit beginning the 14th of march! yeah! its my homecomming after 4 months in india and thailand, and i look forward to seeing as many of my hostel family as dare get thier lovely little bums down to visit during that week. oh, please, oh, please, now will you?

kisses and mischievious giggles,

k

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

In honor of Essie Mae

SoulOfBeckon — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:13:58 GMT

I received the below email from Tom Dennard dated Friday, January 12, 2007 @ 9:17pm.
I felt compelled to share it here. I'm sure that Tom will not mind.
Sorry, I haven't gotten it out sooner.

Tom's email:
"I was saddened to learn of Essie Mae’s death. She has moved on to that great juke joint up in heaven. The juker provided a world of memories for all of us, memories that will live on forever. She served up many a Miller High Life for us and always had that twinkle in her eye as if she understood the great mysteries of life.

She kept that paddle behind the bar and had been known to take it out and use it on anyone who misbehaved. I remember the time Rob got skunked in a pool game, and as tradition requires, dropped his pants and ran around the table. That brought Essie Mae from behind the bar with the paddle. I have visions of Mildred sitting at a table with Louise laughing and talking and then wildly dancing to “Strokin” by Clarence Carter. Robert would be sitting by the stove. Ricky always sat in the background until one night he broke out and almost set the dance floor on fire with his wild dancing. Ida would drop a few quarters in the juke box then set the standard for whipping the most hostellers in pool than anyone else. The Honey Dripple was a place that will always be in the back of my mind with a smile.

So I raise a Miller’s right now to toast a wonderful lady that held the admiration of people who came there from countries all over the world. Essie Mae, I guess you and Louise are up there laughing and talking about old times. I hope that when the Maker calls me, I can be up there with y’all, having a blast! Here’s to you, Good Lady!!!!!!!!!!!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Redfern and I too will miss this beautiful woman. Essie Mae opened her heart to many with her secret "passage back in time" known as "The Juker". Essie Mae never ever thought twice about any of us in our wild Hostel festive wear. She always looked and smiled, she never judged and I do believe she looked forward to our Friday Night visits. To this day, not a Friday night passes without a momentary lapse of the many crazy hat, toga or sarong nights we shared at the Juker. Sweet memories fill my mind of how special I am to have been blessed to know such a being of light. And tonight as I look towards the sky, the warmth of Essie Mae is beaming down brightly. Shine on... you wonderful soul!!!

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 6 replies

Best age to bring a little one

americannomad — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 05:40:47 GMT

hey Guys its Sarah GRRR. I recently had ababy and my heart has been yearning to see the forest again. i was wondering what you guys think the best age to bring a child is? I was think next summer, He'd be bout a year and a half. And don't worry i know the child policy and he'd be with me all the time, so its more what age do you think he would tart apperciat it?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

I'm new and coming to the forest

Brook — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:39:08 GMT

Hi All,
So I'm turning 30 and for my birthday my wonderful boyfriend is bringing me up to the gorgeous place y'all have. It's supposed to be a surprise, but I found out, and couldn't resist posting here. I am so excited to be there and would love any advice or words that you might have for me. Also, I am a hoopdancer and hoopdance teacher, and wondered if anyone would like me to bring hoops to give a class or group hoop.
(See the "hula hooping" and "hooping videos" tribe to find our more about hooping...sorry I don't know how to post links).
We are arriving on my actual birthday, Feb. 16. Can't wait.

Brook

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 4 replies

heading 2 the forest

mariana — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 19:03:34 GMT

anyone going 4 new yrs??

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Hey Ya'll

mijah — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 05:55:45 GMT

so Kentucky's coming down from Asheville for NYE. just like it's always been.

anyone wanna share a ride to/from? hit me up!

love

kentuckyi

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

Excited and coming home

Pinto — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 20:01:55 GMT

I've been planning to come back for new years, because that's what I do every year. I was excited enough about that, I"m counting the days until my plane leaves next week.

Then last night, my close friend throws me his credit card and says "I'm coming with you. buy me a plane ticket." And we did!
With a weeks notice he's going to join me. I am so excited to be able to share my "home" with someone here. For the first time when I return to Wisconsin, I"ll have someone here who will share my memories and my love of the forest.

I just had to post and share my extreme happiness of the moment with all of you.
My heart goes out to everyone, and my heart impatiently anticipates seeing the new faces and the old ones.

Love and Safe Journeys
Pinto

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

calling all winter 2005 staff...

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 18:25:58 GMT

hiya kentucky, matchew, nikki-i, tannis, g-raffe, poppy, joey man and many other loves,

im gonna be down at the hostel the first few days of november (probally the 4th 5th 6th or something) git yr beautiful little bumms down there and lets have some serious play time together

sista k.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

tristan's passing's magics

mikapixie — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:39:20 GMT

i want to thank you all for all your prayers thoughts and blessings youve sent our way. we are honored not only to have been tristan's parents but to have such a wonderful family in you all and all those whove come to help us now and in the past and future. many of our kin travelled many days to be here for the memorial and many whod not spoken to each other in years buried old hatchets and created renewed and restored relationships. a local church on the brink of dissolution, not only took care of us three times a day but came back together with renewed vigour and faith. new friendships reaching across the globe, seeds and love, and chickens and a goat named luke and mothers able to take new love in their children and faith and patience and it just goes on and on. tristan is a proud and accomplished man now, too big for his little body, fixer of people, situations and things still reaching out with his great love and mirth. i love him and all his makings and am filled with joy. everywhere i see his guileless eyes and smile and hear his sweet voice on the wind: excuse me but i love you mommie and it's ok. and i can still smile...
thank you

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

to my loving forest family, a tragedy...

mikapixie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:13:03 GMT

my dearest family, it grieves me immensly to have to post this today, we have lived on our lovely farm exactly 7 days, when yesterday morning, october 7 2006 our wonderful and beautiful son drowned at he age of only 3 and a half. we are not sure how we will make it through the future without him, but hearing from you all will help.
please call us at 912 496 7085,
or write to or stop by at reynolds rd r1 box 2100, folkston, ga
we are but 35 minutes sw of the hostel. we will perform services here at the farm. we request memorials in the form of live plants or seeds so we can grow this farm in Tristan's memory. We love you all, Marika and Jester

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 4 replies

Holy Crap.

erinlangley — Sun, 14 May 2006 06:05:33 GMT

I miss the Hostel so much. I got all choked up looking through the album.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

this wed the 10th-thursday-18th, Incus tour support position available

Jason — Sun, 07 May 2006 21:00:14 GMT

We are heading out on Wednesday to go to May Moon Madness in Tennessee. It is a pretty fun festival in the mountains. Afterwards, we will be heading to Deerfields in Asheville, NC and working on the sacred circle installation for a day and a half, and then playing Asheville on Tuesday night. We head back Wednesday and should arrive by Thursday morning. We are looking for a trustworthy, fun loving, hard working friend to jump on the bus with us and help especially with the merch area, and with some other responsibilities. We have room for one. Late notice we know, but this is certainly going to be a blast. It is not a paid position, but you will be fed. You'll need a tent, sleeping bag, flashlight, general camping stuff, etc.

