Welcome Home

What to Bring to take care of Yourself:

I made this list for friends coming for their first time this year, and thought i'd post it here
to help a bit on the what to bring tip,
as it seems there might be a lot of people coming home for the first time this year...

each has their own style of packing, these are just suggestions. one of the beautiful things about gathering is that we all help each other out once we're there. it helps to have a heads up about what is helpful. there is a foundation that's important for meeting your own needs and here's the things i'd bring myself, anyway... with thanks to those who helped me out when i was missing this or that in the past...



---CLOTHES:
sandals
hiking boots, waterproofed
2-3+ pr wool socks
long undies- bottom essential, top nice
thick pants for nite
thin pants or shorts for day/work/yoga
skirt for fun
undies if you wear em (i bring 5 pr)
t shirts (i do 2)
tanks (i do 2)
long sleeve shirt/s for layered warmth
thick wooly sweater (or 2 thin wool sweaters)
scarf (wool, fleece, or silk)
fuzzy warm hat
maybe gloves
raincoat/parka/trashbag
rainpants
nice to have an eaxtra outer warm layer- i bring a wool poncho
also nice to have a warm blanket to wrap up and walk in @ nite
optional- pretty shawl, extra skirt, ceremonial garb, costumes

A NOTE ON CLOTHING: "cotton kills"
***this is really important in the realm we're going into, as the site is currently cold and rainy... WHEN COTTON GETS WET, IT SUCKS OUT YOUR WARMTH... get noncotton gear- wool, fleece, silk, or the unfortunately petroleum based polypropelene... especially socks, inner layer (long undies) and outer layer. if you have extra gear that you can afford to give away, bring it, because we're likely to have a lot of cold family who came in from wherever expecting california to be warm****

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:
natural bug repellant/oil
biodegradeable soap (dr bronners is the ol' standby)
washcloth
small towel
"blissware"- your own dinner bowl and utensils to eat out of at
every meal, plus a cup or mug to drink out of. great to have a
bowl with a lid so you can save food in it.
a waterbottle to carry on your person, with strap is nice
a small bag to carry your blissware to meals in
any herbal meds/vitamins you'll need (coughs and runny noses
seem to come on quick via damp nights around hot campfires)
a flashlight or headlamp with batteries, for each person
(even tho i personally recommend keeping them off and walking
by the light of the night, it's nice to have one handy just in
case)
a hiking backpack with good hip support straps makes schlepping
all this stuff much nicer
or, if you've got a big rig you're driving, wheelbarrows or
carts are always handy for everybody to use in making supply
and water runs, etc., as well as schlepping your own stuff

FOR YOUR CAMP:
tent/s
tarp/s
good rope
extra blankets for sitting, wrapping in, and sleeping with
camping pad per person
cold weather sleeping bag per person
toilet paper
a camp shower is nice
a big water jug + an extra to be loaned to the nearest kitchen
a shovel if you're setting up your own camp/own shitter
a 5 gallon bucket, on principle
more dog food than you think you need if you've got a dog

FOR USE OF A KITCHEN:
big ol' pots, pans, woks, coolers, water jugs, sponges, biodegradeable soap, bleach, knives, serving spoons, spices, shovels, heavy duty rope, grains, fruit, veggies, love, light

NICE EXTRAS:
any tradeable goods, musical instruments, altar contributions, tapestries, banners, sweet treats to share, donations for the magic hat and for your favorite kitchen, your yoga mat, your fire spinning gear, your favorite tea en masse

FOR CHILDREN:
walkie talkies with a few miles range
(i guess motorola makes some that are recommended)
extra blankets
extra hats, gloves, socks, warm gear
a stash of favorite snacks/comfort foods
a bucket to do wash in
a few good readaloud books

FOR CAR TRIP:
cooler w/good food for the trip in
nonperishable food for the trip out, which can usually be supplemented with a little food from the gathering.
$ for gas
water
directions
map

ESSENTIAL:
love, vision, open(ing) heart

--by Xylem Larla Dey, 2004