DID SURVIVAL GUIDE

Dear Friends and Citizens,

We are set to gather for another Independence Days Celebration in Darbukastan! We are looking forward to your return Home with great anticipation. We must say we approach this event with not a little trepidation as well. When The Citizenry returns Home we feel a responsibility which relates to our desire to see you all enjoy the event to its fullest and to leave in better condition than that in which you arrive. We care deeply about each and every one in our special community. With that concern in mind, we trust you will read and heed the advice contained herein.
Spirithaven is a beautiful and welcoming place. As there is a balance in everything in life there is also potentially dangerous side to this land. We ask that you content yourselves by remaining in areas specifically designated for your use. The reasons for this include the fact that:
There are life forms that would rather be left alone and will leave you alone if you honor their wishes. Each year we have to remove several copperheads form the areas surrounding our festival grounds. We also encounter black widow spiders as we clear brush and make our grounds comfortable. We feel good about the fact that the camping areas are safe but if you or your children venture outside of those areas there is a potential for consequences that could affect our mutual enjoyment of the event.
We try to rid the camping area of poison oak, ivy and briars to the best of our ability. The area around the periphery of the grounds still contains a significant quantity of this "irritating" foliage.
Yellow Jacket Wasps and Hornets inhabit areas of brush and embankments on the periphery of more "developed" areas. If you are allergic, an epi-pen is always a good thing to have along with you.
We know you are seasoned campers but please bear the following in mind;
June at Spirithaven can be chilly. Please bring warm clothing for possible cold nights.
June at Spirithaven can be hot. Please consider this as well and make certain that you remain well-hydrated.
It occasionally rains at Spirithaven. Sometimes it rains incessantly. Please consider camping in well-drained areas. Also, plan to use a good ground cloth under your tent and a fly over it to prevent your belongings from becoming too well-hydrated.
We ask that you have no campfires. There is a nice fire pit courtesy of our friends at Front Porch Fest that is available for community use.
There are some rather pesky insects which are generally most bothersome at night. Bug repellent is a good idea, consider adding some to your gear.
We are hopeful that the Sun will shine warming our celebration in many ways. Please enjoy the Sun responsibly and use sunscreen to prevent unfortunate overexposure.
Spirithaven is a working farm and unfortunately we cannot allow pets on the property.
DID is trying to be and remain "kid-friendly". We ask that parents keep close tabs on their children. We are a warm and loving community but your children are your responsibility. Some DID Citizens have raised their children and are now enjoying more personal time. Please help us meet the needs of all participants by not asking the community to "babysit" for you.
We have been trying to create a more centralized festival area, moving from our former site in front of our homes to the pavilion area proper. We strongly encourage folks to camp in the new area and invite you to find a space and make it your own. Several groups have done this with nice results. Feel free to make some improvements as you see fit (e.g. stone walls in the wooded areas, cleared paths, etc) but please don't cut the trees. When you personalize space in the new area this campsite will be yours as long as you return to DID. We have a new shower facility planned but have not been able to make it a reality yet so we will still need to use the old shower house.
A new wading pond has been created with our children in mind. It is in the stream that separates the festival grounds from the parking lot. This is an area where kids can be kids and explore their environment, probably getting dirtier than you'd like. As this area is now available, we'd appreciate it if the other wet areas, for example the pond near the new meditation garden, be kept off-limits to young nature-lovers. Any children wishing to use the big pond for swimming MUST have adult supervision. Swimming in the pond is restricted to daylight hours.

Do not trust GPS to get you to Spirithave Farm; it will usually get you very lost. Go instead to our directions page. When you arrive, you can check in and proceed to your campsite or get assistance in finding one as need be. If, despite repeated requests, you have not filled-out your registration information, you will need to do that before you cross the border. The wrist of your choice will be adorned with a purple or gold band depending on your age.

Consider yourself off the grid. You will get little to no cell service.

We trust your journey to Spiritahven and your pilgrimage to Darbukastan will be enjoyable. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to improve your trip or your stay, let us know.
We look forward with great anticipation to your arrival and to the celebration of Darbukastan's Independence.
Blessings and Safe Road!


back