There will be two all night fires at May Moon. Anyone interested?

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Granolaa Goat (Or Laa and Dio)

Laa — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 03:57:59 GMT

Greetings from the heart of Babylon (New York City)!

Dio and I just wanted to check in and say hello, namaste, and we hope you are all doing well tucked away in the forest. We just wanted to let everyone know we're doing well, and that we miss you all very much. As soon as we can manage, we're planning a trip back to Brunswick, even if we can only stay for a weekend.

If any of you find your way to New York in the meantime, we're staying in Brooklyn

510 Park Avenue Apt# 4
Brooklyn, NY 11205

and we're both available at granolagoat@gmail.com

Wish you were here...actually, we wish we were there. Be well.

Laa and Dio

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

howdy forest friends

jethrosan — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 17:27:55 GMT

hey folks,
i'm new around these here tribe parts
and fairly new around the hostel parts.
i was just at the retreat this last weekend.
i went to the hostel for the first time
august of 2004.
drove all night from arlington virginia
after hiking 80 miles or so on the c&o canal.
tropical storms bonnie and charlie
were knocking on our door
and we decided it would be
ill advised to continue camping
between the canal and the potomac.
we arrived down yonder at 6 am
and went to jekyl island
and watched the sun come up.
i was impressed by the lushness
of the beach
at jekyl island..
teeming with life.
probably the most vivacious beach
i've ever experienced.
after sharing a sacrament
while staring into the
beauty of the rising sun
we proceded to the hostel
where i started to shiver and feel as if
i was having
a myriad of out of body experiences.
i sat on the bench for some time at the lake
and could feel myself
drifting in and out of my body.
that night
steamboat prepared
the best vegetarian general tsos
that i've ever tasted.
i continued to feel strange
kind of like that pink floyd song
comfortably numb
"when i was a child i had a fever"
etc.
and then after attempting to sleep,
the urgent need to visit the toilet ensued.
repeatedly.
maybe every half an hour.
i made it to the bathroom
most of the time. ugh.
i came to realize after some time that
since i had swum in the potomac
every day on my trip beside it and the c&o canal
i had acquired an intestinal parasite.
my wife clythie
since she was *not* hallucinating
decided judiciously to
return our troupe to the north
where i might seek medical attention.
i availed myself of a chinese herbalist
(and a regular dose of oregano oil)
which soon set my innards back to health.
i came again to the hostel
in september of 2005
labor day weekend.
i came with a bachelor party
and since i was very interested in
being involved in the sweatlodge
and yoga and meditation and so forth
i didn't quite celebrate with
the bachelor party peoples
as i could have.
fortunately they didn't bear a grudge against me for
doing my own thing..
i was so totally psyched about
doing yoga and meditation every morning
and the sweatlodge was amazing.
very cleansing and encouraging.
i was psyched to be
in my shorts and sandals(or less) all weekend
with few other encumbrances.
and met wonderful wonderful folks..
this last weekend i felt even more...
um.
it felt even more spiritually oriented
and it was really good for me..
helped me feel more connected to myself
and to the earth and to a
great community of people.
it was just what i needed
and i really appreciate the direction the hostel is going in.
very positive.
productive.
i'm a massage therapist..
just graduated from school
and am enjoying the work.
i was able to get my hands on a few people
this last weekend at the hostel and
it was really tremendous.
a great space to this work in.
thinking about bringing my table next time
out to the glass house.
feel like that would be a great place to massage
maybe with some chanting or singing bowls at the same time.
and tawny and tannis gave me great massages.
so yeah
i wanted to introduce myself..
please say hello..
yours,
jeff
p.s. i have a very few pictures
that clythie and i took this weekend
which you can see here:
http://public.fotki.com/jethrosan/forest_hostel_sprin/
there will be more by tomoro 'cause i'm on dial-up and
it takes me forever to upload stuff.
holla

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Spring retreat roll call

Jason — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 07:41:46 GMT

hey sisters and brothers. Whose heading to the retreat? Poppy and I will be coming down from Boston. I remember the first retreat from when Rob Jacoby was manager. It was so sweet. I also made it to the Spring Blossom Renewal under Christy's watch. Another amazing time. I'm seriously missing the forest.

Peace,

J

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 7 replies

thank you for those photos tawny : )

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 02:34:50 GMT

many thanks for putting up those lovely photos!
when i look at them i can close my eyes and imagine i'm there, with people i love, surounded with hostel magic.
the downside is it makes my heart hurt with longing....though i know it's truely never far from my heart and my heart is never far from it!

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Spring Retreat 2006

breaddave — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 03:41:51 GMT

Folks, one more thing - we are still working on the details, but the Spring Retreat is coming up
and we wanted to at least get the dates out to you so folks can start planning and making
reservations.

Spring Retreat 2006

March 17th, 18th, 19th.

It will be $75 for 3 days.

Due to past reservation patchwork and confusion, we won't be making reservations for any portion of the 3 days such as only 1 or 2 nights. Events include a yoga workshop, ecology tour around the grounds, a history of the hostel t trail tour with tom, sweat lodge, lighted labrynth and a few more surprises in the planning. We look forward to celebrating this season of rebirth with all of you. Stay tuned for updates.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Hostel News - Notes from 2005

breaddave — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 03:36:44 GMT

Hi, folks. The following was Tom's annual letter to the Hostel community. Please take a few minutes to read it.
A copy is also posted at the Hostel web site:

http://www.foresthostel.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl/LetterFromTom_2005

Hostel in the Forest 2005

2005 at the hostel marked the year of change. Matthew "Machu" from Utah started the year in his second term as manager, which he relinquished in June. We then had the first son of a former manager take over the helm, Jeremy Wilson, son of Murray, reputedly conceived there. But even if he wasn't, he spent much of his years from infancy to manhood right there in the forest. So, it was natural for him to follow in his father's footsteps.

As Machu was leaving and Jeremy was about to take over, there were painful decisions that needed to be made for the hostel to be able to continue into the future. I had always wanted the hostel to be open to anyone at anytime so that the hostel could be shared with everyone. My dream, however, had become totally impractical. We were having more visitors to the hostel than we'd ever had before. The kitchen manager never knew whether to prepare dinner for 12 or 35. Can you imagine having that dilemma every night, seven nights a week? Enough to drive anyone mad.

