Challenge Course Director/ Leadership Assistant

Hello, my name is Brittany Tomasko and I hail from the Golden State of California. I grew up in Mill Valley, CA. Mill Valley is located just 10 minutes north of San Francisco on the San Francisco Bay. This is my first summer at Camp Manito-wish and I will be the Challenge Course Director and Leadership Assistant.

I graduated from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo in 2009 with two degrees, one in Nutrition and the other in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration. In addition to school, I worked at Chumash Challenge a team building, high and low ropes course as a facilitator. I also taught swing dance lessons for the Cal Poly Swing Club and was a facilitator and leader for Cal Poly’s New Student Orientation Program (WOW – week of welcome).

My passions and hobbies in life are #1 Swing Dancing – lindy hop, Charleston, Balboa, and blues. I was on a swing dance performance troop prior to moving out to Camp Manito-wish. I am also an avid outdoor and sports enthusiast. I love road cycling and running and have competed in triathlons. On my days off you’ll probably find me out on my road bike riding the roads of the north woods. My favorite wilderness and water activities include backpacking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing. I also love laughing, hugs and smiling!

Activity of the Month—July

Using the BIG Bow Drill—Part 1

When I first started out doing experiential programming I didn’t have a challenge course to speak of. We built some temporary elements, but because of the nature of the program—our outcomes, wilderness and nature based focus, etc.—we tried to use other tools. During this time we developed a whole series of basic and advanced initiatives that utilized primitive skills and nature awareness skills of all kinds. Primitive fire making and fire building in general were a big part of many of these activities, mainly because the metaphor was just so perfect. So…when my friend Don Nagy showed me the monster version of the small, portable bow drill at the T.E.A.M. conference in Chicago several years ago I was beyond intrigued. We made a coal and got fire with that thing and smoked up the entire big gym and Northeastern, Illinois University in the process (they moved us to a garage the next year for obvious reasons). That crew of 36 people and the huge crowd of supporters definitely did more then just “blow smoke” though. We truly made fire and did what many thought was the impossible.



Since that time I have worked on and refined what I learned from Don and we now use the BIG bow drill here at Manito-wish as part of many programs. More often then not, we use it as a first activity to set the stage for the rest of the program AND create a fire that is maintained and cared for by participants for duration. Those that have been to T.E.A.M. are also familiar with the coal bundles that are created from the sacred fire. Manito-wish works with two organizations that make the Big Bow Drill, the sacred fire and the coal bundles a major part of the experience.

If this is something that intrigues you, the process of building a kit of your own is not difficult. It helps to be well versed in friction fire making principals, but it isn’t essential that you are a master fire maker with smaller bow drills and hand drills in order to be effective with the bigger version. There are some key construction essentials and things that seem to really help. I will explain some of those this month and then get down to usage and other details in Part 2.



Making the Bow Drill

Here are some key things to consider as you get your materials together:

•Cedar is the best choice for all parts of the kit. I try to find White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) if I can, but western white seems to work as well. It is the lightest wood in North America and has many qualities that make it a good choice for fire making. Unfortunately, it is not a tree that is reproducing well in the Midwest and it is becoming harder to find good, clear native cedar.

•I find a clear (or as clear as possible) cedar 2 by 10 or 2 by 12 for the fire board and a clear (or as clear as possible) 4-5 inch diameter round cedar fence post for the spindle (final length will be between 4 and 5 feet). The kind of wood you use for the top plate is not as critical. I have used pine for this. The bow should be fairly solid with a slight bend (it is a bow after all) and should be 8-10 feet long. I tend towards maple saplings and I do cut them live. Dead wood just isn’t strong and resilient enough.

•Measurement of the hole you burn in, it’s distance from the edge of the board, it’s depth and size, etc. are critical aspects and I will try to cover those in Part 2. I do use a rounded wood chisel to start my hole and get a group of strong people together to burn that initial hole in to approximately the diameter of the drill itself.

•The notch size is the other critical thing. The general rule of thumb for smaller kits is to look at the hole you have burned in (to the diameter of the drill) and imagine that it is a pie or pizza. Cut a notch that is roughly an 1/8th of a pizza, just short of the center and squared off. I make the notches for the big kits just slightly smaller…but not much.

I will cover the use of the kit in Part 2. Feel free to contact me directly if you have other questions.

Mark

The Infirmary

There is an aspect of camp that is frequently utilized, yet often overseen. It, perhaps, is the most thankless position throughout the summer. They work 24 hours a day, they are there at a moments notice, and are always willing to go the extra mile for you. They are seen as mom & dad, brother & sister, aunt and uncle.

They are the Health Center Staff.

They have great advice about life and that splinter you thought nothing about two weeks ago. They are there to help get that camper over home sickness and help you through that health issue on trail. Parents trust them to help their kids, Directors trust them to help their staff.

Here at Camp Manito-wish, the staff at the heath center are an integral part of the summer. We rely heavily on their experience and expertise. Whether it’s a call from trail or a missing form, they are woven into the success of a summer session.

To all of those who work in Camp Health Centers…Thank You!