The Therian Timeline

The Howl Book
The Howl is the centerpiece of Therian society. It is very simply a gathering of Therians.

I've been attending Howls since New Years, 2000 and I've been organizing them since 2002. The Howl I've had most experience with has been the Southeast Howl but I've attended and helped organize several Howls in the southeastern United States.

Perennial discussions on Therian forums are about how to organize Howls, what are Howls like, how do you find local Howls, etc.

I offer this website as a guide to organizing and attending Howls. It's not writ in stone. It's simply my experience. You may experience Howls differently, but it should, at  least, offer some insight – a place to start. You want find recipes in the cooking section (for that, see the Stuff Files on my website) nor will you find first aid procedures in the first aid section. The Red Cross has a good website. This is about organizing and attending Howls.

Kinds of Howl
A Howl is very simply a gathering of Therians. As such, it can be any event where Therians get together – a campout, a roadtrip, a shopping trip, a night out on the town, or just a get together at someones house. Some individuals in the Therian community even consider several Therians on a chatroom of forum interacting in realtime a Howl, but I don't and I won't be talking about that here.

There have been Howls organized by reptilian Therians and called Hisses. There have been gatherings of feline Therians called Yeowls. But general usage has it that a gathering of Therians, regardless of theriotypes, is called a Howl.

The Howl has two primary purposes. Recreation – at a Howl, like-minded people get together to enjoy time with each other. Community building – at Howls, Therians establish abiding relationships in the most effective way, by applying themselves in concert to real life problems.

A common concern expressed by Therians on forums is “What is a Therian?” and “How do I fit into the Therian community?” I submit that, to obtain satisfying (if not complete) answers to these and related questions, a Therian has to meet themselves and others like them in the context of real life interaction. Others are the mirrors by which we learn ourselves. We learn who we are by paying close attention to how we behave in real life situations with real life people. We learn by all our relations.

Since most of the variations on the Howl are casual get togethers that require little if any planning, and the thing that comes to most peoples' minds when they think “Howl” is either the campout or the Cabin Howl, these are the kinds of Howls I will spend most of my time discussing.

Organizing the Howl
    The simplicity of a Howl
A Howl is simply a gathering of Therians. In my experience, the organization of a Howl is a very simple process compared to Mainstreamer gatherings. For instance, I have done grunt work for both Boy Scout and biker gatherings and Mainstreamers seem to go to great lengths to make the management of an event as complicated and as difficult as possible. In comparison, if something needs to be done at a Howl, Therians simply get together and do it. I've never had to delegate the job of getting firewood to a group of Therians. The job usually just gets done. (Which is not to say that there are not those Therians that are just happy to let everyone else do all the work, but those tend to be “adopted” at Howls by more active members of the group who “motivate” them in a short time.)

    The complexity of a Howl
Therians are chaotic people and as such, it's probably erroneous to talk about “organizing a Howl”, because it's nearly impossible to organize Therians. The phrase “herding cats” comes to mind. The best that I have been able to do is to aim them in a certain direction and let them go. That actually seems to work well.

Another issue is the fact that we are a diverse people and, given that the Therian community includes Mainstreamers – Mainstreamer friends and spouses of Therians and people who genuinely want to learn about the Therian community – the organizer of a Howl should be sensitive to the potential for personality conflicts.

Perhaps the biggest such conflict I have run into is the friction between people who are hyper-connected to their surroundings and the autistic members of our community who are either connected at all or tend to focus very sharply on specific elements of their surroundings. Given that both segments of the community, far from being “aberrant”, are extremely important to the whole. For instance, although the great majority of Therians seem to be the hypervigilant type, some of the most active and influential members of our community are the autistic Therians. So there's no question of segregating the two groups, they are both too important to leave out of anything.

At first estimate, the solution seems to be a dedication of all members of the community to understand how the others work and to be sensitive to opportunities to bridge any existing gaps and to be willing to work through conflicts in constructive ways.

    The site
First you have to find a site. That is, perhaps, the most difficult part of the whole process. We will talk about what makes a good site in a minute. In the United States, you have a wide range of possibilities and you will need to get involved to narrow them down. Each state is different, so I can't give any definitive recommendations. I eliminated the Corps of Engineers recreational sites early because they all seem to be so rule driven that there's no room to have any fun. State Parks and national forest recreational sites vary considerably from state to state and between individual sites. Alabama state parks have been fine in my experience but Georgia state parks have been more trouble than they're worth. Like Corps of Engineer sites, they are so tight on rules and regulations that you can't do anything for keeping up with the rules. For instance, Fort Mountain in Georgia has an extensive network of hiking and biking trails. You have to register for the trail you want to use and if you register for one trail, you can't use any of the others.