The fact that we were having so many guests, most of whom were unannounced, also made for a manager's nightmare. For the first time ever, we had reached the point where no one wanted to manage the hostel anymore. Jeremy would only take over if we made changes, so that the hostel could be operated in a manner that would keep the manager and staff from completely losing it. The final decision to make the changes resulted from a collaborative of opinions from a lot of the hostel faithfuls.

One of the changes was to have a "reservations only" policy - a thought unimaginable from years past. On a more conservative note, we have been requiring all guests to drink alcoholic beverages from a cup or glass, but not from the container. While I never thought that would lessen the amount a person consumed, I was proved wrong. It did. And furthermore, it changed the appearance of the hostel. No beer cans or wine bottles sitting around on the tables inside and out. Some of the old timers would swear that the hostel must not be much fun anymore, but on the contrary, the people who have been coming there have been singing its praises more than ever.

The other painful decision was to limit the number of guests per night to 15 and to limit the number of staff to 5. This certainly caused a lot of discussion, but what the old timers don't understand is that we were getting 40 to 50 people showing up at the hostel wanting to stay there. It had just gotten entirely too popular and thus out of hand.

And another new change that will take effect on February 1, 2006 is to increase the overnight to $20. While this may seem a bit high to some of you, as well as me, they are really putting a great deal more money into the evening meal to make sure that we have all natural, wholesome foods. The comments from the hostellers are all positive about the good meals we've been having. Just the use of all biodegradable soaps for dish washing is a significant increase in costs. So it seems necessary that we increase the overnight to justify the extra costs to the hostel. Believe me every penny that comes into the hostel is used by the hostel to make it a better place for all of our visitors.

What we have found is that the guests really do appreciate all of the new regulations. They now know when they arrive at the hostel not only will they have a place to sleep, but they'll know in advance where they will be sleeping. And furthermore, having only 15 people makes it a cozier atmosphere. The guests get to know each other, and the staff, believe it or not, gets to know all of the guests. And it is a far less impact on the hostel grounds and the environment. The guests get more attention and a much better experience than in the past when they had to share it with such large numbers of people.

While all of this seems foreign to veteran hostellers, we are all convinced, after having implemented these rules over the past 8 months, that we have re-created that little piece of heaven that the people in the very early years of the hostel found when they came there.

We have had two educational workshops in the past six months (July 4th and Labor Day) which were a rousing success. Everyone went away from those weekends talking about what a wonderful experience it was. We plan to continue doing these retreats at least quarterly. And we increase the number who can attend to 35 on these special weekends.

We are attempting to move toward becoming more self-sufficient in all areas. We've enlarged the secret garden, so that more vegetables can be grown. We're presently having fresh salad greens out of our garden each night. It is our intention in the future to grow even more vegetables, which can be canned, put up in jars, frozen or de-hydrated, so that each night all food served will be grown at the hostel, or exchanged with the local fruit & veggie market for produce we are unable to grow.

In clearing the trees to enlarge the garden, a subject that was deeply painful to my heart, we hired a man with a portable sawmill to saw all of the trees into usable lumber. Murray donated a planer so that the boards were planed, and I was astounded at how beautiful the lumber was. And to know that it was grown at the hostel made it even nicer. That's one of our plans for the future - to use home-grown lumber as much as possible in new construction.

Having a lesser number of people has also made a positive impact for the compost piles. Prior to last June, it seemed we were adding new compost piles constantly. Our composting is much more efficient now.

We are in the process of tackling the gray water that comes from the kitchen sink and the washing machine. Most of you know that our former system stunk, both literally and figuratively. We are hiring an expert to come in and install a gray water system that will be state of the art. This is a matter we have put off for a long time that really needed addressing. We've talked about having our expert conduct one of the workshops on gray water so that those who have an interest can see how it is done.

Many of our guests, most of whom live in urban areas, are telling us that they didn't realize until coming to the hostel that people can actually live and be somewhat comfortably self-sufficient. That is really what we want to promote. We want to teach people to become more self-sufficient, and we want to continue to move the hostel in that direction.

On a sad note, Essie Mae, had a stroke during mid-summer and is presently in a nursing home in Jacksonville near her daughter. The Juke Joint has been closed ever since. It is sad to ride by it, as I did today, and see that it is forsaken. We have been taking hostellers there for so many years on Friday nights, and all of us have so many good memories of that place. I almost feel we should make it into a shrine. If you would like to write her and wish her well, please send it to me at <mailto:tdennard@bellsouth.net> tdennard@bellsouth.net and I will see that the messages are delivered to her.

On a more personal note, I have built myself a little writing studio next to my tree house and am going there after work each day for a couple of hours of writing. It is exactly what I've wanted for a long time. If you haven't seen it, I'd like to show it to you. It has a living roof of ferns, and the interior has a Tibetan motif.

Now to start off the 2006 year, we're making another manager change. Jeremy is moving out of his position as manager of the hostel, and we are creating a new position for him as manager of the gardens - vegetable, herb and flower. There is no way that a manager of the hostel can also handle all the gardens, and that is really where Jeremy's interests lie. So, we are about to install a new manager of the hostel - Mark Garner from Athens. Mark, a regular at the hostel for several years, has been on the staff for the past couple of months, and I can't think of anyone who I'd like to see manage the place more than Mark. He is a great guy and is well-liked by all the staff and the hostellers as well. Nikki, who has been on the staff for 14 months, Tannis and Noemie will lend the female energy which the hostel so desperately needs at all times. Former manager Travis will be there through January in charge of recycling; Nikki, as kitchen manager; Tannis as compost technician; and we're hoping Machu will return the first of February, after Travis and Noemie leave, to help us achieve our goals we have set for this year. What a lineup! A lot of major league hitters! I expect the hostel to take off and evolve into the place it was destined to become.

MAY THE FOREST BE WITH YOU

Tom

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

New tribe for Outdoor Educators

DarklingThrush — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 03:33:23 GMT

I started a new tribe for Outdoor, Experiential, Environmental, and/or Adventure Educators. A place to share ideas and resources so we can do what we do even better. Anyone who works to get people outdoors and learning is invited. Or anyone who thinks this is a something they would like to do.

