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.