Also, Georgia state parks are unreliable. One year we had a fall cabin Howl at Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwestern Georgia and we noticed that they had a nice, big group camp. I checked to see if they had shower facilities and the other items that I list below and, although they did not have showers at that time, they told me that they were definitely going to fix the bathhouses at the unrepairable swimming pool for use by the group camp and that it would be ready the next year. The first thing they told me when I arrived at the park for the next years SEHowl was, “You know you don't have any showers.” I could have bitten through a nail but they wouldn't budge an inch so all we had for 9 days to clean up was a faucet sticking out of the ground. They wouldn't even let us swim in the creeks (we tried). Don't get off the trails and don't get in the creeks. I will never again attempt to use a Georgia State Park for the spring Howl. I checked some of the other Georgia State Parks and they all seem about as bad.

On the other hand, Georgia State Parks have really nice cabins.

Local independent campgrounds may also offer plausible accommodations.

So, check out a site as much as possible before using it and expect surprises. If you can, go to the site in person and talk to the staff. If you can't, do as much research as possible and call the staff and talk to them.

The following factors have been the most important for me in judging the suitability of a site for a campout. It's not always possible to ensure that all of them are completely met, but I try to  satisfy as many as possible.

Most of the Therians I know enjoy the wilderness and a primitive campground is just right for them. Some Therians are more urban and we used to have a fall Howl for them which was held in a cabin. The spring Howl has always maintained a particular location. The cabin Howl in the fall moved around to provide more variety. The cabin Howl became less and less attended and finally ended when I rented an expensive cabin on Fort Mountain and nobody else showed up. I would suggest, therefore, that if you decide to host a cabin Howl that you get together and pool the money for the site ahead of time.

Isolation – Howlers need to be able to express their Therian-ness at a Howl and crowds of Mainstreamers tend to inhibit that. The current site of the SEHowl is fairly popular but we use it early enough in the year that it is not crowded during most of the Howl. I schedule the Howl between two hunting seasons and just when they are turning on the water to the site. Spring breaks happen around this time of year and crowds usually start arriving the weekend that we leave.

Accessible – For a general campout (a backpacking trip, of course, would be different), a site should be accessible by road. It's also nice if arrangements can be made for people who are flying in to be picked up by someone at the airport. The Birmingham airport is an easy drive and a nice sidetrip from the current SEHowl site. The internet group that I use for communications also allows members that will be driving some distance to carpool and plan to pick up people at more distant airports.

Bathroom and shower facilities - For a long weekend campout, showers are a luxury and we've not always had them. For a 9 day campout, they're an absolute necessity. Generally, I've found that state park have better facilities. The bathhouses are usually heated. The national forest recreation site that we now use has showers with heated water but the building itself isn't heated. That seems to be typical for national forest recreational sites. I give some tips on showering under such less-than-perfect conditions later. State parks usually have flush toilets where national forests of ten have well maintained pit outhouses.

Enough space – Make sure that the site will have enough campsites to accommodate all the participants and that at least one is large enough to allow the whole group to gather. Also be sure you know rules and regulations about how many vehicles can be at any particular campsite, how many tents and persons can occupy a single campsite, and how payments are made for campsites. Therians are normally not wealthy people and the trip to a Howl is expensive enough. It's good to make the camping arrangements as economical as possible.       

Reasonable staff – The SEHowl has gone through the whole range of park staffs from the outright scary to the most friendly and accommodating people you could hope to meet. It's a good idea to know who you're dealing with and how to most effectively deal with them before committing to a campsite. Aim for friendly and accommodating if possible.

Most of the changes in location of the spring SEHowl have had to do with the staff. For quite a while, Buck's Pocket was the home of the SEHowl but it became nearly impossible to work with the park rangers and they improved the rough road that kept the primitive campsites fairly isolated so we had to move. Of course, there were also the drunk locals who would drive by and ask us if we had any wimen (sic) and who would start roaring bonfires and then go home. Payne Lake recreational site actually had an incredible staff; the site just didn't offer the kind of adventure that many Therians want. Mount Cheaha was great for a while but then they changed administrators. The new one would only allow group rates for church and Scout groups and they changed the primitive campsite into an equestrian camp, which is when we moved to the current place, which has, overall, been great. The year that they failed to warn me that the primitive campsite would have no drinking water or showers, they allowed us to use the developed campsite (Georgia should take notes.) Hopefully, we have a home for many years to come.

Accessible water – there should be a source of drinkable water near the common campsite so the group doesn't have to haul heavy containers of water over long distances.

Area for common use – at least one campsite should be large enough so that all the members of the Howl can gather. The SEHowl has always eaten as a group and that seems to be a common tendency for other Howls. The big site needs to be big enough to also accommodate a covered kitchen area.

Lock down for food stuffs - racoons and bears are ingenious. If there is white bread around, racoons will move earth and heaven to get to it. It's like crack to them. I swear the little buggers can pick locks. I have taken to keeping foodstuffs shut up in my van while not being consumed by Howlers.

Local resources – There should be ample resources within a reasonably close drive and you should know where they are before the Howl – hospitals, grocery stores, fire wood (unless you're sure downfall in the area will supply all you need), etc. I even scope out local restaurants of interest, attractions, Internet hotspots, banks, and reasonably priced motels (we were run out of Buck's Pocket more than once by flash flooding).
        Scoping the area (hospitals, grocery stores, etc.)