I am currently a Wilderness Instructor for Outward Bound Discovery. I have also worked for the Sierra Club, Student Conservation Association, and Sound Experience. I would love to connect with others from these organizations, but would also love to hear from some of you who have worked for others, so we can cross-pollinate (woo-hoo! lol).

http://tribes.tribe.net/outdooreducators?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B3a95e939-c843-4579-b2a2-e8cb7e01be78%5D

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

new photos

DarklingThrush — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:35:30 GMT

I got some great shots at the hostel (it's really THE Hostel - the sign says so!) last week. I posted a few already, and will get more up soon.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Happy New Year

SoulOfBeckon — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:39:25 GMT

Wishing all of my Hostel family a wonderous 2006.
Namaste, Tawny

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Myspace members...

jenlightenment — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 23:20:56 GMT

I noticed that there wasn't a group on myspace.com for the Forest Hostel peeps... well, now there is... if you are currently a member of myspace.com or end up joining, don't forget to add yourself to the Forest Hostel group...

http://groups.myspace.com/foresthostel

Love and Peace!!

Namaste,
Jen :o)

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Rendezvous with the Lady

The Lorax — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 08:02:23 GMT

Hello fellow Hostel spirits! It's Travis, your friendly neighborhood Lorax. It's been too long since I've walked up the path that always leads me home. I'm going to be in the Forest for the New Year and I hope to see the faces of my beloved friends and fellow ecstatics. I miss you all. Peace, love, and unity.
Namaste,
Travis

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

hey!

haylajoo — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 17:16:36 GMT

hey guys! its zacmonstar's little sister! long time no see!! hope everyone is well!! i miss u all sooo much. well, hopefully ill come to visit over christmas break. love ya, Haley

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

CORNFLOWER HERE!

cornflower33 — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:52:04 GMT

Sending love to the Hostel Family.
Much on the horizon here on the Left Coast...

Have dreams of melting into the Trees.
Burning in the Sweat.
Sharing in the GlassHouse.
Canoeing across the swamp.

Much Aloha!
Cornflower
http://cornflower.timeisart.com

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 4 replies

Hostel celebrates 400 year old tradition!

breaddave — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 03:18:56 GMT

Murray sent me the following to share:

In England on November 5th, 1605, a group of 13 young men attempted to blow up the houses of parliament as a reaction to the treatment of Catholics by James the 1st. At the last minute, Guy Fawkes was captured and the rest of the conspirators, including their leader Robert Catesby were rounded up.

Saturday November 5th 2005, the Hostel celebrated "Bonfire Night" a tradition upheld each year in Great Britain. Effigies of "Guy Fawkes" are paraded around neighborhoods by children in the preceding days, to raise money for fireworks, are burned on these bonfires. For a fuller account of the tradition please see http://www.bonefire.org/guy/

Clyde did a remarkably authentic job constructing the Guy and building the huge fire out at the fire pit on this auspicious 400th anniversary of the event and a wonderful time was had by all!

Murray (who sent this story to me) posted some pictures, too:

http://homepage.mac.com/murraywilson/PhotoAlbum2.html

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

RIDESHARE?:asheville->hostel and back<-for new years?

mijah — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 20:00:56 GMT

hey yall, anybody headed to the hostel from asheville around the 27th of dec.? and coming back around jan 2?

-if not, i might be able to drive my jeep down (3 spaces open) with some gasrider help. Let me know before XMas Eve so I can plan! peace and much love to tha family & soul'jahs

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Looking for place in ATL

Dio — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 17:52:29 GMT

Hey forest peoples.

Laa and I are looking for a new place to call home, and we know there are a lot of Atlanta people in the family. As being recent graduates, we're having a hard time finding somewhere in a safe area that'll take us. If anyone knows of something good, we'd love to hear from you!

Thanks in advance, and much love
Dio.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Anyone headed to the hostel from Atlanta?

Kara — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 04:51:20 GMT

Greetings Family,
It is Kara. I am seeing if there is anyone out there that might be heading to the hostel around Nov.11th or 12th from Atlanta? Never know.....

I plan on being there for a week - even if I have to do the whole bus thing....it is much needed after a rather serious car accident I was in. Healing really really well and doing better but still in need of your love there...

Hope to see the family there. Much love, K

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

incoming to the hostel

papillon — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 12:29:30 GMT

hey kidz-

i found a roundtrip ticket to jville for only $133, so i'm coming to the hostel tuesday oct 18 and leaving tues oct 25. hope to see some of y'all there!

love,
poppy

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Hey! from me too, Steamin' along!

dogalmighty — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 18:23:03 GMT

Hey Kids!
Steamboat here again, just a nice little update..
I have been taking German language courses here for the last few months, and I am learning a lot, although I still only have the vocabulary of either a really smart 2 year old, or an underadvanced three year old. But it's not bad for two months, ja?
Beer here is fantastic, the food is good and full flavored, and the air is clean and brisk. The water is clear, and there is no hint of chlorine in the tap water. Cigarettes are expensive here, but really cheap in Poland, and lobsters are nearly impossible to find. So is cilantro, which i just found out is just the leaves of a very young coriander plant. Sushi is available, but I need to drive an hour to get it, so I usually just make it myself.
Folks are friendly, I have met two Americans here that are in my class, and both agree that safety is an important factor in day to day life, although I myself have been living very dangerously by choice, although I have had many an opportunity to improve my position in the safety department.
I have also befriended a little Filipino named Brian, who I suspect watches way too many American movies - he knows a bit more Hollywood slang than I think he understands! But he's cool.
Married life has been wonderful, I can't put into words how much fun it has been! Although I must say I do miss my dog, who couldn't join us because his breed is considered 'vicious' and has been banned from being imported into Germany.
But hey, I may be moving to England soon because of a job offer my wife just got, and he IS allowed to live in England, after a bunch of red tape regarding Rabies vaccinations and such, so I may get to have him after all!
For more on what I have been up to, you ALL can visit my blog which is at
homewardbounding.blogspot.com
and is also located in my tribe profile, if it loads properly.
Please visit it, and if you do, please leave a comment! I love to see who all has 'come to pay me a visit'!
I have quite a few pictures posted on it along with actual words which describe what the pictures are, but being that it is hard to take pictures of yourself, you won't find too many snapshots of me!
Oh, and thanks to Scott, who actually took some of the pictures posted there of Hostel life, please don't sue me for copyright infringement!! Just consider it free advertising! :)

Lots of props to all of you, especially Tom, and Mattchew who I hear is really running a tight ship down there and making some awesome changes, and to Kristi and Dirt, my hardy leaders who led me on my work exchange last year, and all the people I worked with and cooked for (there must be hundreds of you from all over the world). I MISS YOU ALL!!!

Peace!!

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

Casting lose again

Jaded — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 16:58:02 GMT

As it seems to be just the en vogue thing to do within the hostel tribe I am raising the ancors too to set of into the great unknown.

