The free online gathering “Tracker Stories” held last Sunday went very well. There were over 250 people who registered and about 1/3 of them were able to attend live. The 2 hour session was roughly a 50/50 mix of stories from past & present staff and stories from students. We will definitely do this again! We’re aiming for every 3 months, one per season, so the next one will be in October. Many thanks to all who shared stories, including Nancy Klein, Elizabeth Moes, Randy Walker, Jorge Brana, Dr. Jim Brown, Victor Wooten, Jon Young, and also the students Stephen, Greg, Debbie, Norma, Rana, Dick & Vicki.
I know a handful of you had a problem with logging into your Tracker School account because of password issues; if you need to reset your password please send an email to registration@trackerschool.com and ask Kelly to send a temp password so you can change it.
I don’t post anything publicly which features students unless I have explicit approval, so in this case I’ve put together an audio excerpt from the gathering which includes the following speakers: 00:00:00 Dave Ott 00:02:53 Nancy Klein 00:07:06 Elizabeth Moes 00:10:48 Randy Walker 00:15:38 Dave Ott 00:16:57 Jorge Brana 00:18:19 Dave Ott 00:19:39 Dr. Jim Brown 00:27:11 Victor Wooten 00:35:37 Jon Young 00:49:16 Jorge Brana
An interesting observation from many who were at the memorial gathering for Tom was how powerful and impactful the shared stories were. Interesting not because it was a surprise – we all know the regard Tom had for the power of story, and we’ve all felt the effects and inspiration of a well told (and well re-lived) story. Rather, interesting because the power seemed to stem as much from the sharing as it did the story itself. Those stories didn’t exist in a vacuum. They were part of a dance between the story, the storyteller, and those who listened. A string of moments in the present where past events were honored by respectful silence or raucous laughter so that they might continue to inspire future generations. In other words, it was pretty cool. So we’ve decided to continue that dance of stories.
Maybe every 3 months, maybe more, maybe less, there will be an online gathering where it’s just any of us sharing stories about our experiences with Tom and our times at the Tracker School. Could be stories of your favorite hallucination at Scout class, or when Inner Vision finally made sense as you were running to the portabobs, or the class group you were in a decade or two ago that still gets together, or stealing the last chocolate-covered donut from Tom, or the time you had to cry because the magnificent beauty of everything around you in the cedar swamp was just too much to bear and it just happened out of nowhere and you didn’t know what to do and you couldn’t hold it in and “damn it, I guess I’m just going to sit here and bawl my eyes out for a moment as the universe rubs my back”.
Well then… you get the idea.
Tom said “the story is not carried in your mind. It’s carried in your heart. Stories that are told from the mind lack impact. They no longer inspire you, so how could they ever inspire another? How could they ever be conveyed with their full power? Your stories have to be carried in your heart, deep inside, with that connection as real and as vital as the day you first found that story, you first lived that story.” So what stories are in your heart that you’ll share with our community, with all of us?
Looking forward to hearing from you at the first of these ‘Tracker Stories’ classes this Sunday, July 20th, starting at 10 a.m. EST until whenever. Figure an hour or two. There is no cost, just click the link below to register for the class. There won’t be any confirmation email immediately after registering – you’ll get an email with the link to join the meeting a few hours before we start. If you don’t receive the link, and it’s not in your spam folder, send an email to david@trackeraudio.com and one will be sent. This online gathering will be recorded and sent out to all who were registered, so even if you can’t be there live you can still be a part of it:) Blessings.
Hi folks, this is Dave. It’s taken awhile to get back to this blog… and this first post in awhile isn’t all sunshine and butterfly kisses. The following email was sent out by the Tracker School earlier today:
Hello All As many of you already know, there is currently a wildfire in the Pine Barrens, in the area around the Primitive Camp. We have been absolutely inundated with calls and messages of concern, and we cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support. At this time, we can confirm that the Tracker office and the Brown residence are safe and were spared from the fire. Alex the Caretaker in camp was evacuated and is safe. We do not yet have confirmation of the status of the Primitive Camp or the many sacred areas surrounding it.
We are working in close conjunction with law enforcement and fire personnel, and anticipate having further updates as soon as tomorrow. Please understand that at this time, the fire is still actively burning and it is extremely difficult to assess what has and has not been affected. As soon as we have more information, we will send out a video to update everyone. In the meantime, we ask that you give our staff, and the Brown family, space and understanding as we navigate this evolving situation.