It's easy enough to find all this. Simply do a web search for, say, “hospital” and the nearest town. Google, for instance, will pull in businesses within a considerable range. It is a good idea, though, to verify the results by visiting the area before the Howl or scout it out on the first food run. These web searches are not always terribly reliable.

Personnel – All that's really necessary for a Howl is an organizer to set things up, but it helps to have a second person who is the primary cook, although they should be open to letting others cook if they want. That provides variety and more of a group spirit. And it's a good idea if the person who is cooking isn't left alone while everyone else socializes. The kitchen area should be close to the general gathering place. A third person can mind the fire and gather people when fire wood gets low.

Communications – As bad as I hate to admit it (I hate technology), it's good to have a charged (or chargeable) cell phone on site in case of emergencies.
Before the Howl there needs to be a way for people who are planning to attend to communicate. Much of the communication might be open but there needs to be some way for people to make more private plans. I post much of the information for the SEHowl on the gatherings section of the Werelist and some on the Howls section of my own website but I also use a private Yahoo Group so that Howlers can plan out car pools, airport pickups, and such. We have never had problems with people from outside causing problems after catching on that there will be a gathering of Werewolves in their vicinity, but there's always a first time. Some Howls have found it more judicious to keep their Howls more closed and their communications more private.

There are several posts that I place on the Internet before a Howl: The first is usually a reminder far in advance that the Howl is coming up. For instance, as soon as I check with the staff at the site and establish a date, for the SEHowl, that will probably be sometime in September or October, I will go ahead and post the date and location. Be very careful with this. The part of the year just after a Howl usually moves very slowly but as the next Howl approaches, time can really move and the Howl will be on you before you know it. This is especially true when you need to rent a cabin or lodge. For instance, cabins and lodges in the mountains in the fall fill up quickly and it's important to nail one down, if possible, a year or more in advance. In fact, if you plan to use the same park for a cabin Howl for successive years, its' a good idea to rent for next year during this years Howl.

I will then begin making informational posts about two months in advance. I have a standard post I send out giving the date and location of the Howl and offering suggestions about what to bring, camping and food fees, what the weather is usually like, and local attractions.

As the Howl approaches I keep watch on local events and weather forecasts. I post anything of developing interest. The last week I track the weather forecasts and post what I find, and I answer questions about the Howl.

First meals – Nobody wants to take a long trip to a Howl site and, after setting up their tent, go on a food run or cook a meal. I usually try to have ready food – pastries, snack foods, sandwich materials, salad stuff (we have a vegetarian among our regulars), cereal and milk, and drinks (oh, and Twizzlers, marshmallows, and beef jerky. If white bread is crack to racoons, then Twizzlers are crack to Werewolves. Gotta keep the customers satisfied.)

Activities – Have an idea of what's available in the neighborhood for entertainment and, if possible, know what your Howlers like. On one of my attempts to find a site after the original SEHowl site went sour, I arranged a Howl at a wooded national forest recreational site in central Alabama which was in peaceful rolling hill country centered around a lake. It was well developed and it was, unfortunately, rather boring. It was fine for the old timers who primarily use Howls as most families use reunions – a place to gather around the campfire and socialize, but most of my Howlers like adventure and this place just plain lacked the adventurous element. Mea culpa.

We could use the current site of the SEHowl for a century and still not see and do everything available in the area.

Setting up
Tents and bedding – It's a good idea to keep tents closed during the day. Things get in there and they are often biting things. If the climate is wet, bring along some waterproofing and treat the tent as you set it up. If the climate is cold, you can be sloppy about some things – I have found a pile of blankets to be quite sufficient for sleeping in cold weather – but there are some things that you dare not ignore. For one thing, you need an insulating pad between you and the ground. The ground will suck all the heat out of your body. Also, if you sleep nude like I do, you might consider keeping socks on. The feet doesn't have the circulation and metabolic heating that the rest of the body has and you might just wake up with frost bite of you don't take precautions to keep them warm. Also, a tent in cold weather should be just big enough to hold what you have. Larger tents are colder tents. Head space, though, is nice if you have to escape from the rain. It allows you to drag chairs into the tent and continue socializing until the rain blows over.

I can 't imagine a more variable Howl than the SEHowl. It gives you experience with all the possible situations. Usually, we start with bitterly cold weather and, before it's over, you can build up a good sweat walking. That means that somewhere between we get a horrendous storm. And the insects will come out quickly as soon as it warms up. In the summer, Bankhead National Forest is like the tropics. You might as well be in the Congo.

If you expect insects, bring a good insect repellant. Regardless of whether you like Deet or not, Alabama insects laugh at Avon Skin-So-Soft.

Kitchen area and equipment – If you expect inclement weather (and you might as well expect some inclement weather sometime during the SEHowl), you need a covered kitchen area. Originally, the SEHowl strung up tarps between trees but then one year, Lance brought a pavilion and when he moved away up north, I thought it was such a good idea that I bought a pavilion for the Howl.

The SEHowl has always eaten as a group. That, of course, isn't necessary but it does serve to bring everyone together. The largest Howl we had was around 40 people and, had Savage not brought along her extensive expedition kitchen and served as the camp cook, I can not imagine how I would have managed. If the same thing happened today (and I would be quite pleased if it did), the only thing I would be able to do is let people split off into smaller groups and manage their own meals.

