gapper program 2.0

Kai Duby wrote:I am just about ready to put down my $100 and head on up to Montana but I'm wondering if a tiny truck camper would be acceptable living quarters up at the lab. I've been living out of it for a few weeks and since I don't use electricity or propane it's basically a big box tent in a pick up bed. Would parking it somewhere out of the way but close by be alright?

I just noticed this post.  

Kai has now been here over a year.

Ben Skiba wrote:My name is Ben Skiba I am very much interested in gapping at  wheaton labs in the spring.april-may whenever you'll have me.I've listened to 100 podcasts and watched alot of videos More videos on Sepp who's my hero.I just like growing things building things tinkering and feel wheaton labs is the closest thing their is to seppin it.Anyway I wanna get the process started.Wanted to make sure you were still accepting gappers and what not.

-B

Ben has now been here almost a year.

paul wheaton wrote:A gapper forks over a $100 gapper fee and then we will work with them to make all the arrangements for them to come out. We will arrange a bunk, maybe a spot to pitch a tent, but we do have proper bunks too (especially for winter).

paul wheaton wrote:Rides to and from the airport or bus station are $15 for "reasonable hours" and $35 for after 9pm and before 8am.

The $15 is paid to the driver - usually one of our community members. So this could mean a total of $130 to come out here if you need a ride both at arrival and departure.

We also subsidize the pickup driver with some coin from the gapper (or boot) fee, because $15 doesn't really cover their gas, vehicle use, and time. This (it bears repeating), along with many other things, means the gapper fees do not cover all our costs in facilitating visitors.

The overall mission is to have really awesome permaculture people visiting, learning and helping, and maybe they'll even decide to stay a while (like Kai and Ben!).

Hello there! I am seriously thinking about becoming a full time resident at Wheaton Labs within the next year. I've listened to close to 200 podcasts and I really like the cut of y'alls jib I wanted to take a week off of work here and take a trip out there around the beginning of May (that's the time I've found the cheapest airplane tickets) to give everything a trial run and see if I would be a good fit there. Do you think that the beginning of May would be a decent time for me to visit? I know you guys are doing a PDC at the end of May.

At least in may things are warm enough that you can stay in a tent.  

You also have a lot more options.  You can join the permaculture bootcamp (if there are openings) or you can arrange to be a gapper for an ant.

Could gappers and/or bootcampers participate in classes and workshops through volunteering? I am wanting to come there to have an immersive experience that is going to expand my knowledge in permaculture and natural building.

Could gappers and/or bootcampers participate in classes and workshops through volunteering? I am wanting to come there to have an immersive experience that is going to expand my knowledge in permaculture and natural building.

workshops:  It can be arranged.   It depends on the event.  For the upcoming bootcamp, we are making it so that if a person has been in the bootcamp long enough, they can attend the pdc and/or the ATC.

Kai is a gapper, and he is going to be helping to teach the upcoming roundwood timber framing workshop.

Ben is a gapper, and I think he was at the natural building workshop last year.  

With the new bootcamp program, the plan is that a lot of time will be spent on natural building projects and gardening projects.

I just joined this site so I don't know how to specifically word this. So is this a work to live type deal? I pay my amount come out work and live or is there more fees involved? (By the way depending on how this works I'm looking at a forever life in the land)
Also I have a 2 and 3 yr old. Is there a way to get a simple rundown on how this works?
I wonder since both me and my wife slave at 2 jobs each and can barely live out of a somewhat decent apartment and this sounds like heaven in comparison and I believe in a "work your worth" attitude . I don't want to write my life story and I'm wondering on a simple explanation mainly because I don't get much time to look around. I will obviously use any free time to listen and learn more about this opportunity.
ALSO
Sorry to talk your ear off but (depending) would I be able to over time till we can come there during the gap send money for you guys to get more animals (for everyone of course and depending on the gap some for safe keeping till we get there and make a home) and hold onto equipment.

The folks that are in the bootcamp program are gappers.  

A gapper comes, and maybe they just get a tour and go on their way.  Maybe they want to help out a particular ant, so they make arrangements with that ant.  Maybe they join the bootcamp program for a week and then go and be a gapper with an ant.   I feel like there are probably a thousand paths for a gapper and each gapper does something different.

A family might be better with being an ant in ant village.  The idea is that you rent an acre for a year, set up a tent and start to build your personal utopia.  One person from the family might spend a week or two in the bootcamp each year to cover the rent for next year.  Or they can pay with coin.  