Law enforcement and fire personnel have asked for our cooperation and assurance that we will not attempt to access the area in any way until we receive their clearance and permission to do so.We cannot emphasize this enough. Please, in the interest of your personal safety and our relationship with these officials,DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER CAMP, THE SAND ROADS, OR ANY PART OF THE PINE BARRENS EFFECTED BY THE FIRE.
If you choose to disobey these instructions for any reason, you will be considered trespassing, and you will be directly disobeying orders from both law enforcement and fire personnel. Please respect the unbelievably hard and dangerous work these folks are doing.
We also ask that you refrain from calling these services at this time, so that they can prioritize emergency calls and the daunting work in front of them. We are in close communication with them and promise we will update everyone as soon as we have more information via email and the school Facebook page. Please stay tuned and continue to send prayers for protection, rain, and the continued safety of those working so hard to put out the flames.
I want to thank everyone of you that sent in your blessings on this the 45th anniversary of the Tracker School. It’s been an amazing 45 years to say the least. I think I learn more from all of you than you learn from me. It’s funny that when I started the Tracker School there was nothing out there that taught survival and tracking. In fact, most people had no idea as to what a tracker was. Yet unofficially I began to teach when I was only 13 years old. Uncle Joe who was a retired State Trooper had me teach a group of his men the art and science of tracking. We went on to meet 4 times a year until I turned 18. Again, thank you all for your well wishes. Blessings and In Medicine, Tom
Hi Folks, You’ve probably noticed on our Facebook page that we all got together, meaning the instructors, caretakers and the Elders and spread seed all around Grandfather’s Camp and the Sacred Circle. This has been an ongoing tradition in my life since 1957 and I’ve never failed to give back to the animals. It’s always been during the holiday season that I will lay out a huge feast but the Month of Starvation usually comes here around late January or early February. I pay close attention to the deer population as well as various indicator birds and the state of their health. If I find that starvation is beginning to cripple them I will always put out more corn and seed.
In the overall picture of things the little food that we put out doesn’t make much of a difference but it is that sense of Giving Back, Caretaking, and becoming Healers of the Earth that makes us feel that we are at least doing something, anything to save the life of one animal or bird. Years ago we introduced our children’s camps to the power of giving back and I know that to this day many of those kids have grown up with children of their own and carry on the Giving Back tradition not just in the United States but in far flung places all over the world. I receive pictures and email telling of people who are following the tradition of Giving Back and it is a Blessing to see and feel that concentric ring journey outward, far and wide.
To this day I always like to have a small bag of seeds or corn nearby so that when I travel the winter forests I can put out little piles of seed for animals to stumble upon and have a small feast. The nice thing is that the Giving Back can be done at anytime of the year but it is best during the leaner or starvation months. In the end you will find a remarkable change come over you, touching you deep inside. A connection created because of on simple act of kindness on our parts. This Giving Back is an excellent activity go get your kids out into the winder woods and they feed the animals and explore.
Hi Folks, I wanted to take a moment after all of the Holiday hoopla was behind us to wish you all a very Happy, healthy and Blessed New Year to come. I know that things do not look good for the year to come and unfortunately they will get far worse than we’ve already seen. This coming year is going to be a pivotal year in so many ways and on so many fronts. Our Sacred Earth Mother is in very bad shape and growing worse day by day. The world, meaning the human world, is like a ticking bomb just waiting to explode. Right now it’s like sitting on a fuse leaving us to wonder when that final explosion or series of explosions are going to take place which will start a horrific chain reaction across the globe.
Yet even with all of the horrible things that have happened to the Earth, the world and the children of the Earth there is still hope. Hope is what I cling to every day, hope that like the turning of a huge flock of birds suddenly takes place and people wake up. We also have Prayer, the power of profound Silence and the ability to reach out and help in anyway we can. Every action no matter how small sends out a concentric ring through the Spirit that moves in and through all things. That concentric ring will generate others and reach deep into the hearts of all that can feel its power.
Faith, hope and prayer are our only resources. Reaching out and helping someone, healing the Earth in even a small way can and will begin to turn the flock. Stay close and in touch with each other because there are very few of us out there that follow that same Vision, Grandfather’s Vision and now our Vision. Together we can make a big difference.
May the Great Spirit Bless and guide all of your trails.
Hi Folks, It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that Debbie, Coty & Rivers’ mom passed away a few hours ago unexpectedly. Apparently she was rushed to the hospital and passed away there due to complications from pneumonia. It was a shock to all of us and I would appreciate it if all of you could send a prayer for my sons and Debbies Mom and Dad. The family has been through a lot of heartache in that Debbies brother Michael was one of the pilots that hit the World Trade Center and now Debbie passed away. Love, Blessings and In Medicine, Tom
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