Howl

A Howl is a planned gathering of therians in real life. Most howls are held outdoors in the form of campouts, however, any gathering of therians could be considered a howl by its host or participants. They can have any number of participants, from a small group of 3 or 4 to almost a hundred, and both therians and non-therians can typically attend. normally, only those above the age of 18 or those with parental permission are allowed to attend howls, because that is the age of advocacy and prevents liability. However, many believe that therians under that age can attend younger gatherings, with some howls being made specifically by and for younger members.

Notable Howls

Harvest Howl - 19th and 20th of November, 1994

"The first "Howl", the 1994 Harvest Howl, was organized by Smash Greywolf in Ohio. A Howl is basically a gathering in the flesh (or fur) of readers of AHWW to socialize, get to know one another, howl at the moon, leap over raging bonfires, and to generally share the camraderie that exists amongst members of the cyberpack. Camped out in the woods, as far from civilization as possible, watching the full moon dance over shimmering heat waves from the bonfire, surrounded by folks of a like mind... it's truly a recharge for batteries drained my mundane human existance. Contact a HelpStaffer for information about the next scheduled Howl... they're worth it, no matter the distance traveled to attend."

It was held on the 19th and 20th of November, 1994, and was organised by AHWW user Smash Greywolf. It was held at the Valley Lake Campground in Ohio, with a $5 (USD) sight fee. Smash chose the site because he had a deep connection to that land. And the spot where the campfire was set up was chosen because of a vision he had while in a deep meditation. Only natural light sources were to be used, with things like flashlights only being allowed if absolutely necessary.

The Howl had a theme of sorts, as well. It was known as the "First Annual Harvest Howl and Vampire Hunt". They had a game, the rules of which are long forgotten by those who attended. It surrounded the balance of power between the weres and vampires, both were able to kill or turn others, and the team with the most members by the end of the weekend would win. Neutral territory was at the main camp, but they all found themselves just hanging out and having fun outside of the game.

Smash Greywolf at the 1st Harvest Howl

"The first howl was in November of 1994.  It was held at Valley Lake Campground in Ohio. The site was chosen because I had a special tie to that land and the actual site of the campfire was a spot I picked because of a vision I had while in a deep meditation...The picture was taken from a video, I believe by KatmanDu while we cavorted around the campfire in the moonlight."

Spring Thaw Howl - 14th, 15th and 16th of April, 1995 (Easter weekend)

AHWW member, Firewolf, made a post on the 30th of January, 1995, about where they could host the howl. Proclaiming that he got word that morning that they could host the howl at a farm near Coshocton, Ohio that his family owned. Also adding that there was a potential second site for it a few miles away from the first if anything happened. The farm was 123 acres with some woods and a barn, Firewood talked about how the place was landlocked (besides the driveway) and that it’d be primitive camping. And they could use the barn to protect against dangerous weather if there was any.

In a reply to this post, he noted that the howl would most definitely take place in April, preferably on a weekend and near a full moon. With KatmanDu (another AHWW member) suggesting Easter weekend, the moon would be full then.

On the 25th of February, Firewolf made the official post on when and where the howl would be (it was confirmed that it’d be at the farm from Friday the 14th to Sunday the 16th of April). Firewolf noted that he’d camp out there on the Thursday to cut and haul firewood on the Friday morning. Adding that anyone was more than welcome to come and help.

2nd Harvest Howl - (unsure dates - 7th November 1995)

Not much public information is available in regard to this howl. We can infer that the howl took place on the 7th, due to the moon being full then. Old photos from this howl are still available. (http://www.firelion.org/raven/photos/)

"It was out in Ohio. I went there with my roomates at the time. I was living with a couple other therians. It was, like most Howls, a communal camping trip. We hung out, talked, played music, shared food and fellowship, and generally enjoyed time with each other around the campfire."

2nd Spring Thaw Howl - 29th, 30th, 31st of March and 1st of April 1996

The 2nd Spring Thaw Howl was held from the 29th of March to the 1st of April, 1996, outside of Taylorsville in Kentucky. The idea for it was proposed by MoonShadow on the 7th of January in 1996, at the time he was still unsure of the date or exact place for the Howl, and welcomed any ideas for dates.

By the 29th of January, he’d narrowed down the places for the howl to two areas (both owned by the same person) and announced that the dates for it would be March 29th, 30th, 31st, and April 1st (Friday to Monday).

On the 15th of February, MoonShadow posted the official information for the howl, saying that everyone who wanted to come was invited and that anyone who wanted to come would receive directions through email. Also saying that he would be getting a tour of the Howl site the next Saturday.

And on the 1st of March, MoonShadow announced that he’d checked out the site for the howl was perfect, nice and private without much light. Also noting that he’d camped there before.

Europe Howls

The first European Howl, organized by some members of AHWW, took place in 1996.

"So far, three gatherings under the title of "EuroHowl" have been organised, in 1996, 1997 and 1999 respectively."

"For those of you who are unaware of what a EuroHowl is, it's a gathering of Weres and Furries from AHWw, ALF, WEREMail and other forums, held somewhere in Europe. The common theme is that of spiritual therianthropy, with the aim of enjoying the company of other like minded individuals for a relaxing week in the country. During the week there will be various walks though the countryside and other events with an animal theme. EuroHowl'99 is the third such event to be held in Europe, and are based on the AHWw Howls which were held in America."