Category: Retreat Centers

Trees Fall in the Forest

Anne Nowell

Camp Far Horizons was founded in 1954. One of the founders, G.V. Hull, was instrumental in helping to develop King’s Canyon in ways that have made this natural wonder more assessible for visitors. Partially as a result of his work, the Theosophical Society was awarded an extended lease on National Park land with provisions to develop and improve said land. The first buildings went up in 1955 , and many of these are still in use due to the skillfulness of Mr. Hull’s construction design.

Upkeep is a continuing consideration for any facility.  Landscaping and building maintenance are key concerns at Far Horizons, which functions as a camp only 3 out of 12 months a year and is heavily snowed in during winter months. Recently at Camp there was the necessity of removal of several large trees. These trees had become diseased by natural causes and were at risk of falling into buildings. In these photos I have captured the process of removing 100 + foot trees, which is not an easy task physically or psychologically. The team of arborist, Joel Bawcum, was exact in their duties and Camp is grateful to them for their expertise.

A famous Biblical quote acknowledges “To Everything There Is a Season”. These majestic trees had many ” seasons”. Moving forward, there is the certainty that many fledgling Camp trees will mature into their times as well.

For a complete view please click back and forth on the photos.

Photo captions:
#1.  Diseased kitchen tree, approximately 100 feet tall
#2.  Limb removal, note proximity to cabins
# 3. Almost done, sawing the base
#4. Dining Room Stump with volunteer beauties!
#5. Diseased tree, minimum 150 feet tall
#6. Note proximity to Sugar Pine Cabin
#7. Joel among the limbs
#8. On top, 100 feet up
#9. No top or limbs
#10. Debris at the base, note notch for felling
#11. Ready to fall
#12. After the fall, now a home for chipmunks

Camp Far Horizons

Anne Nowell

At 7,200 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Far Horizons is a camp established in the 1950’s by members of the Theosophical Society. The word “Camp” implies outdoors- close to nature-away from civilization. At Far Horizons there is no electricity, no cellular, no internet access, which means no Facebook!!  I can hear the gasps; for some of us this is beyond comprehension!

It is very necessary to slow down and to disconnect in order to reconnect with the rhythm of  Nature. In these photos I will introduce you to the camp. Please click back and forth for a larger view. In the coming weeks  I hope to share with you something of my journey as I rediscover  my connection to Spirit within Nature.

You are all welcome to visit me here at Camp.  For additional info, go to http://www.farhorizons.org

Kumbaya!!

Photo Captions:

Photo 1:  Welcome to Camp!
Photo 2:  Mountain Woman
Photo 3:  Outdoor Classroom
Photo 4:  Dining Hall
Photo 5:  My Cabin, note St Francis in the right foliage
Photo 6:  My luxury accommodations!
Photo 7:  Camp Director, Karla with husband Phil
Photo 8:  Creek bed hiking, watch out for mosquitoes!
Photo 9:  Civilization is 5 miles away, and yes, they have wireless.

With Karma Yoga

Anne Nowell

Mount Madonna, under the guidance of Baba Hari Das, is known for being a proponent of Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga generally refers to the practice of offering one’s work efforts as a form of prayer/devotion without attachment to the results. This is easy to say, but we all like to receive a desired result for our efforts, be it the paycheck, the allocades, or the fulfillment of “do good” tendencies.  It takes practice to develop non-attachment to the outcome of our efforts. As in any form of yoga, and in the words of our beloved Ashtanga teacher, Pattabhi Jois, “Practice and all will come.”  In the following photos we get a view of some of the Karma Yoga opportunities at the Mount Madonna Center. For a larger view please click back and forth.

Line 1
A position called Field Staff involves setting up, cleaning, and breaking down conference rooms. The conferences can be from 15 to 100+ people. In the first two photos, Ivan from New York, Jennifer from Vancouver, and I (yes, this is my new hairdo!!) set off for work.  With the cart we transport chairs, tables, meditation cushions, and yoga props. In the third photo, Mary from Wisconsin, and Glenda from Canada, load the recycling truck.

Line 2
Kitchen duty!  Shakar from Canada, who is also a Celtic musician;  Ashley from Idaho and Mary Craig from Tennessee peeling avocadoes for dinner; Kranti, long time resident of Mount Madonna, with the pasta sauce.

Line 3
With Mary mopping up after dinner; tortilla frisbee with Shakar ; In the dishwashing room, sometimes as many as 200 meals to clean up with many pots and pans. The red dot on my forehead is called a tilak.  In Hinduism it represents a protection to the mind against negative outside influences.

Line 4
Mary and I at tea service with Nasrat from Afghanistan; 3 days per week Baba Hari Das offers British/ Indian afternoon tea for his guests. We serve chai and herb tea, cookies, and open faced petite sandwiches.
In the kitchen with the happy karma yogis, Mary Craig and Ashley.

Yes, there are many great people and we have lots of fun.  Lessons in community living include dealing with the personalities of many strangers in close quarters and all sorts of attitudes regarding the practices of yoga.  I highly recommend Mount Madonna as an incredible learning experience!