03/24/2026 – 03/31/2026

Two week course meeting

TU, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Camden Hills Regional High School

Begin your journey into the I Ching, one of the oldest known Chinese texts, with origins dating back roughly 3,000 years to around 1000 BC. Discover the ancient wisdom of this Book of Changes. In this introductory class, you’ll learn the fundamentals of this system—yin and yang, the eight trigrams, and the sixty-four hexagrams—and explore how the I Ching offers practical guidance for understanding life’s transitions and making meaningful decisions. Anyone curious about Eastern philosophy, personal growth, or decision-making tools welcome. No experience necessary. Come prepared to take notes. Pre-order your own textbook The Everyday I Ching by Sarah Dening (St. Martins, 2019). Please let us know ahead of time if you need to purchase the textbook from adult ed.

Instructor Tom Jamrog is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, past President of the Maine Association of School Psychologists, and a Licensed Maine Guide. He is the 278th person to have completed thru-hikes of the Appalachian (AT), Pacific Crest (PCT), and Continental Divide Trails (CDT), and was awarded the “Triple Crown of Hiking” in 2014 by the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West. He has been practicing Transcendental Meditation daily for the past fifty-six years, including daily I Ching readings for the past ten. He is excited to be offering this course again.

Price($30.00) SR

$30.00

It’s December 8 and the thermometer at 6 AM reads 14°. Last night I heard the snow plow go by twice on the main road. Looks like three inches of new powder, which I have to clean off the windshield of my truck, not enough to call the plow guy to scrape down my driveway.

My daily I Ching reading was hexagram 16: Contentment. The interpretation ( Deming, Everyday I Ching), read like this: You depend on Sage advisors. You concur on everything with them. No major problems are indicated. Keep on your toes. If you’re passionate interested in achieving something, your enthusiasm will attract others and win their cooperation. Consider the power of music to influence others. Music has the ability to move and inspire people and bring them together and it has always been a part of religious ceremonies. Creating harmony with other people depends on understanding what matters to them.

I just received the call from my friend Steve whose driveway is two miles away. He lives in the back woods close to a mile off the main road on 150 acres. Steve needs some help today getting a barn door repositioned and asked me if I could come up as he can’t move it himself.

I welcome the invitation because it allows me to structure my morning. I will clean my truck off. Steve’s request is a good excuse to pair going into Camden (9 miles) to lift weights at the YMCA for 45 minutes then stop at the library to pick up a book:

Then I’ll head up to Steve’s on Moody Mountain to get there about 11:15.

The rest of the afternoon day will be mine hopefully to spend at least an hour on working on a new watercolor painting.

Then I plan to practice my accordion in preparation for a weekly open mic night tomorrow at the American Legion Hall that I’ve been frequenting.

I am grateful that I am able to face the day with meaningful activities, some of which might enable me to transcend to darkening night of my winter retreat.

Tuesday, December 2 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Tom Jamrog will discuss physical and mental preparations for longer hikes and share knowledge about adaptations in modern equipment that will assist aging hikers with their own experience of extended engagement in nature. 

This program will take place at the Camden, Maine Public Library on Tuesday, December 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Picker Room.

Tom is the 278th person to have completed unsupported thru-hikes of the Appalachian (AT), Pacific Crest (PCT), and Continental Divide Trails (CDT), and was awarded the “Triple Crown of Hiking” by the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West.  He is a Licensed Maine Guide and past President of the Maine Association of School Psychologists.

Tom recently completed his fifth backpacking adventure through Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness (the northernmost, remote, and last segment of the Appalachian Trail from Monson to Katahdin.) In April of 2025 he backpacked a 260-mile portion of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. 

Tom will also have signed copies of his book for sale, In the Path of Young Bulls: An Odyssey on America’s Continental Divide Trail, detailing his unsupported, five-months-long, 2,500 mile trek over the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Canada. 

At 75, I’m still breaking personal records (PRs) on Strava—and half the time it has happened on days I almost stayed home.

After decades of hiking and biking outdoors and the Triple Crown of Hiking behind me, you’d think my PRs would dry up. But consistency, smart (longer) recovery, and my love for the feel of lateral acceleration move my “go” needle.

You don’t need to be young to get faster. It might be enough to just keep showing up.

Here’s to surprising ourselves—one ride, one hike, one segment at a time.

I’m not racing anyone but my past self.

And some days, I’m still catching him.

You don’t have to be young to improve.

Keep showing up.

Your next PR might be waiting on your next walk or ride.

Water came up again in my morning in my daily I Ching reading—number 47; an image of a lake without water.

I’m counseled to accept this situation. Not to give up hope, but to ride out the bad times until things get better. To hold on to a faith that things will improve. A positive attitude will be my greatest ally in dealing with the fluctuating levels of water in my well. I am counseled to remain in faith and hope, when everything seems to be disintegrating.

The Crisis: In the past month only 2.5 inches of rain have fallen at my house.

Although that has brought some relief to the severe drought that has plagued the mid-coast area of Maine over the Summer and Fall, I was totally shocked yesterday to lift open the concrete well cover to find 8 feet of water in my shallow well! (The bottom of well itself is only 11 feet below the surface of the ground.)

Two weeks ago, my well went dry when the foot valve at the end of the 1-inch plastic pipe became exposed.

I was forced to go to the laundromat to wash my clothes. And to wade into Levenseller Pond with 20-gallons worth buckets and pails to garner enough water to get me through the week. I belong to the local YMCA, so I took up showering there. I found paper plates and bowls to cut down on my washing of dishes. No one appreciates the convenience of opening a faucet to obtain hot running water until there is zero water in your pipes.

Signs of Recovery: One factor that may have helped restore my well was that my tenant, who was living in my basement apartment since April just moved to a larger rental he’ll now be sharing with his girlfriend.

Understanding the Science: Air temperature is the key player in reducing evaporation rates, including shorter days and lower sun levels in New England. Summer evaporation rates can run 5 to 10 times higher than winter rates in many areas of North America. Cooler temperatures and shorter days in the Fall significantly reduce evaporation compared to summer months. Combined with the recent rain and reduced water usage my tenant moving out, these factors likely all contributed to my well’s recovery

Looking Ahead: This is really good news, however, this spring or summer I plan to have a deep well drilled that will mitigate the chance that I’ll be without water in the future. Also son Lincoln has been advising me to invest in a traditional drilled well.

Shallow wells are vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations and drought conditions, so, having a more reliable water source will provide me real peace of mind. A drilled well typically reaches much more stable water tables that aren’t as affected by surface conditions and weather patterns.

Full Circle: So, the I Ching reading I received—the image of a lake without water, with counsel to maintain faith and hope during difficult times—seems particularly apt for my situation. I’ve lived through exactly that metaphor, forcing alternative actions for two weeks, when I retained a positive attitude and implemented practical problem-solving.

I just received a phone call from a well drilling service that let me know that his company has successfully drilled a half dozen wells close to my property. He sending me an estimate. I am taking steps to ensure more stability going forward, which is both pragmatic and hopeful!