We have somebody here now that came with his wife and three kids.  I was pretty skeptical about it - but it seems to be working out rather well.   They all contribute and they are eating their own food.  Usually for a boot we provide food staples.   So they kinda came up with their own plan and it seems to be working out great.  

I've had some people arrive with kids and they just seemed hell bent on destroying everything.   And both parents turn out to be pretty useless at getting things done - so that doesn't work.  

For me, I have limited funds and lot of work to do.    At the same time, I have plot of land for people that are keen on the same flavor of permaculture that I'm into.  Sometimes we can get figure out a dealio and everything is spiffy.

paul wheaton wrote:
We have somebody here now that came with his wife and three kids.  I was pretty skeptical about it - but it seems to be working out rather well.   They all contribute and they are eating their own food.  Usually for a boot we provide food staples.   So they kinda came up with their own plan and it seems to be working out great.

I am mainly a gardener and can grow ANYTHING so I can see myself not only providing food just for my family but everyone else as well (setting up shop baisically) I might come with more than just my family depending on how things are on your end and if it's vaible. I'll email you with more details and see what you think so I don't clog this up. Also thank you for responding so fast I've never met a better group of people than on this site and yourself.

Anthony Minot wrote:
I am mainly a gardener and can grow ANYTHING so I can see myself not only providing food just for my family but everyone else as well (setting up shop baisically) I might come with more than just my family depending on how things are on your end and if it's vaible. I'll email you with more details and see what you think so I don't clog this up. Also thank you for responding so fast I've never met a better group of people than on this site and yourself.

Try to keep as many of the questions here, in the forums, as you can.

At this time, since there is currently room in the bootcamp, we stick pretty much everybody into the bootcamp - unless they specify something else.  

To explore the idea of being an ant or a deep roots plot, check out these threads:

https://permies.com/t/44793/ant-village

https://permies.com/t/24680/deep-roots-alternative-buying-land

Before you can start doing stuff on your plot, you need to have listened to at least 200 podcasts.   Gappers and boots do not need to listen to podcasts.

So, ants - is a gapper needed by any of you wonderful people?

I am much more experienced with permaculture than most, having lived a good chunk of the last three years in unpowered situations, whether on property or camping. I am very comfortable with gardening, woodfire cooking with staple foods, making campfire coffee, light woodworking, and working with cob and adobe. At the beginning of last year I built a garden for a friend before leaving the East Coast. When Paul began this program I had a very strong urge to participate and inquired toward it, but as a mom of 5 with a brand new baby at that time and an unwilling husband, I felt unable to do so. Now, said husband is out of the picture in one way and another, and I feel able to look at this again.

The catch is that I will not be bringing child care, nor will I be bringing much coin. I understand that families with children are already present. Does anyone think it might be a possibility that I could barter work for child care? Should I be able to work out the details, my intention is to work into being an ant myself, and two of my kids are old enough to work with me. (We homeschool, so it would just become part of lessons.) Depending on the answers I receive here, I should be able to take a Greyhound into Missoula within a week or two of this posting date. I'm looking forward to responses!

Shan Renz wrote:So, ants - is a gapper needed by any of you wonderful people?

I am much more experienced with permaculture than most, having lived a good chunk of the last three years in unpowered situations, whether on property or camping. I am very comfortable with gardening, woodfire cooking with staple foods, making campfire coffee, light woodworking, and working with cob and adobe. At the beginning of last year I built a garden for a friend before leaving the East Coast. When Paul began this program I had a very strong urge to participate and inquired toward it, but as a mom of 5 with a brand new baby at that time and an unwilling husband, I felt unable to do so. Now, said husband is out of the picture in one way and another, and I feel able to look at this again.

The catch is that I will not be bringing child care, nor will I be bringing much coin. I understand that families with children are already present. Does anyone think it might be a possibility that I could barter work for child care? Should I be able to work out the details, my intention is to work into being an ant myself, and two of my kids are old enough to work with me. (We homeschool, so it would just become part of lessons.) Depending on the answers I receive here, I should be able to take a Greyhound into Missoula within a week or two of this posting date. I'm looking forward to responses!

Shan, I just want to say that we've seen your post here at base camp, and I think there have been some offline conversations about if/how this might work. Your post did not go unnoticed!

Ant village folks are not online as often, and the family with kids are here at base camp, not in ant village, so there might not be as much of an opportunity to coordinate childcare with the two different locations.

