I stayed with the car while the other three went to check
out the site. In spite of promises that it would be a trail that even an old man could do easily, I was not that confident that it would be an
easy trail. The concern was validated when I noticed that that within three
feet of the road there was a ditch with a three to four drop to clamber down and
then almost immediately a ten to twelve foot bank to climb back up on the other side. I was
feeling lazy and I didn't want to take a hard trail if there was an easy one. However
within a few minutes they came back and said it was just a short walk. And they
were right. The river was a five minute walk (and most folks would have only taken
half that long). The short mossy path meandered through patches of ferns while
over-head there was a forest of decent size second or third growth fir trees.
It was dark and cool within the small forest and I immediately decided that I
would put up my tent near some other tents. The thick moss looked very
inviting. Besides putting up my tent there meant that I didn't have to climb
down the steep three foot bank at the river bed's edge with a heavy pack on my back.
Putting my tent amongst the trees proved to be a poor
decision. While the moss certainly was thick and green, it covered up a thick
layer of branches and rocks so that, at least where I was at, it was difficult
to find a level area for my sleeping bag. It was also dark in the forest, a
little bit buggy, and that moss made it just too easy to lose things. I moved
my tent down to a gravel beach ten feet from the river's edge the next morning.
The site was, in terms of width, not very large but there
were lots of spaces up and down the river for people to hang out, swim or sun bath. The seed camp had done a great job
in terms of preparing the main circle and had a fire pit working in the
kitchen area. The food supplies were put away just behind the kitchen. The fast
moving river itself was fifteen to twenty feet wide in some places and up to
people's shoulders. In other spots it was quite shallow. There were lots of spots
for camp sites on both sides of the river. In spite of the fact that the road
was only five minutes away, it felt as if we were camping in the middle of nowhere.
Even when there were sixty plus people
there, it never felt crowded.
There was another group of three people camping a hundred or so yards downstream and their
presence turned what would have been a fine Gathering into an outstanding one.
The Krishnas have long been a part of Gatherings. They come, camp away from the
main area and usually have food that they prepare and share with the Family. I
have been to BC Gatherings where one could spend a week there and never see
them. This time the three, who were from the Ashram at Ashcroft on the
mainland, came to cook. They brought piles of food, huge pots and great
recipes. Every night for seven nights they cooked up a feast. The food was
carried to main circle and we ate like kings (and queens). They joined us for
meals and participated in our conversations. They were fun, great to talk to
and seemed happy that we kept on saying thank you for the great food. In spite of
popular mythology, with the exception of two times when people were sharing
stories, they did not discuss their personal faith, they did not chant, have
bald heads or wear robes. They were just ordinary folks who were committed to
providing a service to other people.
Because of the fact that supper was provided for us, we
didn't get a real kitchen built until the sixth or seventh day. Breakfast which
was frequently porridge with a side of fruit salad does not need much of a
kitchen. Because the Krishna kitchen was
down river, many of the Rainbows spent at least part of their day in the area
helping in the kitchen and chatting with others. The fact that the best spot to
swim and to sunbath was also near their camp added to the attraction of being
down there.
The food is always interesting at a Gathering. At any
Gathering there are usually a handful of people who have cooked over an open
flame for large number of people and almost always people who want to cut and
chop vegetables. But there are times when the food is perhaps not as well
seasoned as it should be, or the rice is not quite cooked enough. There are
also times when the cooks underestimate the amount of food needed (usually
because six or seven people arrive five minutes before dinner is served). With
the Krishnas, many people, including me said no to thirds - we were that
stuffed. For many of us, we ate as fine there as we would have in any vegan
restaurant on the plant.
