Disconnecting from the world is good for your health.

Last week, a few girlfriends and I packed up our skis and poles, snowshoes and backpacks, suits and towels, food and beverages, oracle cards and a flowery tablecloth and drove north. A few miles from civilization, we passed through a vortex, where rain turned to snow, the narrow valley stretched into a wider expanse and cell service ceased. We placed our phones in the side doors of the car, dialed into some sweet folk music, and settled into our breath, bodies and the view of freshly dusted Boulder White Cloud mountains. Our overnighter to celebrate my birthday was more than just a mini getaway – we needed to disconnect.

All of us working moms, it was a hustle to plan for a mere 24-hour excursion spanning two school days. We worked over the weekend to ensure projects and clients were on track; prepared food for our yurt trip while making extra for our families; and ensured we packed layers, luxuries and little things we’d employ in a winter wonderland.

We needed the bare necessities – wool long john onesies, thick socks, indoor shoes, plus tank tops to don once the fire heated the spherical space; headlamps, towels and essential oils for the adjacent wood-fired sauna, plus swimsuits to don in case other yurt-trippers wanted to steam alongside us; boots, hats, gloves, puffy coats, plus shells to don once it started snowing. And, it always seems to snow on my birthday. 

We needed to spruce up the yurt into a lovely, feminine space. I brought a wooden cutting board, cloth napkins and the French toile tablecloth I use for work events, parties and picnic tables. I transported organic dish soap, hand towels and a whisk for morning matcha. I carried a speaker, a box of tissues and the “domestic thriller” book I’d borrowed at the same yurt on my previous visit, just after the New Year, and to leave for another person.

We needed nourishment and proper hydration. I wanted to celebrate with a fondue feast, yet in my resolute effort to not to fixate on idealistic visions, we opted for a simpler meal. Our appetizer spread of veggies, goat cheese, hummus, gluten-free crackers, pistachios and dragon fruit-covered almonds fueled us while we fired up the wood stoves in both the yurt and sauna. We prepared mocktails with homemade ginger-lemon-honey water to mix with elderberry syrup and raspberry sparkling water – a quite refreshing après-Nordic ski bevvy.

We needed objects for healing and miracle making. One friend pulled out an oracle deck and fanned out the cards on the tablecloth. We brought botanicals to ground us and help me cross the threshold into the next year of my life – white sage, rose water, vetiver and other sacred plants. One friend gifted me her hand harvested and homemade comfrey and calendula salve, which we each massaged into one skin injury after another. Once in the sauna, I was offered bottles of essential oils from which to choose an essence that resonated with me most. Wild orange, please, known to uplift and energize.

We needed to connect. I had purposefully curated this group of Earth-loving women to join me on this trip. As we relaxed together in the dark, warm and steamy space, it occurred to me that these friends offered more than their nonjudgment, wisdom, creativity and unpretentious resourcefulness. We were a group of women who sought knowledge through experiences as well as academia; entrepreneurs working with aesthetic and energetic spaces, aesthetics, art, plants, trauma, health, healing, growth and wellbeing; mothers who raised their children in harmony with natural elements and ever-changing cycles of birth, death, rebirth and curiosity. 

We needed time in nature. Upon arrival at Galena Lodge, we skied under the lightly falling snow. Together, we ventured out for a nighttime excursion, our headlamps the most modern of our collective technology and a well-trodden trail the only sign of human life within the limited LED halo. The next day, again we strapped on our snowshoes, that time tromping down several inches of freshly fallen snow as we meandered near and yonder through frozen meadows and frosty pines.

We needed presence. What a gift to focus only on simple demands of immediate survival and imminent joy! We harvested clean snow to melt, then boil for drinking and dish water. We chopped wood and splintered smaller pieces into kindling. We shoveled trails to the pee tree, outhouse and wood pile. We drank when we were thirsty and ate when we were hungry. We told stories, dreamed big, envisioned possibilities – and giggled like schoolgirls (a lot).

We needed to savor. Yes, the moments of togetherness balanced by solace – and the food we lovingly prepared. Late into the night, we finally plated our feast: white bean, squash and ground pork soup with all locally sourced, organic ingredients from my favorite farmers and my own mineral broth; a side salad with garden carrots, feta, cranberries and homemade herb vinaigrette; homemade sourdough infused with rosemary and raisins (an unusually delicious combo), gluten-free rolls and garlic butter; and, my requested dessert, vegan chocolate tofu-free pie with date-pecan crust.

As you can imagine, we women played and rested well, moved freely amongst one another and the elements, and easily nourished ourselves with food and fun times. We shared the gifts of womanhood, motherhood, friendship and Earth’s beauty.

This kind of adventure has become a regular, non-negotiable feature of my life. Often, I cross the cell-free threshold alone. Other times, with friends. When possible, with my kids and family. Spending time in nature, disconnected from modern life, is one of the most healing activities we can prioritize. Being with friends feeds the soul. When we add good food, clean water, fresh air and presence, something remarkable happens: time slows down; stress softens; relationships strengthen; healing transpires; creativity proliferates, belonging arises. We become resourced, playful, spirited and unrestrained. 

·      More information about yurt rentals at Galena Lodge HERE.

·      Want the vegan chocolate tofu-free pie with date-pecan crust recipe? You should! It’s incredible – and it’s in my book (page 131).

Originally written for and published by 5bGazette.com