"Aside from uncomfortably hard and lumpy ground that made sleeping difficult, no faucet for washing, scratchy weeds and grass that crept into my sleeping bag and the happy smiles on the faces of ants, beetles and mosquitoes who enjoyed a daily meal, my recent five-day camping and ceremonial experience was good.

It was a good experience because I was far away from the television news reports of the war in Iraq and the death count there. I didn't think about the upcoming elections. It was a time for silent prayer and contemplation. It was a time to watch the sun set in a tremulous tangle of dark clouds and to watch the early morning sky begin to glow in the east and gently turn the horizon pink and gold."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Peace, tranquility of the hinterland soothes soul (The Grand Forks Herald 7/31)

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