Have you always been interested in doing a Hante but couldn’t get past the idea of sleeping on the ground and carrying a backpack filled with all of your essential items (water bottle, selfie-stick, inflatable lounge chair and mani-peddie kit)? Are you worried that you’ll miss Lodge and Ali’s grit bread? No worries! In 2020 we’re introducing “Hante Glampapolosa” – that’s right- a GLAMPING Hante is in the works!
Mims Montgomery, our new Assistant Director, has been hard at work with the logistics. She has secured llamas that will be able to pack in all of gear, including Ali and a solar oven so that she can bake bread daily and make her famous peanut granola. Mims also has some leads on locations that are completely bug free! We’re excited about a couple of them, but are hoping to find one that isn’t enclosed in a dome. Mims is a master planner with more than a few tricks up her sleeve (she is a certified Maine Ranger and competitive jump roper after all), so we have confidence that she’ll be able to find the perfect spot!
So where will you sleep? Throughout the winter Kyle and Taylor have been busy constructing portable Coachella style Yurts that we can pop-up in each location. The wood was locally sourced from pine trees that fell during an ice storm this winter. We’ve also been able to enlist the help of Brian Quarrier, Outdoor Academy craft teacher and Hante Boundary Waters leader, and his students to weave and sew hundreds of plush colorful pillows with llama and fern print motifs. Initially Brian was unsure of how the pillow making related to the OA craft curriculum, but after making every variety of shoe he could think of decided to go with it. Brian reports “Kyle was able to find a source for sheep’s fleece and Ted and I teamed up to forage through the woods and find plants that we could use to dye the hand spun wool. Some students did have to skip Paddle Climb weekend, but I think that the final product was worth the effort. Plus now they have more ideas for potential future Etsy shops.”
Concerned about chilly nights? You’ll be toasty on Hante Glampapolasa thanks to the hand forged wood stoves Marlin created before he headed out of the trail. And to staying true to Leave No Trace practices we will be packing in all of our wood. Does purifying water from the stream get on your last nerve? We have a solution to that annoyance too; Andrew Muhn will be hiking in cases of pamplemousee La Croix daily. Starr will also make an appearance with a feast of make your own sushi (with fresh caught trout) and don’t be surprised if Armando shows up to DJ a pop-up Lodge.
Activities for Hante Glampapolosa include fire building, cloud watching, getting the perfect Instagram picture, and lessons on hand lettering. Cara may also join in for a week to teach fermenting and to help the participants create their own signature Hante kombucha. We are currently in talks with potential leaders Ellen Fox, Mad Dog Wofford and Alex Gallagher = DREAM TEAM! Cecilia Kucera and Paige’s dog Ricky Bobby are set to wrangle the 142 llamas it will take to carry all of our gear (including a few potted monster and pileas).
There’s no doubt that this will be a popular Hante. Registration will open in August. Set a reminder on your calendar and we’ll look forward to “glamping” with you in 2020.
Can’t wait? It’s not too late to sign up for Hante 2019. There are still some spots left in AT Trek, Rocks and Rivers (with Jake and Jenna), and Hante France (with Rodrigo).