In the following 4 pages, I document my time in the St Lawrence University Adirondack Semester, where students live in yurts on Lake Massawepie in New York States Adirondack Park. The homepage for the semester can be found here.
The ESL House, or Environmentally Sustainable Living house. This is where we first met each other and our leaders.
At the ESL, we had our first classes with our professors, here we are with Sandy Hildreth.
Baylor Johnson, the director of the program sitting in an Adirondack chair.
After three days of orientation at the ESL, we packed about 150 meals worth of food and our boat barrels, and loaded the canoes up for a 10 day trip in Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park, on the Petawawa River.
A group shot, from left to right: Julia, Aaron, Emily T, Trevor, Robin, Emily F, Jeff, Kate, Katie, Baylor, Rachel, Ben, Amin, Scott and Rick.
A moose relaxing in the water, one of the many sights we saw from our boats.
Reaching camp on the first night.
Here is Rick, giving the morning map briefing.
Aaron in the stern.
Throughout the trip, we had to empty out the boats and carry them, here Rachel and I are carrying the boat 1.4k.
Relaxing at a waterfall we had to carry the boats around.
Ben fly fishing.
Rick and I taking on Crooked Chute.
The area offered a great way to view each other navigating the whitewater, and a great view to watch the carnage.
Here we find Robin and Rachel swimming.
When it was all said and done, I believe 4 of 7 boats tipped.
Jeff and Emily make it look easy.
After 10 days on the river, we drove back to the US. Driving to Massawepie Lake and paddling across and getting our first glimpse of Arcadia, the yurt village. Here you can see the kitchen and classroom yurt as well as the solar array.
And the village from land. Pictured are 4 of the 9 yurts, three of the four green student yurts and the white yurt, or Igloo as it is called, Rick and Rachel’s home. Not pictured are the one of the student yurts, Baylors yurt, the community yurt and the two larger yurts, the kitchen and classroom.
Our homes were 16' yurts, home to three students each. Here we have Robin and Amin showing off their yurt.
This is the famous Clivus composting toilet, or, Amins second home.
And my favorite part of Arcadia, the wood fired sauna. This was my second home, where I spent EVERY night at Arcadia in, reaching temperatures of up to 230 degrees and swimming in the lake.
Dinner in the kitchen yurt. Food was always great and I ate more than my share. I was known as the garbage disposal when others could not eat everything on their plates.
Here is my living area, with everything I brought for the semester.
With the batteries in the solar unit fried, the early part of the semester was often spent by candle light.
Dr. Wil Rivers, our ecology teacher. The first day of class, we went out in boats to identify trees from a distance.
A golf course, an essential part of minimalist living!
Every other weekend, we would visit civilization, also known as the town of Tupper Lake. We bought groceries, did laundry and made calls home.
Brian Bennett, a local organic farmer, and provider of our chicken and eggs for the semester gives us a tour of his operation, while his son Carl continues to talk, unless of course he is eating, sleeping or playing Nintendo.
Emily learning where our food comes from. Many of us beheaded chickens and processed them on site, bringing them back to the village to eat for dinner.