As it is, most of my regulars have moved far, far away and a new group is forming. The SEHowl is back to small and it's hard to plan meals when people are coming and going during the week, so I don't even use a camp stove right now. We do a lot of campfire cooking – aluminum foil and skewer cuisine. So you need to decide whether you need a camp stove or not. If you do, I would suggest using one that burns white gas (or camp fuel). Butane and propane canisters may not need as much maintenance (white gas will go out if you don't pump the stove up occasionally), but liquid fuel will get your water boiling faster and it's more responsive. As an alternative, we've also had folks bring grills.

I used to provide real utensils to eat with but one thing Therians don't seem to like to do is to wash their own dishes after they eat and the cook has enough to wash. Also, it's rather miserable washing dishes in the cold that the SEHowl has to deal with. So I've started supplying disposable dinnerware. It's not that expensive and it gets thrown away.

Meals need to be planned by the whole group that will be eating it. I have regulars who are vegetarians and regulars who are diabetic, and any other dietary requirement may show up at a Howl. I absolutely cannot handle Neutrasweet.

It took me awhile to realize that people thought that food runs were an activity. We were going to town every other day to get food. Unfortunately, that steals time from the actual Howl activities that are a heck of a lot more fun than running to the grocery store. Also, it may not seem like it's taking that much time for people that don't go every time, but the Howl organizer usually does have to go every time and they end up spending most of their time in the road and in a grocery store. The bottom line is that a 9 day Howl shouldn't have to make a food run more than three times during the week. If you just want to run into town every other day, plan for different people to do it each time and use different vehicles so the same person isn't driving and buying gasoline.

Vehicles – As mentioned above, different campgrounds have different rules about how many vehicles can occupy a single campsite. The one we use even requires that campers occupy a site for 24 hours before starting off on side trips and such. Camp rules should be established before the Howl and they should be adhered to (if, that is, you intend to use the same place over and over and, since it's difficult to find a good site, it doesn't hurt to take some care to maintain good relations with the locals)

The SEHowl has, in the past, been guilty of overusing particular individuals' vehicles to ferry people and equipment to the campsite (for instance, down that horrific trail they call a dirt road at Buck's Pocket). If you have only a few people who have vehicles that can navigate an approach road, and if they're good enough to provide ferrying services, don't abuse their good will. Use them as sparingly as possible. And at least offer to pay for some of their gasoline.

It's traditional that someone's vehicle will breakdown and someone will have a flat tire sometime during every SEHowl. That may be a cosmic law that applies to Howls in general. Regardless, when you're tracking down local services for the Howl, be sure to identify some good mechanics and tire dealerships in the area.

Backpacking – Just mentioning it as an alternative to the campout Howl. If you're going to go on a backpacking trip, make sure that someone in the group is an experienced backpacker and doesn't mind wet nursing a bunch of chaotic tenderfoots.

Meeting places for casual Howls – I've been to many casual Howls where several Therians just got together to eat lunch, or spend the day at a local park or some such. The most important thing in that case is to establish a good meeting place that everyone can find. It also helps if that meeting place has a nice atmosphere for waiting because I don't think I've ever met a Therian who could be on time for anything (need I add that the organizer needs to be the one that actually does be on time). I like Books-A-Million because it's usually pretty easy to find and you can get a book and kick back in Joe's Muggs for a cup of cappuccino while you wait.

It's also a good idea for the organizer to be identifiable. My van has a plaque on the front that says “Were Wolf” and it doesn't hurt to wear an animal t-shirt or something else conspicuous. Contrary to popular belief, Mainstreamers don't shoot first and ask questions later. I am blatantly Therian in the US Bible Belt and I've never even had anyone throw rotten vegetables at me, much less pitchforks and torches.

On the other hand, if you're meeting on someone else's territory, consider that they might not want all the locals to know that they're Therian and don't risk “outing” them. An animal print t-shirt isn't that conspicuous. A “I'm a Werewolf and all you other people just suck” t-shirt might just be.
 
First aid – Be prepared for common emergencies. Somebody at the site needs to know basic first aid. If you're going to host Howls, take a first aid course. Red Cross offers regular first aid training in most communities.

The single most common injury at the SEHowl (Think, “All Therians are pyros”) is burns. Other than being careful and not burning yourself or others (I know, I know - “Fat chance”), the best first aid for a burn is to cool the site down immediately. Often, the difference between a miserable burn and no discomfort at all after a few minutes is a little cool water applied by someone with a cool head. It's also a good idea to have some burn spray.

The second most common injury seems to be cuts. Therians also like to play with sharp things. The best antibiotic in the world is blood so, if a cut is bleeding, let it bleed unless the person is in danger of bleeding out. In fact, if the person has a typically hot Therian immune system, I would say, just leave the wound alone and let the body work it's magic. For those with more vulnerability to infection, you should have some wide spectrum antibiotic ointment or cream, like Neosporin, and a variety of bandaging material.