We so appreciate your interest and your desire to be here!

hey there, im trying to find more info on who to be contacting for the opportunity to come and spend some time! thanks

From the first post in this thread

Ask questions in this thread. When you are ready, send $100 (plus $20 for each additional person) via paypal to paul at richsoil.com (or bitcoin: 177pNU2a9iCpUXQwXX9EbtA2UwZpgeqcMT ) and somebody here will contact you via email.

Sydney, You will get more specific information on the lab location once you are accepted into one of the programs. For now Paul likes to keep that confidential.
Several of the ants go to town once in a while so they do have rides available , they also have bikes from a shop in town that refurbishes them. You can find out more when you are in contact with an ant.

Brandon you can take a look in the Wheaton labs forum HERE to see who is an ant and reply to their posts asking for help.

I have the first week of august off and wanting to come out  as a gapper of course and was making sure that it would be ok before I get a plane ticket.  The 100 bucks seems more than reasonable.  I would like to make some kumbucha, beef jerky, fermented chicken feed and other stuff when I come out.  Would be camping, ie tent or hammock.  Wouldn't mind a phone call from an ant if possible.

Hello all the beautiful people at Wheaton Labs! I was wanting to come out and work with you all again! Much longer this time! I am getting ready to buy my bus ticket for sunday6-26-2017 Monday or Tuesday. Please let me know which day is best.

Miles, thanks for replying to Sydney and Bandon!

Jeff and Scott - sorry for the delayed replies everyone! We've been a bit preoccupied with the PDC and ATC.

Scott, do you have a ride for arriving Sunday, Monday or Tuesday? Want to help Fred with boot program stuff?

Jeff, the first week of August would be fine! Or did an ant already contact you?

I'm sure you all are very busy! Yes Boot is what I was thinking , it will be great to work with Fred and Kai ! I was planning on anytime after June 26th. Is there a day someone's going into town anyway? I'll definitely pay for gas+tip:). Let me know if there's anything else I can do. Thank You Thank You!

HI Jocelyn,

My wife thought it would be best if we did a trip together and we are going someplace that week.  Would like to come in Sept if I can get the time off work, thanks jeff

Jeff Wesolowski wrote:HI Jocelyn,

My wife thought it would be best if we did a trip together and we are going someplace that week.  Would like to come in Sept if I can get the time off work, thanks jeff

Hi Jeff! I just saw this now as I've been armpit deep in other things. September might be fairly quiet around here - I think that sounds lovely!

This sounds so neat. I'm trying to establish our fledgling ecovillage now and only a few of us bought into the land and only my wife and I have moved there. Paul can you give us advice on how to bring other potentially like minded people to join what we are doing without opening ourselves up to too much risk?

Dustin Nemos wrote: Paul can you give us advice on how to bring other potentially like minded people to join what we are doing without opening ourselves up to too much risk?

Podcasts!

About what? I stumble through things diy but don't know enough about homestead topics to teach anything

Dustin,  I think Paul suggested podcasts as a way for you to talk about yourself, your views on the world and your ecovillage. Doing this helps other folks understand what kind of a community they would be joining , brings like minded folks to you, and helps you weed out folks who might be a risk. Listen to some of Pauls podcasts and you will get the idea.

I think the same would be true if you posted videos or had a blog attached to your village website, that folks could take a look at.

Miles Flansburg wrote:Dustin,  I think Paul suggested podcasts as a way for you to talk about yourself, your views on the world and your ecovillage. Doing this helps other folks understand what kind of a community they would be joining , brings like minded folks to you, and helps you weed out folks who might be a risk. Listen to some of Pauls podcasts and you will get the idea.

I think the same would be true if you posted videos or had a blog attached to your village website, that folks could take a look at.

... Or maybe he is referring to his podcasts about this topic. He describes the whole process of getting to the status quo, including many of the problems that led to some of the decisions. Worth listening to, even if you do not plan to start an ecovillage.

We are still experimenting with the gapper program, ant village and the bootcamp program.   But I think the primary ingredient is:


1)  you wish for folks to come for three years or more.  Preferably more.  Like 20+ years.  

2)  For a central leader, people would need to know if that person is their kind of person.  Is it a match?  I have put out hundreds of podcasts.   99% of the people that listen to them learn quickly "not a match".  But there are a few that learn that it is a match.  This improves the odds of things lasting many years.