by Jay Schuster

CHESTER — In the years since their 1997 purchase of 150 heavily wooded Grafton hillside acres, the members of Faerie Camp Destiny have been slowly progressing toward their goal of creating, according to their bylaws, a "Faerie sanctuary which would operate as a cultural learning center and spiritual oasis for those who call themselves Radical Faeries."
      That original purchase grew to 166 acres with the 2002 purchase of an adjacent parcel in Chester, Vermont, containing a popular, secluded swimming hole.
       Faerie Cypress says, "In the eight years since we bought the land, we've improved roads and hiking trails, installed fires pits for various community functions and brought all kinds of educational and theatrical programming into the woods with us."
        Gatherings at the camp are held regularly throughout the summer. "We usually have thirty-five people camping, and another thirty people, of all ages, shapes, and shades, drop by for dinner or a ritual."
       Gatherings on the land involve communal meals and activities. The highlight of the annual Lammas gathering, in the first weekend of August, is often a theater production. Past performances have included Gilgamesh, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Alice in Wonderland, and The Little Prince, each with its own perspective on faeries and faerie culture. Think camp – plus. All of this was done in a very primitive campground setting with no running water, and no permanent buildings. It takes a special kind of person, or the attraction of a special group of people, to keep people coming back year after year in such primitive conditions.
          "Folks have left our community because the building has taken too long. I feel really comfortable that the community-building we’ve been doing these nine years is much more important than physical structures," says Daisy Shaver.
        Last year, however, these physical structures started to become reality as Destiny broke ground, beginning their plans of building a permanent, physical, faerie sanctuary in southern Vermont. Trees were felled to create a meadow for circling and gathering, land was excavated for a lodge and septic system, and a well was drilled.
         Much design work was done to finalize the plans for the lodge, which will have a kitchen, dining hall, and a rest room with a shower. Also included in the plans are a bathhouse, three small cabins, and tent platforms. Spearheading the design is Matt Bucy, of White River Junction, Vermont. "Lately I've been reading a lot of design books in anticipation of the final leg of design for Destiny. I've been most interested in the question of 'what makes a place lovable?' What makes places that people adore and take care of and what makes places people disregard, disrespect and ignore? We want to avoid the latter!"
        Bambi Gauthier, who has been in the group since being a teenager, says, "In the year ahead, we'll be finalizing our building plans and submitting our changes to the state. Once we have approval from Act 250, we'll begin work on building a timber-frame lodge with straw bale walls. Work will also begin on putting in a low-impact septic system."
     In true Faerie fashion, the design process has been very collaborative. Matt spearheads a blog (fcddesign.blogspot.com), where you will find details on timber-frame and straw-bale construction, low-impact septic systems, and other sustainable, ecologically sensitive building techniques.
       Since part of their mission is to "care for and nurture elder Faeries and those incapacitated by illness or grief," they have taken accessibility issues very seriously, no small feat on an undeveloped hillside with almost no level ground. Bambi explains, "I've had to face challenges physically, and time and again folks at Destiny have made attempts to include me in events, tasks and fun activities taking into account my own personal ability. Although my disability is often not a problem, I find that Destiny as a community made attempts to accommodate my needs. More often than not, it's been a friendly face keeping an eye out for me or the group's efforts to make our primitive camp as accessible as possible."
        Bambi adds, "Destiny has worked hard to maintain a vision that respects the land and to include people who share our values regardless of gender, sexual identity, or physical ability."
       In addition to accessibility, development plans have been made with an eye towards sustainability. Daisy Shaver, who hails from New York City, says, "I feel strongly about developing gardens, orchards, and berry patches so faeries who one day live in Sanctuary will be able to grow food for themselves."
        You can learn more about Faerie Camp Destiny, their plans and activities at their web site: faeriecampdestiny.org

Jay Schuster is a Radical Faerie and vice president of Physician's Computer Company in Winooski. He lives in Richmond with his partner Dan Berns.