Channel Rock rocks
I am just back from an orientation trip for BGI. We spent 5 days at an eco-retreat center called Channel Rock up on Cortes Island in British Columbia.
Channel Rock is located on 140 acres of beautiful forest, part of which is said to be a sacred Native American burial ground. To be honest, I don’t doubt it. There is something special about that place that is palpable in the air. It is off the grid, with only solar power and generators. The wells are gravity-fed, except for a new one with a pump that was just getting fired up as we were there. The accommodations are sort of rustic, mostly tents, tipis, and yurts. There is one actual building called the Robyn’s Nest, perched up on a hill, where an artist (named Robyn of course) lived for a while. I was actually assigned to sleep there (with two other people), and was grateful given the chilly temperatures. There were only outhouses, plus one composting toilet. There was a solar shower (not always quite warm, but usually OK!) and a propane-driven one in the sauna that we were encouraged to use sparingly.
One main building is a cob house with a full kitchen, root cellar, and big open area for sitting in a circle. There is also a place called the Venture House, where we had class. The food they served was awesome. All organic, delicious, mostly vegetarian food (some fish was included), in great quantities. We were fed five times/day and could snack anytime (as if we needed that!). Yum. The final dinner was a feast of local salmon, roasted veggies, quinoa, fresh-baked bread, and some kind of chocolate mousse torte. How the heck they made that in a solar-powered kitchen, I don’t know, but there was some serious culinary talent there.
During the day, we had classes in the Venture House. We did group exercises to get to know each other, and got information from faculty about the classes we’d be taking. One class is a 1-credit one called Leadership and Personal Development (LPD). They feel that it gets short shrift with only 1 credit allowed, so they started us on it during this week. We were formed into 6-person teams that we will stay with during all 2 years and learned about the framework of the class. It sounds pretty interesting and deep; we are encouraged to do personal exploration, figure out our strengths and weaknesses, and start developing things like ethical insight, empathetic listening, and a holistic view of the world. I was impressed with how seriously they demand that we work on ourselves even as we strive to "change the world." After all, the greatest changes come inside, and without any inner change it is unlikely we can bring about effective outer change.
I like the members of my LPD team. We seem generally compatible as well as willing to address any differences that might come up. I’m sure we will have our strains as the pressure piles on during school, but I hope we’ll stay together psychologically as a group. Interestingly, we realized early on that all 6 of us are introverts. We are the calm, quiet group, I guess. BGI has more than its share of introverts for a business school, but have no doubt -- there are some serious extroverts among us! More than half the group, I’d say.
There were 31 people from “Cohort 5” (the 5th class at BGI) on this retreat. Total class size around 52, so I guess I’ve met 60%. I’ll see the rest at the first intensive in October.
When we weren’t in class, there was hiking, frisbee golf, kayaking, email (they have wireless), and napping. It was a tiring week. I found at least 4 other people who do/have done meditation. Several of us starting getting together an hour before breakfast to sit together, which was nice. I bet we can do that at Islandwood (on Bainbridge Island) too.
One particularly moving thing that all of us did was a nature meditation. We headed off into the woods in silence, where we sat alone, settled down, and were asked to contemplate a couple of questions by ourselves. We connected with the natural world in which we live and explored the concept of “right livelihood,” which is acting wisely in the world through one’s profession. (I am intrigued at the use of this term, which actually comes from Buddhism). It was quite profound, actually, to do that at such a wonderful place as Channel Rock. Afterwards, we could share our insights with the group or just keep them inside. It was a really nice exercise and most people seemed quite affected by it, even if they don’t do any kind of regular meditation.
I am thrilled to be attending a place where meditation is considered normal, people are encouraged to deepen their personal ethics, and business is seen as a natural way to do good in the world. And the people going to BGI! Not a dull one in the lot. Anyone who finds their way there must have something special going on inside. Gifford and Libba Pinchot have created something really great.
Finally the day came when we had to depart. The day started with a crazy boat ride out to the Cortes ferry. We took Gifford’s outboard motor-boat, which is tiny thing that seats perhaps 6 people. And it was raining! Everyone and everything (luggage-wise) got soaked. But we saw a seal and two loons out on the water. Cool. I spent the rest of the day trying to get dry and warm, but didn’t fully shake off the chill until I got into the warm bed at my aunt’s place in Portland. We arrived around 11:30 pm after leaving Cortes Island at 8:30 am. Long day!
Classes start on Sept 25th. We’ve just gotten our reading assignments and book lists, so I have to start ordering stuff. The first intensive at Islandwood is in four weeks. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the next 2 years!
