Dingoes: Snow, snow and more snow! Thanksgiving week started off cold but pleasant. We got the chance to have the first snowball fight of the winter and the group really enjoyed it! On Thanksgiving we were brought the most snow the group had seen and we were able to enjoy our feast of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, and pie. We roasted the turkey over the fire, built a snowman named Gerald, built a fort, and shared our own Thanksgiving traditions while discussing what we were all thankful for at this time. We awoke to the challenges of winter weather this week and yet the group navigated through it seamlessly. We crushed all the hikes we had this week and really encouraged each other through them.
Gnowees: The Gnowees started the week with introducing a new member with a Gnowee Ceremony! There were a plethora of ceremonies from a returning student receiving a new name and a student getting their first trail name. Determined Ember and Blossoming Aurora, respectively. A hard working and dedicated staff was surprised with the Maker token, Lucky (our Gnowee pup) was honored with Brightness, and a student was given Solid Ground and Peace Walker before they parted ways and left for their new adventure. These ceremonies were filled with love and gratitude! Another bright spot in the week was Thanksgiving. The students were convinced they were not getting any special food. On the way back from Morning Meditation where they practiced mindfulness and rolling down the snowy hills, they were surprised with a Thanksgiving feast. They were so excited to cook and eat together. The Gnowees persevered through a tough hike on Friday, and were grateful for a sunny Saturday to dry their gear out.
Brumbies: This week in the Brumbies was filled with lots of laughter, Thanksgiving fun, and snow. On Thanksgiving, a meal was delivered for the group, complete with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, corn, rolls, yams, and three pies! The group was extremely cooperative during the Thanksgiving feast, sharing it all evenly with lots of patience and gratitude. One afternoon we were able to hike through a beautiful snowfall, which gave way to the group bonding together and demonstrating so much teamwork and encouragement. We had lots of snow this week, which allowed us to conclude the week with a snow-themed ceremony where students gave out several tokens to five different Brumbies.
Goannas: This week the group faced the challenges of an early winter with the arrival of 8-10 inches of fresh snow. They stayed warm by playing games, sitting around the fire and feasting on turkey, stuffing and pie! They accomplished many of their therapy assignments during an in shelter PT session while the snow fell outside in huge flakes. An important member of the group received the peace walker token for his efforts to support the other members. With the arrival of the fresh snow the students devised a way to sled by designing a sled made out of a sleeping pad wrapped in a garbage bag.
