HOWDY FOLKS

 Updated 6/24/16 7:30 p.m. California time

Welcome Home
45th Annual Rainbow Family Gathering of the Tribes
Last week of June (give or take) to July 7

We, who are brothers & sisters, children of God, families of life on earth, friends of nature & of all people, children of humankind calling ourselves Rainbow Family Tribe, humbly invite:

•     All races, peoples, tribes, communes, men, women, children, individuals -- out of love.
•     All nations & national leaders -- out of respect
•     All religions & religious leaders -- out of faith
•     All politicians -- out of charity

 to join with us in gathering together for the purpose of expressing our sincere desire that there shall be peace on earth, harmony among all people. & to hold open worship, prayer, chanting or whatever is the want or desire of the people, for three days, but upon the fourth day of July at noon to ask that there be a meditative, contemplative silence wherein we, the invited people of the world may consider & give honor & respect to anyone or anything that has aided in the positive evolution of humankind & nature upon this, our most beloved & beautiful world -- asking blessing upon we people of this world & hope that we people can effectively proceed to evolve, expand, & live in harmony & peace.

Feel free to arrive a few weeks early to create the gathering and/or stay a few weeks late to clean it all up.

RAP 107 ~ Gathering Consciousness

Please protect this Beautiful Land.

Walk softly. Harm no living thing. Harmonize - Blend in. Use only down, dead wood. Cut no living trees. Preserve the Meadows...camp in the Woods. We are caretakers of this land.
Everyone sharing makes a strong Human Tribe!

Please Protect the Water Sources by staying out of DELICATE spring areas. Avoid camping, peeing, washing above spring areas. Keep ALL soap (including biodegrable, Dr. Bronners, etc) out of streams, springs or the creek! Use a bucket to take your bath 60 feet away from the water source.
 
To be certain of drinking water: boil it for 20 minutes!  Use the slit trenches or covered latrines - cover your paper & waste with ashes or lime, wash hands. Break the fly/illness connection: shit-fly-food-you! Dig no shitters near water areas or kitchens.

Protect our Health! Use your own cup, bowl & spoon! Wash them after eating and rinse in disinfectant-water.
 
Visit C.A.L.M./M.A.S.H. if you feel ill - especially if you have a contagious disease - or are injured.

Camp Together - Establish neighborhoods. Community Fires only! ~ Each with 5 gallon water bucket and shovel for Fire Protection. If you are the last to leave a fire PUT IT OUT!

Watch your gear: Be Responsible ~ "Tempt Not Lest Ye Be Lifted From."

Pets are discouraged but if you must bring them keep them fed, on a leash and out of the kitchens, springs & fights. Clean up their poop. Clean up their poop. Love them.

PACK IT IN - PACK IT OUT !!!

Cleanup begins when you arrive. Bring in only what is necessary. There is no janitor here...you are the cleanup crew. Separate Garbage for recycling. Don't litter - Find collection point. Compost in pits only.

You are the Gathering! Participate in Shanti Sena, the peace keepers council, and all activities, councils, work crews, workshops. Volunteer wherever needed: kitchens, welcome home, firewatch, parking lot, shitter digging, supply, front gate, etc. R-E-S-P-E-C-T your Sisters & Brothers energies. Keep the Balance: Earth, Sky, Trees, Water & People!

Alcohol is Discouraged, Guns are Inappropriate, Violence is contrary to the Spirit. Please take no photographs or videos of people without permission. Discourage Drug Abuse.

Buying and selling endangers our legal right to be here. The Magic Hat is our Bank, donate early to fund our Needs. The Magic Hat goes around at mealtime circles and with the Magic Hat Band.

Our power together is many times our power separated.

Enjoy the Rainbow with an open heart and you Will see the Vision.

Join us for the July 4th Silent Contemplation & Prayer for Peace, respect those maintaining silence from dawn. Hold the silence until the arrival of the Children's Parade and all the children are in the center of our circle.

Click here for the some suggestions on what to bring. Remember the more you bring in the more you need to hike out and take home.

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

CONSENSUS:
Spring counsel for the 45th annual rainbow family of living light gathering of the tribes reached consensus by passing the feather in silence that we encourage individuals to gather at the Berry Field site.

***** DIRECTIONS *****

From all points South take Highway 7 from Manchester Vermont towards Danby, Vermont (north of Manchester, VT). Go 10 miles and turn right on Forest Road 10 (aka Brooklyn Rd) in Danby. Check the odometer and call this @0.0.  Hairpin turns and climbing. Big Branch Picnic Area @2.5. Appalachian trail @3.0. The site is 6 miles on your left. FS31 @ 6.2.

From Interstate 91 in Vermont
Take I-91 North to Exit 6 in Vermont. Take US-5 West towards Chester, Vermont (US-5 becomes or intersects 103 West - you want to end up on 103 West heading towards Chester).  Continue through Chester, Vermont where the road becomes VT-11 (was 103 West).  Drive approximately 14 miles. You will see a Clarks Grocer Store on the left down a small hill. Shortly after that turn right onto Landgrove Road. Drive 2.8 miles.  Landgrove Road will do a 90 degree turn to the left. Drive 1.8 miles past the turn you will see the Landgrove Inn on your right. Go approximately 1/4 miles past the Inn. Take a left turn onto Little Michigan Road. Drive approximately 1/4 mile and take a right hand turn on to Forest Road 10. Go 7 miles to site.

