Tom's Monthly Newsletter: April 2007

Hi Folks;

               Yet another month has sped by at record speed for me and I will be leaving in a few days for our series of California classes.  The California Standard Class has long since been booked to capacity and is always a great experience.  I will be running our “Search and Forensic Investigation” in California for the first time and it's a great cIass, so I am really looking forward to it.  We’re also running “Advanced Awareness” for the first time, and I think that the magnificent redwood landscapes should prove to be a great learning opportunity for all of us. 

               I am very pleased to announce that, starting this week in California, George Larson and Vanessa Herbst will be joining our Tracker staff, coming on board as our primary support and logistics folks. As many of you know, George has been a visiting instructor with us at Tracker for 18+ years, teaching self-defense and multi-cultural appreciation. Vanessa also brings an amazing skill set which includes martial arts instruction as well as a great understanding of strength and movement through gymnastics and formal dance. As a couple, their approach to teaching, and to life in general, fits in seamlessly with what we at Tracker are all about.  Please help me welcome them both.

               We just returned from WorldTracker’s amazing 10-day ecological, cultural, and survival adventure to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and what a tremendous time we all had.  Yes, it was the trip of a lifetime and absolutely packed full of information, adventure, and exploration.  We stood beside a tremendous active volcano, explored the rivers and rainforests of Nicaragua as well as the Caribbean shores nearby, and finally ended up on the pristine beaches of the Pacific, just north of Panama on the Costa Rican Osa Peninsula.  We rafted rapids, hacked our way through tangled jungle waterways, rode horses and explored the rainforests until we physically ached.  The sensory overload was both invigorating and exhausting.  There was very little time to rest because Marcos, Debbie, and I, wanted to pack in as much as we could in the span of 10 days. 

               The adventure went so well that Debbie and I are planning to return to Costa Rica next year for yet another tour, but this time it will be different.  Our plan is to begin the tour with a week long class on the “Spiritual Side of Edible and Medicinal Plants” associated with the Rain Forest.  The class will be run much the same way as any Tracker Class, with the exception of long excursions into the Rain Forest using our camp as our central location.  The second week will only be open to 20 students and we’ll spend time visiting many parts of Costa Rica and learning from the Medicine Men and Women who still exist there, practicing their old ways.  We should be making the announcement of when the class will run within the next month or so.  Let us know if this approach appeals to you.

Until then - All Good Medicine,