Reproduced from from: http://web.archive.org/web/20090107053743/http://www.earthcircle.org/special.html

Photo (c) Marguerite Lorimer

Some of the special events led by Red Hawk have become a tradition, or otherwise warrant a little more description:

Red Hawk's annual pilgrimage to the High Country.

As a young man, Charles Red Hawk Thom trained in the High Country wilderness of Northern California.  Every year, he returns to visit the wilderness areas of his training to gather medicine and listen to the Great Spirit's teaching brought forth by the natural high country setting.   This trip into the High Country will allow us to join him as he returns to his old training grounds for spiritual sustenance and renewal.  We will hike into the wilderness on mountain trails, create a base camp, build a sweat lodge, and purify ourselves throughout the week. 

We will cover 5 to 8 miles in one day, and will plan to hike for two days to reach our base camp area.  We may reach altitudes of around 7,000 feet as we journey to various power points in our day hikes from the base camp.  This is an opportunity for personal retreat and renewal, and a chance to deepen our bond to Mother Earth and all our Relations.

We provide the food and the preparation so that you are free to spend your time focusing on your own experience, with the medicine teachings of Mother Earth and Red Hawk.  Pack horses will carry our food and tools;  all you will be required to carry is your own clothing and gear.  Meals will be vegetarian with optional meat supplements.  We can attend to certain special dietary needs with advance notice.

In preparation for this trip, we recommend that you spend a little quiet time each day; any meditation or exercise that quiets the mind is good.  We will be living in community, not only with each other, but with the trees, the land, the animals and the spirits.  It is important that an attitude of respect be held within each of us for everything and everyone we come into contact with during this time.

We also recommend that you participate in regular exercise in preparation for this journey.  Aerobic and strengthening exercise will help you to more fully enjoy the pleasures of the hike, and be able to focus beyond one's physical needs.

We are looking forward to traveling with you.  If you would like more information, contact Earth Circle Association at (530) 468-2227 or 888-81-EARTH (888-813-2784).

Red Hawk and Mount Shasta.

Mount Shasta is considered one of the most sacred mountains to not only Native Americans, but also to followers of many spiritual and religious traditions.  For Charles Red Hawk Thom, he carries on a traditional relationship to Mount Shasta as it was taught to him by his grandfather and other tribal elders.  Red Hawk first set foot on the sacred mountain as a child, led by his grandfather and other elders.  Their pilgrimage was long and arduous, as there were no roads or other developments on the mountain at that time.  By tradition, they prepared carefully for their journey, and purified themselves prior to ever setting foot on the mountain. 

Red Hawk was called back to the mountain years ago by the Great Spirit to renew the traditional relationship that had been initiated to him by his grandfather, and to protect the mountain from development and desecration.  He has worked tirelessly with other groups of people, both Native American and non-native to keep it in pure form.  

In recent years, Red Hawk has been concerned about the impact that even well-intentioned persons attending his traditional annual sweat lodge ceremony, held every year at the end of July or first of August, can have on the fragile wilderness ecosystem of the mountain.  Lower Panther Meadows, where he has held his lodge annually, hosts many endangered and fragile forms of life.  Our human presence can greatly alter the delicate balance needed for many special life forms to thrive.  The local U.S.D.A. Forest Service has also shared these concerns, and has conducted various studies on impacts on the local flora and fauna.  He has worked in conjunction with the Forest Service staff to maintain the regulations that limit camping and foot traffic in the Panther Meadows area. 

While Red Hawk will be continuing his annual Sweat Lodge Ceremonies on Mount Shasta, he is asking that all persons attending please abide by the regulations of the Forest Service.  Camping is limited at Lower Panther Meadows, however there are other campsites on the mountain and accommodations in nearby Mount Shasta City.  For information about camping and regulations, please contact the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in Mount Shasta, at 530-926-4511, 926-3781, or 926-4596.  Note that this event is not sponsored by Earth Circle.  Information is provided here as a courtesy.

For more information, contact Charlie Thom or Earth Circle Association at 530-468-2277.

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