"I'm still a hippie. I haven't changed. I keep changing but my core values of love, being against the war,making peace with the earth, are the same.

The rock bottom foundations of what hippies were...remain with us still.

I was never personally beat up, but we always hear the tales of long hairs where red necks would cut off their hair with chainsaws, people were beat up, houses were torched. Those were rare...mostly it was just a murmuring campaign and a lot of evil eyes and bad stares back then."

Skeeter just turned 60 recently.

But to look at him, you'd swear he's 10 years younger...in fact young organic farm interns have a hard time keeping up with him. A tireless ball of energy and enthusiasm, Skeeter is the original founder of the Okanogan Family Barter Faire, the Healing Gatherings  and most recently the Fairy and Human Relations Congress* (* which takes place annually in the Methow Valley).  

He is a much sought after lecturer on permaculture and wildcrafting, runs an herbal biz called Friends of the Trees (see Michael Pilarski) www.friendsofthetrees.net  and has lived most of his adult life on less than $2,000./year, no car, no permanant home. He's lived communally.  His is one of the stories told in the soon to be released feature documentary about a group of back to the landers who settled in the Methow and Okanogan Valleys in the 70's and 80's, "Back to the Garden, flower power comes full circle."