Alternate route from I-91 in Vermont
From points East (like Boston, Cape Cod, Berkshires, Maine, etc) via Interstate 91 in Vermont.
Make your way to Londonderry, Vermont using any map or GPS. Shop @ Clark's IGA which has BLOCK ICE (closes 9 PM)!  Take hwy 11 west a half mile.  Turn right on Landgrove and go 2.8 miles. At the fork follow Landgrove to the left for another 1.2 miles. Watch for Little Michigan Rd where you will go left for just .4 miles. Take a right on Forest Road 10 (brown forest servce sign).  Go 7 miles to the site.

NEW:   If you decide to take 30 North out of Brattleboro to get to Londonderry, VT, note that 30 North joins up with 100 North, just after the town of Townshend, and the road carries both names for a while. To get to Londonderry, you will need to take the 100 North when the two roads split apart, at the village of Rawsonville. Look for a Honeypie Restaurant and "Ski and Sport Shop" on your left- where you turn right onto 100 North.  100 North will take you to the Clark's IGA mentioned above.


From all points North
Take Highway 7 from Rutland, Vermont. Go 20 miles and take a left turn on Forest Road 10. The site is 6 miles on your left.

GPS: N 43.36087 W 72.90240
The 2 main trails start between FS 31 and FS 30 on FS 10 near Danby, VT. Walk north. FS 31 is gated and one of the main trails.



Parking is mostly on the road please pay attention to any for any forest service signs related to parking.   Keep in mind that we will be using a shuttle system for parking at some point and unless you're pulling in soon, you will be parking at a distance and hopping a shuttle or walking to the trailhead.

TIP!  In the early days, the USFS may change the parking rules multiple times and the parking that was legal when you put your car there may become illegal two days later. Stay plugged in to the parking rules on a daily basis for at least the next week or two if you want to avoid your car being ticketed to towed.

NEW INFO!    It seems that the Law Enforcement Officers (LEO's) are pretty regularly parked on the side of Forest Service Road 10, watching and pulling people over. They are set up "just past the last houses" and also between mile marker 3 and mile marker 3.5    Please make sure your car is legal and going within the allowed speed limit.


Please note there are Wilderness Areas near here and we want to stay out of the Wilderness Areas unless you're taking a hike.

Site Map with Trails, camps and kitchens.
For a link to a high resolution copy, click HERE.

Topo Map of Site Showing Major Locations

Click here for a Google Map from Danby, VT.
Click here for a topo map of the area with the coordinates circled in red.

Using Public Transit

Best place to get to if your busing, training, or flying is Albany, NY. We will be near Danby which is just off route seven about 75 miles north east of Albany, NY.

There is a bus which leaves the Albany, NY airport 7 days a week at 2:30 pm which travels up rte seven. The closest town where there is a stop is Manchester VT -- about 15 miles away from Danby. The price is $12.00 each way.  For more info, contact https://www.vttranslines.com/.

The nearest commercial airport is actually in Rutland, VT but it is really expensive to fly into that airport and the plane is a little puddle jumper

There is also a Yankee bus service which goes three times daily between Bennington, VT and downtown Albany. Bennington is about 40 miles south of Danby. The fare is $4. One would still have to get transportation from the airport to downtown Albany, NY.  There is city bus service to and from the airport.

A bus runs from Manchester to Rutland and from Rutland to Manchester and stops in Danby in both directions. Cost is $2. Driver will make unscheduled stops upon request, so you should be able ask the driver to stop at Forest Road 10 (aka Brooklyn Rd).  Click here for bus schedule. 

Please check back before you hit the road or leave internet access as updates will be provided as I get them.  Generally the more information becomes available a few days after the initial directions are posted. I will put a note at the top of this post with the date/time updated.

Click here for a handy printable version of this information in PDF format.


Rumor has it that there is good shopping in Brattleboro Vermont of I-91 at the southern end of Vermont.

Tips for avoiding New York State toll roads: 
How to get across New York state to the gathering without paying any tolls. Irom I 70 in Hagerstown, Maryland take I-81 north to Binghampton, NYI 88 northeast from Binghampton to Albany from Albany take NY rte 7 east which turns in Vermont Route 9 at the border. take a left when you get to Vermont Route 7 and head north to Danby, Vermont.

Misc. Info

 Elevation is 600 meters or about 2000 feet.

Please keep compost pits covered.
 For folks coming from the EAST, do your final shopping in Brattleboro, VT on I-91 just over the state line from Mass. It's a great town with a HUGE food co-op (feels like Whole Foods inside) and box stores. They like us … give them your business! If you can make it to Londonderry before 9 PM though, skip the ice in Brattleboro and buy the block ice at Clark's IGA in Londonderry. Clark's closes at 9 PM.

If you have questions about parking and shuttles, click here. 

Please copy and distribute freely. Ignore all rumors of cancellation.