My first notion was to see if Vietnam would be my kind of place enough to consider setting up shop there. But when I informed my current employer that I was going to leave, he broke down in tears and pleaded on his knees if I wouldn't please stay and let the company continue to benefit from my unlimited wisdom. In the end, after his secretary had mopped the floor twice, I relented just a little bit and agreed to be back in nine months.

Saturday the journey will start at the local train station where I will board a train to take me to the train which will take me to the train that will ultimatly deliver me in Moscow. A quick glance at the Kremlin, Red Square and it will be time again to get onto the next train. This time to Beijing.
All adventures(tm) will be posted at http://jadedhobo.blog-city.com with accompanying pictures.

Antoon

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Moving to Costa Rica for the winter...friends welcome

mattison71 — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 06:43:04 GMT

Hello my forest friends, I'm leaving the forests of Vermont for the jungles of Costa Rica on Dec. 1st, and I'll return on May 23rd, 2006. Over the course of my 6 visits to the Hostel in the Forest in the past 3 years, I have heard much talk of CR and the joys of living there. So, now I will find out for myself. I told friends when I plan the trip, I'll post an invatation for visitors and friends of the forest. If you would like to join me in CR for an adventure, you can reach me at mattison71@yahoo.com Kentucky, Southwood, Kristy, and others...listen up, this message goes dubble for you guys! -spreading the love, Matti

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

hello beautiful people

Ondamove — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 16:46:07 GMT

Hey sol'jahs, Moment here. Just wanted to say hello to all you beautiful people. I miss you so much, haven't been down to the hostel for way too long and it's lookin like and may be longer still, so I wanted to give a shout out to you all to say I love you.

I talked to a friend who was down there over over July 4th, he said people were asking about peace camo skirts and pants. If someone is looking you can email me at jahluvsoljah@yahoo.com
Jai Bagwon

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Toss My Spirit In The Pool

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 13:45:31 GMT

Cause it's my birthday! :)

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

Tree House

Sat, 27 Aug 2005 17:26:45 GMT

A tree house.
A free house.
A secret you and me house.
A high up in the leafy branches.
A happy as can be house.
A street house.
A neat house.
A be sure to wipe your feet house,
is not the kind of house for me.
Let's go and live in a treehouse.

TreeHouse
by Shel Silverstein

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

Here I go...!

Sun, 26 Jun 2005 20:44:39 GMT

Hey Everybody!
In less than 2 weeks we will be on our way to Germany for good. On July 8th, we pack the rest of our stuff and head to JFK for the flight to Frankfurt. Wow. It's really starting to sink in now. It's all really really exciting!
I am really sorry I didn't find the time (I should have MADE the time) to go see Georgia one last time before I leave, and get to cook one last Hostel meal for everyone! Not to say that I won't visit sometime. And then I'll qualify as an international traveler! :)

Although, the place we are moving to (Dörrenbach, a small village near Sankt Wendel in the Saar region. It's about a 2 hour drive [at an average speed of 180 km/hr] from Frankfurt/Main and 45 minutes north of Saarbrucken-right by France and Luxembourg) is really quite beautiful, I can wake up to the sound of chickens, horses, cows, and of course, dogs.
Through some family friends (and one of their American husbands) I will probably get a job doing something at Ramstein airbase (maybe cookin' for the troops). Hey, they don't want to be there, so they might as well eat good! All though sometimes a fighter pilot gets a sudden streak of stupidity and buzzes the center of town at like 500 feet. It's pretty noisy. But they get in a lot of trouble when they do it.
Sankt Wendel is awesome. It's about 4 km from Dörrenbach, and it's named after a Saint (Wendel) who is actually entombed inside of the cathedral there. The streets are mostly brick-laid and actually a lot of it is just pedestrian. There are old town fountains from long, long ago where the townsfolk got their water. The highest point in Saarland is nearby, too. There is a 500-foot tower at the top you can climb stair after stair after stair after stair to get to the top, but the view is worth it. When we got to the bottom, we saw there was an elevator. Fair enough...
All in all, all is wonderful, we have been having a great time together, and of course we miss everybody there and send good wishes and all that great stuff!

Anybody feel free to send me a 'howdy', even if i don't know ya! We're all in the same family!

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

Invitation to the Hostel's 30th Birthday

breaddave — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:31:20 GMT

From Tom:

The Hostel plans to celebrate its birthday by having a long weekend of camaraderie with hostel family and friends beginning Friday night, July 1st and running through Monday, July 4th. A sweat lodge has been planned for Saturday, about mid-afternoon, led by Tom. Lucinda will lead yoga in the glass house on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings. Several workshops and meditations during the weekend will be led by Rob, Kara, Nat and Tom.

On July 4th, the Hostel in the Forest will be 30 years old. Like any 30 year old, the hostel has become more mature and has begun to look at itself more introspectively. Most, in their early 30's, search for answers, "What is the meaning of my life?" "What should I do with the rest of my life?" After sowing its wild oats during its 20's, like most, the hostel has come to the realization that its time for a conversion, time to settle down and live a more meaningful, purposeful life.

That doesn't mean that "good times" are over, but it means that good times are handled a bit more responsibly. The Hostel plans to celebrate its birthday by having a long weekend of camaraderie with hostel family and friends beginning Friday night, July 1st and running through Monday, July 4th. A sweat lodge has been planned for Saturday, about mid-afternoon, led by Tom. Lucinda will lead yoga in the glass house on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings. Several workshops and meditations during the weekend will be led by Rob, Kara, Nat and Tom.

The Hostel has adopted new policies that are now in force. The most radical change is that reservations are required, both to stay at the hostel and to participate in the sweat. Our policy is to limit the number of people who visit the hostel to 15 per night; but on special occasions, like the birthday celebration on the week-end of the fourth, there will be a limit of 38. That means everyone has a bed, which you can reserve in advance.

Please call the hostel at 912-264-9738 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., when someone will be by the phone to make your reservations. It is strongly suggested that you read our new rules and regulations on the website: http://www.foresthostel.com

Unlike the hostel's celebration of its 25th birthday, this will not be a weekend to "party down." If this is what you need in your life in order to have a good time, then we suggest you find another place to go. Our alcohol and drug policies are no longer suggestions, but they are now strictly enforced.