I would say that the third most common first aid issue at the SEHowl is poison ivy. My understanding is that, if you can dowse an effected area with soap and water right away, it will neutralize the toxin. Unfortunately, you don't always know that you've been in contact with poison ivy (especially before the leaves come out in the spring) until it's way too late. There is stuff that you can buy now that will reduce the torture but I've gotten use to suffering in my old age and I usually just try to ignore it until it goes away. Some folks end up needing to see a doctor after realizing that it's not going to go away all by itself.

Somebody will usually come down with a migraine – respect their pain and leave them alone until their agony relents. A show of compassion every fifteen minutes just unduly amplifies their torture. Ditto the occasional gastric disturbance. Watch the affected person but don't bother them unless its obvious that a trip to the hospital is warranted.

Strain, sprains, and fractures have been amazingly rare at the SEHowl (it's not like we haven't tried very hard), but have the necessary supplies on hand just in case.

Redundancy –As an organizer (and, to a lesser degree, as a Howler), be sure and have extras around - toiletries, blankets, flashlights, etc. People forget things and most camping necessities are pretty cheap. Remember, one day, you'll forget to bring something.

Events
The campfire – At a campout, the campfire is the centerpiece of society. People gather abound it and gab until early in the morning. People eat around it. Stories and songs happen there. And Peeps are gleefully immolated there.

There's a right way to build a campfire and a lot of wrong ways. Forget the right way, it's perfectly acceptable to throw a campfire together just about any old way and have it turn out to be a completely serviceable campfire. There are a few things you need to consider, though, when building a campfire.

If you're going to cook on it, you will need enough room to build the fire and to have an area to the side to rake up a thick bed off coals. And don't throw too much noxious material into it. Some things can make food taste funky.

Try to find some good hardwoods to burn. Pitchy woods like pine catch easier and might be good for fat lighter to get the fire going, but it burns too fast, puts out a lot of smoke and is one of those things that make food taste funky.

It's not that hard to get a fire going when everything is soaked. Just look for small stuff to get it going that's off the ground – things that have fallen against other things and such. Use deadfall for campfires. Don't cut down live trees. Not only is it usually very much frowned upon by park staff and will make you unwelcome for future events, but live wood doesn't even burn well.

Don't pour flammable fuel directly onto a fire from a small mouthed container and don't pour it in a constant stream (ideally, don't pour it onto a live fire at all). You might get away with it a few times, but it might also set you right on fire. Did I mention that the most common injury at Howls is burns?

Tents burn really well and very quickly. One little spark can eliminate your sleeping arrangement. Keep fires away from tents and other flammable materials.

Unmonitored fires, fires that get out of hand, reckless management of fires – these are some things that really tick off forest rangers. If you're going to exercise your rebellious, anarchic natures, do it before you go to a Howl. The other Howlers are not going to like you very much if you ruin a good site for them. It's hard enough to find just one appropriate site for a Howl in a particular state. When you find a good one, you want to keep it.

    Circles – if you manage to work up a stable group of regulars for a Howl, you can plan things much easier and one thing that seems to go over well is the campfire circle. Taking turns around a roaring fire telling stories, singing songs, drumming, making instrumental music, or all the above has been popular since the dawn of man and it's popularity seems to hang on. If there are enough of a shamanistic bent, a trance circle isn't out of the question. Just try not to scare your neighbors too much. (We once had a sweat lodge at a Howl and the rangers asked us very nicely to please take it down during the day – it was scaring the other campers.)

Meals – It's been my constant impression that Therians like to eat (Oh, was that too obvious to mention?). The Spring SEHowl has always been a primitive campout. That doesn't mean that we hurt ourselves. For one, we've always eaten well, and there's not really any reason not to. Good food isn't all that hard to come by. You just have to have one or two folks in the group that actually know how to cook. Those are not uncommon among Therians.

The SEHowl right now tends to be small groups that change throughout the week. Most of the Howlers stay for a few days and then there's a whole new group of Howlers by the end of the week except for a core of die hard regulars who hang on regardless. It's hard to plan big meals for that kind of Howl but that's no reason for not eating well. A lot can be done with aluminum foil and hot dog skewers (both of which I keep on hand in abundance). There's not much better than roasted corn on the cob and hobo stew wrapped in aluminum foil. Hot dogs and (woof!) bratwursts are a perennial favorite. And you must have marshmallows on hand. One camper found out that you can roast bacon over a campfire in a marshmallow fork.

A medium stable group makes more extravagant meals cooked on a camp stove or on the fire in a dutch oven more plausible. Although it's good if everybody that wants to cook gets to do so – variety is great – things work better if one person has control over cooking arrangements. What gets cooked can be planned by the group before food runs.

The SEHowl has been one of the largest Howls in North America and it's always handled food as a group, but logistics get really difficult as group sizes exceed 18 people. Itcan still work up to about 24 but over that you’d better have an expedition cook with a big kitchen setup, or it's time to start breaking out into smaller groups.

