An Invitation to Retreat in the Adirondacks

Space in the retreat is limited, but space at the retreat will be abundant

I was four years old the first time I slept outside. The walls of the tent were burnt orange canvas and our sleeping bags were dark olive green, remnants of other family members time in the military. I remember lying there awake, the sounds of night alerting me to nocturnal life, the scent of soil and trees and campfire remnants clinging to my footie pajamas.

Throughout high-school my best friend and I worked at a wilderness camp in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. In my early adulthood I transitioned into the program director of a wilderness camp in northern New York. Throughout college I worked as a ropes course facilitator, a lifeguard, an equine instructor, and more at various camps. Camp has always been my first home.

Whenever someone asked me as a young adult what I wanted to do when I grew up, “I want to run a wilderness camp,” was my standard answer. As I aged, the answer remained relatively unchanged except it morphed into a retreat center in the wilderness. My heart will always be with those little ones at summer camp, but I think my true desire is to walk with others who are searching for liminal spaces in their faith and life.

Nate and I have been dreaming this dream together for years, but buying a retreat center in the woods is not in our budget (Though if you know of a benefactor, we would love to start a conversation!). Sometime last spring we began talking about the possibility of renting out a place that could sleep 30ish guests for a long weekend and trial running a retreat. Could we do it?

Well, we are doing it! We signed a contract a few months back, gambling a chunk of our savings on the off chance that about 30 people would gamble with us. Are you one of them?