Channel Rock is located on 140 acres of beautiful forest, part of which is said to be a sacred Native American burial ground. To be honest, I don’t doubt it. There is something special about that place that is palpable in the air. It is off the grid, with only solar power and generators. The wells are gravity-fed, except for a new one with a pump that was just getting fired up as we were there. The accommodations are sort of rustic, mostly tents, tipis, and yurts. There is one actual building called the Robyn’s Nest, perched up on a hill, where an artist (named Robyn of course) lived for a while. I was actually assigned to sleep there (with two other people), and was grateful given the chilly temperatures. There were only outhouses, plus one composting toilet. There was a solar shower (not always quite warm, but usually OK!) and a propane-driven one in the sauna that we were encouraged to use sparingly.
One main building is a cob house with a full kitchen, root cellar, and big open area for sitting in a circle. There is also a place called the Venture House, where we had class. The food they served was awesome. All organic, delicious, mostly vegetarian food (some fish was included), in great quantities. We were fed five times/day and could snack anytime (as if we needed that!). Yum. The final dinner was a feast of local salmon, roasted veggies, quinoa, fresh-baked bread, and some kind of chocolate mousse torte. How the heck they made that in a solar-powered kitchen, I don’t know, but there was some serious culinary talent there.
During the day, we had classes in the Venture House. We did group exercises to get to know each other, and got information from faculty about the classes we’d be taking. One class is a 1-credit one called Leadership and Personal Development (LPD). They feel that it gets short shrift with only 1 credit allowed, so they started us on it during this week. We were formed into 6-person teams that we will stay with during all 2 years and learned about the framework of the class. It sounds pretty interesting and deep; we are encouraged to do personal exploration, figure out our strengths and weaknesses, and start developing things like ethical insight, empathetic listening, and a holistic view of the world. I was impressed with how seriously they demand that we work on ourselves even as we strive to "change the world." After all, the greatest changes come inside, and without any inner change it is unlikely we can bring about effective outer change.
I like the members of my LPD team. We seem generally compatible as well as willing to address any differences that might come up. I’m sure we will have our strains as the pressure piles on during school, but I hope we’ll stay together psychologically as a group. Interestingly, we realized early on that all 6 of us are introverts. We are the calm, quiet group, I guess. BGI has more than its share of introverts for a business school, but have no doubt -- there are some serious extroverts among us! More than half the group, I’d say.
There were 31 people from “Cohort 5” (the 5th class at BGI) on this retreat. Total class size around 52, so I guess I’ve met 60%. I’ll see the rest at the first intensive in October.
When we weren’t in class, there was hiking, frisbee golf, kayaking, email (they have wireless), and napping. It was a tiring week. I found at least 4 other people who do/have done meditation. Several of us starting getting together an hour before breakfast to sit together, which was nice. I bet we can do that at Islandwood (on Bainbridge Island) too.
One particularly moving thing that all of us did was a nature meditation. We headed off into the woods in silence, where we sat alone, settled down, and were asked to contemplate a couple of questions by ourselves. We connected with the natural world in which we live and explored the concept of “right livelihood,” which is acting wisely in the world through one’s profession. (I am intrigued at the use of this term, which actually comes from Buddhism). It was quite profound, actually, to do that at such a wonderful place as Channel Rock. Afterwards, we could share our insights with the group or just keep them inside. It was a really nice exercise and most people seemed quite affected by it, even if they don’t do any kind of regular meditation.
I am thrilled to be attending a place where meditation is considered normal, people are encouraged to deepen their personal ethics, and business is seen as a natural way to do good in the world. And the people going to BGI! Not a dull one in the lot. Anyone who finds their way there must have something special going on inside. Gifford and Libba Pinchot have created something really great.
Finally the day came when we had to depart. The day started with a crazy boat ride out to the Cortes ferry. We took Gifford’s outboard motor-boat, which is tiny thing that seats perhaps 6 people. And it was raining! Everyone and everything (luggage-wise) got soaked. But we saw a seal and two loons out on the water. Cool. I spent the rest of the day trying to get dry and warm, but didn’t fully shake off the chill until I got into the warm bed at my aunt’s place in Portland. We arrived around 11:30 pm after leaving Cortes Island at 8:30 am. Long day!
Classes start on Sept 25th. We’ve just gotten our reading assignments and book lists, so I have to start ordering stuff. The first intensive at Islandwood is in four weeks. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the next 2 years!
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