Just because you're camping out doesn't mean that you can't make side trips into nearby towns to sample local fare. I found the best Chinese restaurant I have ever eaten at in a little bitty town just on the other side of Sipsey Wilderness where we hold the SEHowl. If you're ever Howling in Alabama, the state publishes a brochure, “100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die.” Other states may have similar reading. You should definitely pick up a copy at the first welcome center you come to or download a copy from the State Internet website before you leave for the Howl.
Grocery runs are fun but not nearly as fun as hiking and swimming, and camping and hanging around the campfire so don't do it too often or in too large groups. Whoever's handling the money has to go each time (unless you rotate that responsibility which can lead to problems of “How much do I owe Who for my share of the food expenses) and they probably don't want to spend the whole Howl in WalMart. Rotate the others that go and make it an excuse to check out interesting things in the area.

Most of the SEHowlers have wanted hiking and climbing and the one Howl we had without opportunities for hiking and climbing was not a huge success. I guess the moral is, “Know your groups,” and try to set the Howl up in an area that provides the kinds of entertainment they'll be looking for.

What would a Howl be without howls – as in “Awooooooo”. Actually, I have found most Howlers somewhat reticent to let loose but, a grand vista might loosen up the most timid Therian. I generally help the process along by demonstrating in camp that most campers and backpackers really couldn't care less if there is a group of people in camp making loud animal sounds as long as they're not doing it interminably or while they're trying to sleep. And, of course, most campgrounds have a curfew on noise.

Roadtrips are an important part of any Howl. What good is traveling several hundred miles if you don't get to experience new places and watch new people. At the SEHowl we drive to eat, drive to pick up incoming Howlers at the airport, drive to hike further afield. In the area there are wild animal parks, museums, old building to explore, hundreds of waterfalls, dams, lakes, and annual events. We couldn't exhaust this place in a lifetime.

Rituals – Howls usually have a considerable mix of participants so religious rituals would not work out very well – not for the group as a whole, anyway. We have performed rituals such as sweatlodges, drumming circles, and Were pipes circles. They're bonding rituals and they're good for community building. They've always been received well at SEHowls.

We've had several workshops at SEHowls. Perhaps the most popular were the shamanism workshops but we've done things with useful plants and cooking and some craft demonstrations.  The key to a successful workshop is to find out if the Howlers wants it and what topic they want to address, and of course, to have someone that knows the topic to run it.

Problems and disasters are going to happen. The SEHowl has survived through tornadic storms, flashfloods, coyote invasions, raccoon thievery, trees across roads, and a host of minor irritations and we always seem to come out of the Howl with good memories. In my experience, Therians work well together and I've never had to worry about the outcome of a problem. The worst thing we've dealt with and the only thing I haven't been able to come up with a complete solution to is personality conflicts. My best guess there, as with any problem is first to just know that they can happen and to guard against them, and second to keep a cool head and don't take things personally.

There are some personality conflicts that are simply not going to work out. For instance, some Therians are simply urban creatures and they're not going to enjoy a campout. It's okay to say “We tried,” and meet the next time at a Starbucks (brrrrrr). We have diversity; we need to learn how to enjoy it.

On a positive side, working through problems bring people closer together and that's what Howls are all about. I, personally, don't mind disasters. They're opportunities to grow. The way to really get to know other people in a truly intimate way is to work with them (and, yes, play is a kind of work). By work, I mean cooperative, goal oriented activity. And with the intense focus on Therian forums on getting to know self, I offer the opinion that the best way to get to know self (without equal) is to work with others. If the eyes are the windows into the soul, other people are the mirrors into our souls.

In all situations, Therians feed off each other in a symbiotic, powerful way. A meeting may be positive or negative but it results in growth. In my experience, when Therians get together, the individuals develop as individuals and as a community. Therian natures wake up and begin to grow. The Therian community is part of the Therian and I firmly believe that a Therian is only complete when they are embedded in the Therian community.

Personally, many of my shamanic abilities took off after my first Howl and when I'm away from the community for a while I begin to become edgy, it becomes more difficult for me to interact with Mainstreamers in a constructive way, and my growing adult-onset attention deficit becomes worse – it becomes harder for me to track things in my daily life. Howls are absolutely therapeutic for me.

All of the traditional outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, swimming, etc. - are fair game for Howlers. Just be sure that you know what the local regulations are (licensing, catch limits, seasons on particular game, etc.) The State's website should be informative for that.

A personal favorite is scientific recreations. Sky gazing, rock hunting, plant identification, bird and animal (including people) watching, etc. I like to do things with other people and especially with other Therians. Currently, I'm putting the finishing touches on my index card slide rule (see the scientific recreation pages of my website) and I hope, this year or the next, to use it to survey a waterfall. I like to go a ways out on the limb so this particular adventure will involve verifying my results by climbing the waterfall and using a fishing rod to directly measure the height of the fall. Science is so much more fun when it's an adventure.

Dealing with the “paranormal” - SEHowls have tended to attract weirdness. I don't know how “paranormal” our episodes have been but we have been invaded by a hag and a shard that thought it was a demon, we've photographed orbs, we've investigated haunted churchyards – and the startling thing is that, except for those that were actually attacked, it's been fun. I guess the main point here is, have some compassion for those in the group that might not have quite the penchant for “weird” as most Therians seem to have. You want everyone coming out of this and every other kind of “event” with positive outcomes.

