copy compass

Okay, yes, this blog post is long, long, looooong overdue. But I promise I have a good excuse: I came home from this retreat in June with so much new energy and inspiration that I put my head down, got to work, and didn’t come up for air until, well, September.

A promising sign of a successful retreat experience, wouldn’t you agree?

You can also imagine that when it comes to recapping a life changing experience, it can be difficult to know where to start, what to include, and how to summarize something so significant.

But, when one of my new (and wildly talented) friends from the trip - Isabella - shared that her film photos from Colorado were ready to see, I was blessed with the opportunity to relive my experience all over again (this time from the comfort of my couch with my cats and my partner Rob, who enthusiastically nodded along as I told him story after story of this incredible weekend without ever coming up for air).

Swiping through photo after photo of some of my favorite memories ever - frozen perfectly in time on film - was exactly what I needed to remember how important it is that I share this experience with others in order to showcase the knowledge shared, insights learned, and hopefully generate some excitement within a community of outdoorsy womxn in anticipation for future retreats.

So, without further ado, here’s just a small glimpse behind the scenes of my experience with Outdoor Womxn, Colorado, High Camp Hut, an incredible group of strangers-turned-friends, and - ehem - just a wee touch of altitude sickness. What can I say? These midwest lungs didn’t know what hit ‘em.

I’ll cut to the chase…

I followed Outdoor Womxn on Instagram just a few weeks before they posted about this retreat and opened up applications, so it felt a little bit like kismet when they shared the juicy deets about what attendees could expect during their time in Colorado. I’ve moved around a lot over the last several years, and especially thanks to the pandemic, it had been a while since I’d ventured out to do something new and exciting - especially with strangers. I was a little hesitant to apply, but kicked those concerns to the side in the pursuit of “what if.”

What if this was exactly what I needed to strengthen my skills as a business owner, copywriter, and eco-conscious, communicator?

What if this retreat was the answer to my hopes for a stronger community of likeminded womxn and business owners?

What if it was life changing?

Long story short, I had the pleasure of meeting with Outdoor Womxn founder Sofia Silva to chat more about the retreat and make sure it was a good fit. When it comes to small, intimate retreats, the attitudes and values of the people in attendance can make or break the experience, so I appreciate that Sofia took the time to ensure that the trip was attended by considerate, respectful humans.

Once Sofia let me know that I was invited to join in on the fun, I did what any outdoorsy person would and rushed to Facebook Marketplace, visited my local thrift shop, and - of course - stopped in at REI to gather everything I’d need for an off-grid experience.

My first time in Colorado was nothing short of a dream.

I was lucky enough to stay with a dear friend - hi, Chelsea - on both sides of the retreat, and indulged in all of her favorite spots. I lived like a local, even if just for a combined handful of hours, and squeezed in as much Denver as I possibly could. We ate, we drank, we thrifted, until Chelsea eventually dropped me off at a bougie Whole Foods where I waited to meet up with the gals I’d be driving with to Telluride.

I loved the opportunity to get to know badass business owners Hannah and Jasmine during the 7-hour drive from Denver down to the retreat, and I’d imagine that the other retreat attendees felt the same about their travel buddies, too. Having a few extra hours and a unique experience with one or two new people made it so much easier to dive right into the group once we all finally met up together.

While our arrivals to the one-night pre-retreat Telluride Airbnb were staggered, we all arrived safely and exhaustedly in one piece, sharing groggy introductions before hitting the hay.

Retreat Day 1

…began with showers, a quick breakfast, and consolidating luggage, groceries, and gear into cars. We departed for the trailhead where we’d be meeting the High Camp Hut crew and unloading our things to be shuttled to the cabin. By shuttled, I mean pulled behind a rough-n-tumble Wrangler in a trusty tarp-covered trailer up the mile-long two-track driveway.

While our luggage was lovingly portered up to our home-away-from-home for the weekend, the group was led by Jean and Reilly (and their sweet pup) through the Colorado forest to the start of our hiking trail. The trail to the cabin is private, remote, and can’t be found on even the best of maps, which made the whole trek feel intimately connected to nature. We took a few group photos before waving farewell to our guides and setting off our next adventure.

9 womxn stand together in front of the rolling hills and glorious mountains of Rico/Telluride, Colorado. — Shoutout to the High Camp Hut crew who took our first group photo of the trip. The mountain behind us reminds us of the thumb-shaped mountain from Holes.

We enjoyed a long, leisurely hike through virtually undisturbed, untouched land in the Telluride mountains, stopping once in a while for snacks and conversation. Eventually, the High Camp Hut cabin peeked out at us, nestled among the skyline and seeming to beckon us inside for connection, relaxation, and inspiration. Who were we to protest?

We opened High Camp Hut’s big, wooden door and stepped foot into a little slice of heaven on earth. Our gear had been generously brought inside for us, so everyone took their things to their beds and began unpacking groceries to set up for lunch. As a group, we already seemed to have gotten into a groove together, so this all felt second-nature.

