During our first semester, participants design and execute self-designed challenges in small groups. One group chose to do an all-women’s writing retreat in nature using a series of prompts called The Heroine’s Journey.
The snow came early to Colorado that fall right as we headed off for this adventure.
The off-grid cabin where we stayed was only accessible by foot. We climbed a mountain with heavy packs through the snow to get there, and for the next week we were both writers and homesteaders. We chopped wood, melted snow for water, cleaned the snow off the solar panels, and took turns building fires. During the day we wrote and shared our stories which resulted in a lot of laughter and some tender tears. We went for walks through the deep snow. The experience slowed us down; connected us with our bodies, our stories, and the landscape; and brought us closer together in this intimate, nourishing way.