We encourage you to call now for reservations, if you'd like to participate in this celebration of a grand old place we've all enjoyed for so long, and it is with all good intentions that this place will only get better in the future.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Changes at the Hostel

breaddave — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:28:34 GMT

Folks, we've updated the main http://www.ForestHostel.com site, and have created a community site, http://www.ForestHostel.net. But much more importantly, in both of those places, and now here, too, we've posted the following message about some changes going on at the Hostel. The biggest thing is that we're severely limiting the number of folks visiting at any time, and doing so by *requiring* reservations to stay. I (BreadDave) have very mixed feelings about this, but I'm hardly ever there these days, so I have to put my trust and faith in those who are living in the middle of it as to how necessary these changes are. Please take a few minutes to read this.

--snip--

What Is The Hostel

The Hostel in the Forest, started by Tom Dennard, opened its doors to travelers from around the world on July 4, 1975. The first 15 to 20 years we had the reputation of being the favorite youth hostel in America for international travelers because of our natural setting in a forest with a minimum of trappings from the outside world. Two geodesic domes and tree houses provided the accommodations for these globetrotters, and hostellers from other countries contributed their varied talents to this beautiful oasis. In the mid-nineties, we were forced to withdraw from the International Youth Hostel Association because of our inability to meet their liability insurance requirements.

For the next few years we became more popular with Americans who used the hostel as a destination for their vacation. Many of them gave tirelessly of their time, energy, creative efforts and love, and they visited frequently to bathe in the hostel’s comforting spirit.

In recent times the hostel has evolved into more of a spiritual retreat, not only for tired travelers, but for those in the working world who need a place of tranquility and serenity to escape. Even though we are calling the hostel a spiritual retreat, we do not promote any religion, denomination, cult or otherwise. Our emphasis is on nature, serenity, and peaceful surroundings. We do not present any programs or hand out any literature to tell you what to believe. We do not allow any “religious groups” to use the hostel nor do we permit anyone to attempt to convince you that their spiritual path is the right one to follow. We have no answers to help you find spiritual enlightenment. We only offer an environment for you to find it on your own.

If you require central heating and air-conditioning, private baths or anything that resembles luxurious accommodations, you may be disappointed. Instead we offer you a bed in a safe environment where your tranquility will be disturbed only by the roosters crowing in the early morning hours. We have composting toilets, outdoor hot showers, and while you will have a roof over your head and screens to protect you from insects, the air inside your room will be subject to the whims of Mother Nature.

If you spend your time walking the trails, canoeing around the lake, swimming in the pool or just chatting with others on the front deck, you will find that your mind will be quieted, thoughts of the outside world will be eliminated, and you will find the hostel spirit that dwells there. Countless travelers have expressed this spirit through art, music, writings, crafts, organic gardening and creative buildings.

If this sounds like a place you’d like to visit, we’ll be happy to discuss our hostel in more detail with you and answer whatever questions you may have. In planning your visit, arrange to stay long enough to soak up the beauty of the nature that surrounds you and make friends with others from around the world.

--some more snippage - no need to repost directions to the hostel here--

What are the Hostel Requirements?

1. You must make reservations by phone between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Our phone number is 912-264-9738. On the date of your arrival, please reconfirm the approximate time you expect to get there. If you don’t reconfirm, we’ll have to release the room that has been reserved for you.
2. Charges are $20 per person for the first night and $15 per person per night for the rest of your stay. We do not take credit cards, just cash and travelers checks.
3. Bring a flashlight - makes it easier to find your treehouse in the dark. From April to October bring mosquito repellent. We furnish the evening meal to all guests - included in your overnight charge; however, you should bring what you’d like to eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks. There is a grocery store a half mile east of the hostel (Gary’s Supermarket) but it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. There is a convenience store one mile east of the hostel at the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 82 open every day.
4. Our evening meal is a good vegetarian dinner and many of our ingredients come from our organic garden.
5. We don’t mind those visiting the hostel having a beer or two or a glass or two of wine; however, you will not be permitted to stay if, in the opinion of any member of our staff, you have had too much to drink The hostel is not a place to “party,” and intoxication will not be tolerated.
6. The same applies to illegal drugs. Anyone using them will be asked to leave.
7. We do NOT allow dogs, cats or other pets. If you’re traveling with a pet you must board the pet at a local kennel.
8. We do not encourage those who visit the hostel to bring young kids unless the kids are constantly under their supervision. We have no liability insurance, and there are too many ways for kids to get hurt unsupervised. In the past, some guests have felt that they can turn their kids loose to run as they please. This usually means that a member of our staff has to watch over them. If you do bring a kid, you must supervise your kid, and you will have to sign a special liability form releasing the hostel for any injuries that may happen to your kid.
9. If you arrive by bus in Brunswick, you should call ahead and let us know the time of your arrival. Since buses are notoriously late, you will have to call the hostel again from the Brunswick bus station after you arrive. You will be asked to make a contribution for the gas, a minimum of $3.00 per person.
10. Everyone staying at the hostel will be asked to do a daily chore consisting of something like sweeping the deck or the common room or the screen porch, helping to clean the kitchen, working in the gardens, feeding the chickens and ducks or something of that nature. It shouldn’t take you over 15 or 20 minutes.
11. We would like for you to leave your cell phone in your car. If you don’t want to leave it in your car, then we ask you to leave it in your room. We do not permit you to receive or place calls in the presence of others.
12. Because we are unable to obtain any liability insurance, everyone is asked to sign a form releasing the hostel from any liability.
13. We want to promote the hostel as a place of quiet and serenity. If you would like to play a musical instrument or drums, please be respectful of the others. We enforce a quiet hour beginning at ll p.m.

--some more snippage of what there is to do at the Hostel and what there is to do locally near the hostel--

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

New pics

Scott — Tue, 31 May 2005 06:27:31 GMT

I've put up the pics from my most recent hostel journey.

Click here to see: http://capturedartphotography.com/beginning.html

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

Dio et al

erinlangley — Thu, 26 May 2005 16:40:46 GMT

Why not one more?

How's the juggling coming?

Who's holding down the fort? Who's cooking? I'll never forget the time Steamboat made one of his amazing creations, and I heard a new hostel person ask "where the cook studied." Oh yeah, that's cookin'. Of course, I also remember times when we'd mix things together like pumpkin seeds, oatmeal, fruit, and hot sauce. Part of me knew it didn't taste good, but part of me--the larger part--could supersede the knowledge of yuckification somehow. I genuinely thought I liked what I was eating.

I often visit the glass house bridge in spirit and watch the dragonflies. That is the most magical place on Earth for me.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Need pictures of Albert!

