Epic last-minute details: directions! food! packing! skills!

Dearest and Most Epically Skilled Swappers,

We’re a little more than a week away from Skill Swap 2015, and we are so tremendously excited! This email has some final logistical details. It’s a long one, but everything in here is important (including information about the site, food, transit, packing, alcohol, etc.), so bear with us.

First, our site! Camp Wilmot, our home for the last three years, is a wonderful place, boasting a pond, cabins, camping areas, a wonderful barn, a spacious dining hall with a commercial kitchen, and beautiful woods. A few things to remember:

  • It is located on N. Wilmot Road in Wilmot, NH. Here’s a map.
  • It is a summer camp. That means rough surfaces, shared bathrooms, etc.
  • There’s no ATM in the vicinity, so bring cash with you
  • It’s a bit of a hike to the nearest grocery store, so if you anticipate needing snacks, be sure to provision before you arrive

Second, registration! Please note that Epic Skill Swap this year is sold out! Because of this, we’ll be accepting new folks only if we have cancellations. If you know someone who wants to come but didn’t register in time, have them join our waitlist, instead of just showing up. If you have registered and can’t come, please notify us ASAP so that we can give someone else your spot. We take cash or check for registration fees upon arrival.

Third, packing! Our recommended packing list is here:

  • Layers! May in New Hampshire can be unpredictable.
  • Rain gear (which you hopefully won’t need)
  • Sunscreen/insect repellent
  • Bathing suits and towels
  • If you are teaching a workshop, anything you might need in order to do so
  • Anything you might need for participating in workshops (for example, if you’re planning to take the AcroYoga class, you’ll want to have appropriate clothes)
  • A pen and a notebook, because more likely than not, you’re going to want to take down some notes about something you learn over the weekend.
  • Musical instruments if you want to jam/teach/whatever
  • A tent, if you’re planning on tenting
  • Sleeping bag/bedding for tent and cabin alike
  • Headlamp or flashlight
  • A water bottle
  • A blanket or camp chair for sitting on the ground
  • Snacks if you anticipate wanting them
  • Your wonderful selves, your bright smiles, and your village-building attitudes!!

Fourth, food! We will provide meals three times a day on Saturday and Sunday, and breakfast on Monday. All meals are vegetarian and vegan friendly, though Sunday dinner will have a meat option thanks to a generous donation of venison by one of our swappers. Most of the meals are also sensitive to gluten- and dairy-free folks. If you told us you have dietary limitations, you’ll be seeing an email this weekend with details on the menu so you can plan ahead. Feel free to supplement this bounty with your own ready-to-eat snackies. If you have specific dietary needs and opted out of group food when you registered, a small refrigerator will be reserved for you. Please note, however, that group meal prep will take priority in the hours directly before meals. If you are preparing your own food, please take that into consideration. You may want to bring a camp stove.

Fifth, Potluck: Friday evening is a potluck dinner. Please bring a dish to share, and please remember to label what’s in it for those with allergies and dietary restrictions.

Sixth, carpooling! If you’re able to offer, or are looking for, a ride, we’re trying out a new system this year using a group carpool website. Here’s how it works:

1) Follow the link for the carpool page for your region below. Group Carpool pages are accessible only to those who have the link and are not publicly searchable. Out of respect for everyone’s privacy, we ask that you not share the links beyond the ESS community.

2) On the Group Carpool page you can either Add a New Carpool (blue button) if you are offering rides, Join a Carpool (green buttons) if you need a ride, or add yourself to the Waitlist (orange-ish buttons) if you need a ride but there aren’t yet enough seats available.

3) Whichever option you choose, enter your contact info and other details about your trip (timing, location, number of seats, etc.) in the popup boxes. Remember, the info you enter is visible to other members of the ESS community who have the link to the page, but the page is not publicly searchable.

4) You will receive email notifications from the Group Carpool site when someone joins or leaves your carpool, when a new carpool becomes available in your region, or when someone joins the waitlist. You can return to the site at any time to update your carpool info, join or leave a car, add or remove a carpool, etc. If you have any questions, encounter any trouble, or need help, feel free to contact Ethan (the ESS rideshare volunteer) at rides.epicskillswap@gmail.com.

Seventh, skills! Every year, we intentionally leave space in our schedule for last-minute workshop additions. We do this in order to ensure that people who may have heard about Skill Swap recently can have a chance to teach, and to make space for inspiration as it strikes. This space will be given out to teachers on a first-come, first-served basis, starting on Friday afternoon. If you’ve got an idea for a workshop, please find Meghan after you arrive.

Finally, other notes:

  • Dogs: We love our furry friends, but there is a no-dogs policy in place at Epic Skill Swap (except for service animals).
  • Interwebs: There is spotty wireless internet at Camp Wilmot and the password will be available; however, please be conscious of helping us cultivate mindful interactions between people, and limit your web use to the physical spaces we’ve set aside for it
  • Kids: We love kids! Kids are the future! They should teach and learn with the best of ‘em. We have several workshops that are specifically designed for kids, and a number that are kid-friendly! However, we are not set up to provide childcare at this juncture. You are welcome to bring your children–we love it when people do–but if you do, they remain solely your responsibility. If you are under 18, you must attend Epic Skill Swap with a parent or guardian.
  • Alcohol: Alcohol is permitted at Epic Skill Swap due to a gracious flexibility in policy on Wilmot’s part, but please drink responsibly.
  • Drugs: Illegal drugs are absolutely not allowed at Epic Skill Swap. If you use illegal drugs, you will be asked to leave. Please understand that failing to observe this puts the organizers in a very awkward position, and there will be no exceptions here.
  • Legal Stuff: When you check in, you will be asked to sign a waiver. This basically indicates you understand what you’re getting into and you won’t hold the organizers or Camp Wilmot responsible should something go amiss. We will also have event insurance for the weekend. That said, please take care of yourselves and be safe.

With anticipation for imminent epicness,

The ESS 2015 Core Organizing Team