Showers and toilets – We've had to be particularly inventive with the issues of toilets and showers at the SEHowl. The Steven King Memorial outhouse at Buck's Pocket was an endless source of amusement for the SEHowlers. Over the years, it progressively fell apart until I ended up bringing a curtain to hang up around the pit because the building was no longer there.

Most developed parks have reasonable toilet facilities within acceptable distance to the camping area, but my experiences with Georgia have taught me that you'd best make sure during the planning stages of the Howl and take nothing for granted.

Carry extra toilet tissue – Brushy Lake has been very good about maintaining their toilets but they do occasionally run out of things. Carry hand sanitizer and, maybe a spray bottle of water. Pit toilets, no matter how nice they look from the outside, rarely have sinks. Don't have things around the toilet that you might drop in and you would really hate to lose. If you drop it into the pit, it's gone.

There are procedures for taking showers in cold buildings with push button showers which give you a spray for a number of seconds before shutting off (these seem to be typical of National Forest Recreational Sites). First, know that you will have to keep hitting the button while you are showering and don't wait for the shower to stop to hit it again. Also, most of the showers have excellent ventilation, a big part of the back wall is directly open to the frigid outside with only a louver and screen to cover it. All the heat goes out. The warmth coming off the shower water will warm things up a little if you can cover up that big hole in the wall. Next, things go a lot quicker if you use shower gel and smear it all over you before getting under the shower. And, of course, dry off and get dressed really quickly.

There is actually a way to survive a long Howl without a shower. Wet towelettes are surprisingly effective for getting clean. First, go over yourself with the towelettes. The moisture will dry before you finish but it will solubilize the oils on your skin. Next, go over yourself with a wet cloth or wet paper towels. Finally dry off.

On taking a cold shower when the shower just doesn't have a hot water heater (and this seems to be really rare) – don't get directly under the shower. Let the water run onto your hand and then rub it onto your body. Don't splash it on. Moving water will take the heat out of your body faster than still water and the contact of your hand will keep heat from dissipating out of you so quickly.

And keep in mind Howlers who have health conditions (heart problems, poor circulation, etc.) who should not be exposed to the cold at all (or any other condition that might be present). In that case, identify local establishments (truck stops, motels, etc.) that will allow you to use their showers for a reasonable fee, and make shower runs.

Cameras, phones, computers, etc. - Finally, Howls are not normally outings where you deprive yourself of all modern luxuries. Therians come to Howls to enjoy themselves, to get away from the mainstream, and to spend time with others like their selves. There's no need to leave everything they ever knew behind. They should bring their music, take pictures, share computer files, call friends and family to rub it in how much fun they're having and how many other Were-ish people they're meeting. Just be considerate of the others around you. Don't bombard them with loud music when they're trying to sleep or involve them in your personal conversations of sexual liaisons when they really, really don't want to be involved. Most Therians want to soak in their surroundings and they can't do so if you're bombarding them with a nonstop dialogue (or, worse, monologue)

And if you're hosting the Howl, try to identify, beforehand, internet and cellular hotspots and power plugs where they can charge their equipment. The later is not always a possibility, but it doesn't hurt to make the attempt.