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 22:04:55 GMT

Hey Guys
Of course many of you remember the famous and beloved Little Red Rooster, who unfortunately met his demise last year joining the great Circle of Life as owl food. I was there when it happened, I heard the screams, and I saw the owl flying away with him. Dirt and I ran out into the darkness, and with a high power Maglite actually saw the owl by the pond near the Glass house. Truly a horrible evening...
Anyway, I am working on a small tribute to him on mine and all of us Bog-Native Ohio Boys website (www.colabratnation.com) and well, all I need is a picture of him, or more than one would be nice. Does anybody have any pictures of him in digital format, or the ability to scan a paper photograph? If you do, and you wanna help a brother out, send them to me at

sanjuro(at)colabratnation.com

Thanks guys!!!
Much love, as always,

Steamboat

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

love love love

mijah — Wed, 18 May 2005 22:53:29 GMT

my brothers and sisters of jah forest

I am moving to Winnipeg, MB Canada june 1st!!!
I will be attending school to become a midwife! I am very intensely thankful for the Most High for presenting me with this opportunity. I will be in Jah Forest come September (for Nat's bday, and the belated celebration of mine and Ko'alani's). I can be reached here on tribe.net or kentuckyi@yahoo.com.

love and peace be with you always!!

be well.

kentucky i

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

calling dio as well

mikapixie — Fri, 06 May 2005 13:51:12 GMT

hey dio, call your clowns please, we miss you muchas(s). mamarika's tried callin', papajeester's tried calling and lauren's gonna spend the summer home and dena from texas is coming home to the forest soon and will spend time here in florida as well and we'd like to see you and laa please kick him in the bute for us too. (long but not longest grammatically incorrect and run on sentence.)we looooove you all and dio,
marika, jester, tristan, keeler, bennie, cloe, bodack xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxosquish

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

looking for Dio

gina — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 13:33:29 GMT

Hi, I'm looking for Dio. I would love to say hello and see how you have been. We met last year memorial day weekend. Me and my friends were massage therapy students and I traded your friend a necklace for a massage which she generously gave to you. I'm looking forward to typing at you! ;)
Gina

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 5 replies

Southwood says...

Southwood — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 01:55:55 GMT

Much love to everyone in the hostel family. I must appologise for not posting sooner or replying to many of you, I don't get to a compouter very often. Thanks for all the well wishes for me in my (continued) time of transition. I'm currently in homestead playing house with Ko'alani and working odd jobs to make the cheese. I'm about to take a trip to Gainseville, Fl to visit family but will be back in S. Florida soon. If anyone has the time or the inclination you can give a shout at 954-614-8262. I'd love to hear from any and all hostel affiliates. :) Soon the house/apartment/ condo/ someplace for me to live will be a reality and of course all are welcome. (Not at the same time though) Much love to all and Jah Bless.
South

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

I just found a free place for EVERYONE to stay!!!

Scott — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 07:47:07 GMT

Someone showed me a website today for a non-profit organization that has to be one of the coolest things ever. If it isn't for hostelfolk, I don't know what is. It's called "www.couchsurfing.com". The idea is this: it's a network of people who just want a couch to crash on when they're passing through, and those willing to offer their couches. It's based around a system of references kinda like ebay to weed out the crazies. I hope some of you can utilize this - I totally know I will!!!

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

need a ride up north

mijah — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 23:24:31 GMT

hey! kentucky girl here--

if any of you all are going north and wouldn't mind some dreddy mama energy call the hostel...i need to get home to the k y sometime soon...

~om shanti namaste~

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 4 replies

Hello Hostel Family

SoulOfBeckon — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:26:20 GMT

Just checking in to see how things are going with everyone and to check on who will be visiting the weekend of the 23rd.
I am making plans to stay the night on this particular Saturday.
I will be bringing a new friend in hopes of making this mystical place his home away from home.
Hope to get to see some of my old friends as well as make some new ones.
Until the 23rd, Namaste, Tawny

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Steamish

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 22:28:11 GMT

Hey Everybody! I've sorta lost touch with a bunch of ya, so..HERE I AM!!! I love all youse guys!
Everything's been cool up here in CT. Got a job as a dog handler, which is loads of fun, plus I get to be outside a lot!!
Anyway, if I don't drop you a line, drop me one. :)

Miss you guys!

Steamboat

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 6 replies

Home again...

Southwood — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 15:49:24 GMT

What's up everyone. Just a One Love shout to let you know I'm back in S. Fl. can you believe it's been 5 months? It's a bit much for me to digest upon reflection. I'm currently working the Ft. Lauderdale Ren-Fair with Ko'Alani, Sarah(GRRR) and Rosette(the artist formerly known as Igenia). I'm scheduled to do the Butler, PA fair in about two months or so. Afterwards I don't know where I'll be; though I do plan to return to teaching next year. Hopefully I'll see or speak with all of you soon. Be blessed.
Growing in Love,
Southwood

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 8 replies

Explorations into the realm of transcendental reality

Jaded — Sat, 26 Mar 2005 13:34:35 GMT

From my earlier writings you are, as they say, "in the know" about the reality behind eggs and the easter bunny. What has not been resolved though is the origin of chocolate. "Wait!", I can hear some of you thinking, which is one of the lesser known properties of superstrings in the transcendental third bane (producing all the little voices in your heads into my head that is), "But we already know whence chocolate comes from. It is a well documented fact." To which my reply is: Are you certain that the people who brought you "Death by Nicotine" and spread the Ebola like "Virus of Religious Righteousness" in search for transmogrified lead could be attributed with the kind of intellectual insight and determination which Darwin needed to convert us from ignorant creationists into quasi ignorant evolutionists, combined with an unhealthy dose of deviant philanthropism, to liberate the drink of the gods from the firm grip of a small pack of priests and proclaim it into the public domain. No you're not. Not after you started to think about the thinly stretched line of uncorroborated gospel repeated over and over again without question until its source has been rendered into the vague obscurity of oblivion.

To the people that cracked the Roswell cover-up, the tenacious women and men who proved we never went to the moon, it will come as no surprise that the truth behind the global spread of chocolate is in fact a conspiracy by the illuminatea to take over the world. The entire bunny - egg - chocolate Easter ritual has been created solely with that single-ended ultimate purpose in mind.
To control the mindless multitude, their desire for dependency must be fed. The hunger to be free of decisions quenched. Surely once our eyes are opened to the spectacle of probabilistic reality, the evidence of failed earlier attempts, nicotine, morphine, THC, are as clear as the sun in a midsummer sky. But what else has the power to exult us without destroying us in the process. What else turns our brains into jelly but fails to render us incapable of serving a master. Yes, that one too, but it's free and can only be controlled through the fiendishly complex machinations of religion.
Slowly, the easter myth is subliminally substituting our independently governed spring time new life drive with a craving for chocolate. When the substitution has become complete and total, the festival of easter will fade into obscurity unnoticed, replaced with Oberon's yearning snake.

