August Retreat
Enjoy a "Fit of Joy" retreat with us at the AMC's Joe Dodge Lodge and Carter Notch Hut
What
Our retreats are an expedition into exploration and focused attention. The programming traverses outer and inner wild landscapes with the intention of cultivating “outside in” transformation. We cultivate that transformation in three ways. First and foremost, all of our retreats include time in Wilderness so that we can reconnect with the power of “wild awe” and its transcendental ability to melt away the distractions from our daily and digital lives. Second, we disrupt routines of reactivity and comfort to pursue expanded states of consciousness, with the belief that we can reveal aspects of ourselves hidden from everyday awareness.Third, we build a positive community with the belief that it can support the creation of new positive rituals and self-care.
Where
This weekend retreat is located in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire’s Dry River Wilderness Area. We will meet Friday at noon at the Joe Dodge Lodge. We have reserved a private conference room space where we will meet for orientation and several mindfulness and yoga practices. This private space will also offer clients with a secure place to leave behind possessions not suitable for the field. On Friday evening we will enjoy a buffet style hot dinner, where all eating restrictions can be accommodated. Sleeping arrangements are suite style, comfortable and typically offer shared single sex bathroom facilities. Following a hot breakfast, we will pick up bag lunches before beginning our hike up to the summit of Mt. Hight. Our route will have us traveling approximately 1.9 miles and 850 ft. of elevation gain along the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to the Carter Dome Trail. We will continue on Carter Dome Trail for another 1.9 miles and 1,550 ft of elevation gain to arrive at Zeta Pass, which is a short .4 miles and an additional 600 ft. of elevation gain to the peak of Mt. Hight where we will enjoy lunch and some of the finest views of the Carter Moriah Range and the Northern Presidentials. We will continue on to summit Carter Dome via the Carter Moriah Trail where we will travel approximately 1 mile, gaining an additional 150 ft. of elevation gain. In addition to an expansive view of The Wild River Wilderness area the remaining 1 mile hike along the Carter Moriah Trail ( scenic AT) to the AMC’s Carter Notch Hut features beautiful views of Carter Lakes. After this demanding 6.4 mile day featuring 3,200 ft. of elevation gain we will be rewarded with a hot meal and warm bed provided by the AMC Carter Notch Hut. After breakfast, we will begin our descent back down to the Joe Dodge Lodge via the nineteen mile brook trail, which is approximately 4 miles to descend.
When
August 16th-18th, 2024, with arrival Friday 12:00 at the Joe Dodge Lodge and departure by 12:00 on Sunday.
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Why
It is no secret that nature has been proven to be restorative to the mind and body. We seek to expand the power of time spent in Wilderness by enhancing it with a peer-supported Community, and guided programming of meditation, yoga, breath work, and Mindfulness practices that you can take with you even after the retreat has come to a close.
How
We will use the power of awe in Wilderness towards the process of untethering from the stressors and distractions of daily and digital life. We will use our retreat location to re-connect with the natural world, and enjoy its healing powers. Our program will offer instruction on Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices that promote calm, clarity of thinking, and confidence that can be restorative and transformative to us, and our lives. We will use shared, peer-supported experiences to help promote connection, courage and willpower, leading to personal growth even beyond the summit.
What Is Included
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Conference space and storage at the Joe Dodge Lodge.
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Yoga instruction by Malaika DosRemedios
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Summit hikes of Mt. Hight and Carter Dome
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Guided nature meditations and personal reflections
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2 nights at AMC’s Joe Dodge Lodge and Carter Notch hut respectively​
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2 hot meals each of the 2 days at the AMC facilities.
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A master class in breathing techniques that promote focus and relaxation.
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Sunrise meditation.
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Closing reflection and farewells.
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invitation for supported post-retreat connection with your peers and guides.
Retreat Partner
In order to realize the Sherpa of Souls mission and vision, we will need to find and secure critical partnerships with organizations that share our convictions about the restorative and transformative power of wilderness, meditation and community. We are thrilled by the initial response we have received from professionals in these fields and look forward to building strong relationships with them over the next several decades. Our intention is to be strategic connectors between our clients and world-renown professionals that traverse the intersections of wilderness, meditation and community.
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Bethany Cass will be helping to lead our second retreat in the White Mountains in October. She lives in Topsfield, MA with her husband, yellow lab and her now three grown children. She has a passion for helping people push outside their comfort zones to experience personal growth and transformation and promote the benefits that nature and mindfulness have on our overall well-being. She herself embarked on a personal journey during COVID to reassess how she was caring for her body, mind and spirit. She started to physically get back in shape by cycling and hiking in the White Mountains and worked on her mental and spiritual health through yoga and meditation practices, which she found to be profoundly life changing. She completed her 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training and Wilderness First Aid in 2022, Mental Health First Aid and Adult First Aid/CPR training in 2023 and is currently enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Training program. When not working her day job as a consulting actuary with Milliman, she is typically off doing yoga, training for her next cycling event or triathlon, or in the White Mountains in her pursuit of completing all the 48 NH 4000 footers. She is thrilled to be joining Sherpa of Souls in their mission and to share in these experiences with other like-minded, spiritual, nature-enthusiasts!
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Pricing & Logistics
Participants are responsible for all transportation to and from the AMC Joe Dodge Lodge located in Pinkham's Grant, NH. There are 6 spots available that will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis. The registration process is intended to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all guests.
The cost of the trip is $495 and includes all retreat programming and materials, lodging and food for Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday morning. Please tell us if there is a need for scholarship funds to subsidize the retreat. Our goal is to make the retreat accessible to as many participants as possible.
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