CAMPUS ONE (Dixfield, Maine, USA)
Gorgeous 31-acres on the slopes of Holman Mountain; the nearest public road is 1.5 kilometers due north. Verbal agreements with good neighbors allows our students to hike an additional 600 acres - including to the summit. Parking is limited on our land, but a van can pick you up in Auburn, Maine (at the bus stop across from the Hilton hotel). Students are responsible for long-term parking fees (we are working on parking issues locally). Our seasonal campus consists of varied terrain (steep slopes and flats, and some wetlands) with drinking water from a miniature gorge. Awesome adirondak-chair reading areas and tree tents on rocky ridges. Start-up will include five WALDEN POND styled cabins, MEDITATION TRAILS, READING AREAS, TREE TENTS (to relax and enjoy nature).
Must have WILDERNESS CERTIFICATE; must have LEAVE-NO-TRACE CERTIFICATE
CAMPUS TWO (Azua, Dominican Republic)
Gorgeous 40-acres on the foothills of the Central Cordillera; nearest public road is 1 kilometer away, due south. Verbal agreements with good neighbors and local officials allow our students to hike AND camp on an additional 1,000 acres - including to the summit of several hills, where our Neo-Taino tribe has several ceremonial sites. Our year-long Semi-Arid landscape is very hot, but we bury our solo-shelters on the side of hills, providing day and night comfort. Start-up will include 5 CARACOL style earth-submerged shelters, MEDITATION TRAILS, ABORIGINAL LONG-HOUSE (for nightly philosophical discussions and healing practices), AGRARIAN EDUCATION farmstead, MINERAL STORE w/ coffee shop and crafts' studio.
Must have WILDERNESS CERTIFICATE; must have LEAVE-NO-TRACE CERTIFICATE
EDUCATIONAL FEATURES OF EACH CAMPUS:
CAMPUS ONE - DIXFIELD (six students per semester: 18 per academic year)
31-plus acres of (northern) Temperate Mixed Forest: this is a seasonal (warm weather) campus, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER. It encompasses three semesters (1,2,3), each a complete learning Solo-Hermitage program/session. Matriculated adult students would have gone through Intake, Information and Orientation sessions AND must appear on campus on the day of each semester (late-comers must be pre-aproved by the Dean of Recruitment and Admissions: unexcused late-comers will forfeit their admissions!).
ORIENTATION TYPES:
* Online
* In Person (on first day of campus)
FOREST LIBRARY (this is a one-night only stay, but students will meet here during weekend pick-ups of food, water, and logistics)
A refurbished house-trailer with a massive (internal) Russian Furnace. It has two triple bunkbeds for newcomers (before Solo-Hermitage Assignments). The house also contains a tiny kitchen and tables, very spartan, however. Solo-Hermitage assignments require a multiple-player chess game, whose winners chose their solo sites on a map (the game also determines, on a weekly basis) which student can bring their cellphone to their cabin [a necessary safety element, as the student with the cellphone acts as woodland crisis intervener]: Cellphones can always be used in the Forest Library. The game allows for lively first-impression interchanges and potential friendships.
Students will meet their Forest Librarian/Mentor at that time; the mentor provides the In-Person orientation.
SOLO-HERMITAGE SITES:
* Walden-Pond styled cabin (8' x 16'): See Diagram on our Graphics Page.
* Attached Out-House
* Bunk
* Miniature Barrel Stove
* Storage areas for food, water, and safety equipment: See our Safety Protocols' page.
* Sign-in Guest Book
* Ecotherapy Trail Map, on the Wall
* Leave-no-Trace user's manual
* Assigned Reading, Book
* Several Notebooks and Writing Utensils