Howl ethics
    There are many purposes for Howls – recreation, reunion, meeting new people, getting away, recharging – but they can be boiled down to two, recreation and growth, growth of the individual and growth of the community. As such, it's important to recognize a moral dimension of the Howl which, in turn, has a practical side. If people don't enjoy a Howl because of poor behavior of a few individuals, they won't come and the Howl will die. If the authorities at the site where the Howl is held gets fed up with the behavior of the participants, the Howl will lose the site and after a very few such instances, the Howl will die. Regardless, if you want your Howl to survive, you're going to have to be considerate of the nonparticipants around you.
    Underage participants are a liability and “underage” may vary with locality. The minimum age for participation at the SEHowl is 18. Below that there has to be very clear consent by a parent or guardian. Underage participants are liabilities that can kill a Howl. A couple of angry parents can create problems in the form of bad publicity for the entire Therian community.
    To my knowledge, the SEHowl has only had two underage participants. One was a local who walked onto the site about 2 weeks shy of his 18th birthday. The other was brought to the Howl by his parents and had supper with the Howl administrator while they discussed the Howl, therianthropy, and other things.
    Most Therians are intensely empathetic. If a couple is having sex within earshot, the group shares the experience and the group is usually no more a willing participant than anyone else would be. The short of it is that no one should be dragged into something at a Howl that's going to ruin the Howl for them. Many Therians are not comfortable with nudity and, although I am and I very much enjoy skinny dipping, for instance, I can forgo that for something else that everyone can enjoy.
    Nontherians are always going to be around. Even the most isolated site (at least, in the United States), cannot ensure that there won't be some nonparticipants around. Furthermore, the SEHowl actively includes nontherian participants. Howls are for Therians and one of the big advantages to a Howl is that Therians get to be Therians – they don't have to damp their therianthropy for the sake of the people they have to spend their everyday life around that would not understand their animalistic behavior. The problem is two-sided. A nontherian participant has got to be willing to see people behaving in ways they're not used to. They have to be very open to diversity. On the other hand, Therians need to be considerate and understanding of the nontherians around them. For instance, although it has, more so in the past than currently, been common for there to be the expression of a “down with human beings” sentiment in the Therian community, that wouldn't be cool in a site where neighboring nontherian campers might overhear a group of Therians talk about world conquest or some such ranting. Also keep in mind that there are things (what to do about a pesky entity, for instance) that might not bother a Therian at all that might be expected to rattle a nontherian.
    Some Howls restrict their membership, often because of serious problems they've had with participants destroying public property and such. The SEHowl has never had that problem and is, for the time being, open to anyone that wants to participate. I even open the Howl to people that I honestly do not like because, in my way of thinking, the Howl is not for me; it's for the Therian community and I won't let my personal feelings interfere with that. The Howl organizers have to make the decision whether to make the Howl open or closed. Either way might be appropriate given the particular situation. The form of communication needed for planning is going to be different according to whether the Howl is open or closed. An open Howl will need some way of “advertising” the Howl to nonregulars. There may be different levels of communication. I don't really want everyone on the Internet to know all the plans of the people who will be attending the SEHowl, so I have a closed internet  group for people who are definitely planning to attend. There they can get with others who will be attending to work out difficulties with travel arrangements, last minute preparations and such. But I also post informational “bulletins” on various forums and on my own website as well as information about past Howls that might encourage others to attend. The most closed Howls are attended only by invitation by the organizers.
    It's not that the SEHowl hasn't had some awkward moments. In those situations, though, the organizer of the Howl has to take a leadership position to keep things from spiraling out of control. Therians sparring resembles very closely a couple of dogs fake fighting and when the fracas gets close to a picture window in a cabin, things need to be interrupted even if it requires a bucket of cold water. A certain amount of risky behavior has to be allowed at a Howl. A large proportion of Therians, it seems can't enjoy themselves unless they're taking risks. The limits have to be where they stop taking risks with themselves and begin to jeopardize other. Since most Therians honestly don't want to hurt others, they usually appreciate someone stopping things before they get out of control. I've never had anyone angry at me for pulling the plug on something I think will cause problems. And the individual host has to make the call on what's too strict and what's too lenient. They have responsibilities to both the Howlers and the staff of the site.
    Therians are a mixed group. There are not just two genders. There are hypervigilant, highly focused, and inattentive Therians. We have every race and every religion represented. Throw in nontherian Howlers and Mainstreamers who just happen to be using the site at the same time and you end up with a very diverse, very interesting, and possibly volatile mix. The key to a Howl's success, then, is an appreciation and respect for differences and a firm hold on what the Howl is about.
    I can't restrict what gets talked about around a campfire but I won't encourage or take part in a touchy subject. Those things need to be discussed bt not by people who go to a Howl to enjoy life - not to waste it in endless arguments. Heated debates have no place in the common group. In needs to be taken to the side.
    Again, the Howl is not about me and I will almost always decide in favor of the Howlers.
    The Howl is about enjoying life with other Therians and friends of the community and it's about building relationships and the community as a whole. If everyone at the Howl holds to those goals, it will succeed.


Waterproofing Tents – You can waterproof your tent on-site, but remember that you will have to give it time to dry and air out before you can stay in it. Silicone spray dries much quicker than the rubber compound. The most important places to apply the waterproofing is along the seams. Apply it to the inside of the seams.

Understand that waterproofing isn't meant to close up all the interstices between the mesh of the tent's fabric. Waterproofing repels water. Tents must breathe; otherwise, carbon dioxide and moisture will build up inside the tent and make it really uncomfortable.

Be sure, if you use a rain fly, that you install it correctly, using the guy cords. Those pull the fly away from the tent and prevent moisture from passing through from the fly, by contact, into the inside of the tent.

Waterproofing a tent with a rain fly will not completely waterproof a tent. Water will not seep into a correctly waterproofed tent but larger drops falling hard against a rain fly will cause the drop to spatter through and the mist will then drift into the tent where it will collect and drip off the inside of the tent walls. Also, if anything is up against a wall of the inside of a tent, it will draw moisture through the fabric by a wicking action. So keep articles away from direct contact with the walls of the tent and cover anything you don't want to get damp with plastic sheeting – garbage bags, for instance.

I don't mind moisture being inside my tent; I don't even mind it dripping on me, as long as I don't have puddles forming. If you want to prevent spatter and wicking, you have to string up a second fly (usually a tarp or some rigid sheeting) above your rain fly. The trick here is to string it up so as to avoid rain from collecting in the second fly. If you're not careful about that, you will be awakened by a deluge when the swollen tarp collapses and deposits a deluge of cold rain inside your tent. A rigid “pitched roof” would be ideal from the standpoint of keeping the water off, but would be hard to transport. A second tarp works well but you have to pitch it steep enough and draw it tight enough to not let the rain pool in it.