"Rise!", I say, "Stop the tyranny and toss the chocolate bunnies into the face of the dominators like rotten eggs thrown at lousy stand-up comedians. Throw away those chains that anchor us into the mud and experience the exulting lightness of being drifting on the whim of the moment. Restore the original intention of easter. Celebrate the hormonal joy of the approaching spring promising short skirted girls, muscle flashing men and wasted days spend frivolous in fresh green meadows brimming with colorful wild flowers".

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

treehouses tribe

spasticfreakshow — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 15:12:04 GMT

somehow i only discovered your tribe today, though the treehouses tribe has been around, maybe since the beginning of tribe almost. anyway, i think the hostel in the forest is mentioned there, but you're welcome to expand upon it there. i don't think all of our members are the same - and we've got lots of interesting treehouse info there. check it out. too bad we can't choose which tribes WE'D like to be linked to bc i'd definitely choose this one.

http://israel.tribe.net/tribe/c7b4ce32-09f6-4d03-94b8-f014b16ba90f?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5Bc7b4ce32-09f6-4d03-94b8-f014b16ba90f%5D&r=10292

if you don't know about the treehouse place in turkey, you have to take a peek!

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

I miss you all.

Chris John — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 02:29:50 GMT

***this is just a shout out***
i don't mean to sound all sappy, but it's been a while since i've been through to visit and even longer since we were neighbors, but i miss you all, the old faces, the new faces, and all the faces i've never met. i sware to God i'm tryin to not sound sappy. i didn't know you guys started this tribe. thank you. i've had to come off the road recently because my mother has been diagnosed with cancer so i've been feelin a little trapped in the machine. finding this tribe and just knowin the hostel exists is sanctuary (props to Tom). i hope things are well in the forest.
love, Chris John
(aka "the walkin' man")

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 3 replies

searching for AIR and Seoda

Raini — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 04:28:49 GMT

Haven't seen y'all in ages. I'm heading up to the hostel in late April and would love to see you two again. Sending love and hugs!

Rain

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Reunion at The Hostel in the Forest

mattison71 — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 01:52:50 GMT

Hey everyone,
Well this is the weekend. So far I've heard from five of you, and got three confirmations. If others are comming, we'll all see you there.
*Don't forget to bring your gifts. IE. Singing voices, guitars, hugs*
I'm comming up from Ft Myers, FL...so if anyone needs a ride, Let me know. Also, we have people leaving from St Pete, Gainsville, and Statesboro, GA. If anyone needs to get a hold of me, my cell is (802) 999-7853. -Mattison

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Want to meet my friends at The Hostel in the Forest on 3/12/05

mattison71 — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 23:55:10 GMT

Forest Hostel lovers, lets meet next weekend 3/12 & 3/13 for some spring fun! I would love to see you all again. I don't know how many will show up, so let's call ahead and warn them! ;o) Don't forget to bring your guitars, smiles, and hugs.
See you there, Mattison

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

just saying hello

Lucas — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 17:39:11 GMT

Ive never actually been, but this year Im trying to gather a few friends to accompany me for the first time. I really excited and hope to meet most of you in the upcoming days.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

New Pictures

Pinto — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 01:44:22 GMT

I visited the hostel for my first time over New Years this year and it was amazing. I'll be back. During my week there I met some of you. And I took a lot of pictures. I found this tribe while looking around the Hostel's Web site, so I posted a few of the pictures I took. Enjoy. I'm slowly learning to create websites, and hope one day to have a place for more of my photographs. I'll be sure to share that if I ever succeed.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 1 reply

Pics From Nov 2004 Visit

SoulOfBeckon — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 04:58:55 GMT

Hey Everyone,
I just uploaded 8 new pics.
Enjoy, Tawny

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Legends of the Forest

Jenny — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 04:07:20 GMT

I love the forest and during my various times there I have heard some great stories. I am writing a paper on Folklore and I would like to do some interviews about "ghost" stories and such. If anyone is interested in this, or knows how I can contact someone via e-mail let me know. KaRhae@comcast.net. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from and hopefully seeing from you guys. I miss you--even those I don't know.

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 0 replies

Hey forest people

Joel — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 21:50:38 GMT

Just sayin hi, checkin out the new website (its awesome, by the way). anyway, ill be checkin in from time to time....

and by the way : I miss you (you all know who you are)

posted in Hostel In The Forest - 2 replies

Hostel In The Forest's topics - tribe.net

yoga retreat july 18 - 20

artist retreat june 13 -15

summer internship on sacred land available

House of Healing

visceral history

spring fling march 28 - 30

Hostel in the Forest CD

Demolition

anyone around on the 18th?

Happy Yule

New Years

Permaculture and eco-agriculture

Hostel Arts Magazine -- Call for Submissions

Forest Dreams

Forestdance Massachusetts and Costa Rica Updates

Forest fires

going to the forest March 1

visiting in march...

In honor of Essie Mae

Best age to bring a little one

I'm new and coming to the forest

heading 2 the forest

Hey Ya'll

Excited and coming home

calling all winter 2005 staff...

tristan's passing's magics

to my loving forest family, a tragedy...

Holy Crap.

this wed the 10th-thursday-18th, Incus tour support position available

Granolaa Goat (Or Laa and Dio)

howdy forest friends

Spring retreat roll call

thank you for those photos tawny : )

Spring Retreat 2006

Hostel News - Notes from 2005

New tribe for Outdoor Educators

new photos

Happy New Year

Myspace members...

Rendezvous with the Lady

hey!

CORNFLOWER HERE!

Hostel celebrates 400 year old tradition!

RIDESHARE?:asheville->hostel and back&lt;-for new years?

Looking for place in ATL

Anyone headed to the hostel from Atlanta?

incoming to the hostel

Hey! from me too, Steamin' along!

Casting lose again

Moving to Costa Rica for the winter...friends welcome

hello beautiful people

Toss My Spirit In The Pool

Tree House

Here I go...!

Invitation to the Hostel's 30th Birthday

Changes at the Hostel

New pics

Dio et al

Need pictures of Albert!

love love love

calling dio as well

looking for Dio

Southwood says...

I just found a free place for EVERYONE to stay!!!

need a ride up north

Hello Hostel Family

Steamish

Home again...

Explorations into the realm of transcendental reality

treehouses tribe

I miss you all.

searching for AIR and Seoda

Reunion at The Hostel in the Forest

Want to meet my friends at The Hostel in the Forest on 3/12/05

just saying hello

New Pictures

Pics From Nov 2004 Visit

Legends of the Forest

Hey forest people

RIDESHARE?:asheville->hostel and back<-for new years?