After lunch, we settled in on the couches so we could get to know each other better. I loved that there were only 9 of us on the retreat, which allowed for everyone to cozy up together on the couches and see each other clearly instead of crowding around.

One by one, we introduced ourselves, shared what was important to us, where we were in our journeys to being inclusive outdoor advocates and eco-conscious businesswomxn. While we originally intended to share for about 5 minutes each, this portion of the retreat ended up taking hours - and we loved every minute of it. We asked each other questions, laughed together, learned more about each other, and soaked up all the non-cheesy fun facts that were shared.

Getting to know these gals was nothing short of a treat! Each of them brought with them an inspiring background of knowledge, experience, and opinions, and made an effort to ask thoughtful questions.

Unfortunately, it was around this time that the altitude sickness began to creep in, starting as a headache and ending in some serious nausea. Instead of cooking dinner with my meal group, I retired to my bed to try to rest it off. I missed dinner, but after some shut eye, was finally able to join the group back downstairs for some tea before bed (or, in my case, bed take two).

RETREAT DAY 2

…began with yoga on the deck - there’s no better studio than the great outdoors - followed by breakfast with the crew. The weather took a dark and stormy turn but we were able to stay dry for most of the day. The agenda for day 2 included presentations and discussions from each of the attendees, most of which took place outside where we watched the storm roll in. We were able to follow along with each discussion thanks to the goal-setting journal provided to us by Sofia/Outdoor Womxn. Here’s what was covered:

Jasmine taught us how to stay organized and manage our time in a way that works for us. We learned techniques to project manage our own schedules to maximize efficiency as entrepreneurs and go-getters.
Jess taught us about the importance of positioning the benefits before the features when writing copy for your biz. By presenting the benefits first, you can let your audience know what’s in it for them.
Jackie taught us about outdoor stewardship and led a powerful discussion about the importance of stewardship and how we can be better stewards in our communities. We each took a pledge to do our part in our local communities once we got back home.
Elizabeth taught us about why it’s so important for apparel and experience brands to prioritize plus-size inclusivity in order to ensure the great outdoors are accessible to all (it’s about damn time!!!).
Katie taught us about social media management techniques and best practices through the lens of outdoorsy entrepreneurs, and as an added bonus, shared dozens of incredible and informative stories about what it’s like to be a female guide.
My discussion revolved around ethical copywriting and why it’s important to remain ethical when marketing yourself or your business. As a group, we addressed non-ethical headlines and copy examples and flipped them on their head to be written more ethically. (Psst, I have a freebie resource all about ethical copywriting coming soon! Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, Letters From Camp, to be the first to know when it drops!)

As organizers of the retreat, Isabella, Sophia, and Hannah served as the ultimate hype-women, world’s best question-askers, and shared their endless wisdom throughout the entirety of the trip.

After everyone had a chance to lead their discussion, it was time to break for some relaxation ahead of dinnertime. A few of us opted to go enjoy a beverage in High Camp Hut’s wood-fired hot tub, located about a quarter-mile down the mountain in the middle of a field. Sound euphoric? It was!

This quaint and cozy hot tub allowed small groups of us to spend some quiet, vulnerable time together after a long day of learning. We sipped, we laughed, we rotated seats in the hot tub when the wood fire got too toasty. It was spectacular, and then it was time for dinner.

Somewhere between drying off after the hot tub and getting dressed to cook dinner, the headache started to settle back into my neck and temples, followed by some pesky nausea. I tried my best to commit to dinner prep, but once again retired to my bed for some rest and a lot of deep breathing to hopefully sleep off the altitude sickness.

Thankfully, I got some rest, and woke to some seriously magical giggles coming from the dinner table downstairs. And it’s true what they say about laughter - it is the best medicine. I made my way back downstairs and - while facing some serious déjà vu - enjoyed another cup of tea with the crew before brushing my teeth and heading to bed. It was hard not to feel a little sad that this would be our last night in paradise, but I knew I’d need to get some serious sleep before another long hike to the trailhead followed by an entire day on the road back to Denver.

RETREAT DAY 3

…a few of the gals had to head out early to catch a flight, so we all rose with the sun and said a few farewells before making breakfast and settling in for a quiet last meal together. Hannah led the group in a quiet meditation to reflect on what we’d learned, and we completed a final few prompts in our goal-setting workbooks. Katie wrote a heartfelt note in the guestbook and we soaked in a few extra minutes of serenity and relaxation before packing up and cleaning the cabin.

Cindy - owner of High Camp Hut - arrived as we were finishing up and helped us load our things into the trailer before sending us on our way down the mountain towards the trailhead. We reminisced with her about our magical weekend in her magical space and thanked her for creating something so special. THANK YOU, Cindy & HCH crew, for allowing us to grow and connect at High Camp Hut.

We hiked our way back down to where it all began, unloaded the trailer, removed our mud-soaked boots, gave big hugs, followed by more big hugs, and then it was time to depart.

Since Jasmine had left earlier that morning to catch her flight, it was just Hannah and I for the long drive back to Denver. We stopped at a grocery store for some fresh water, Starbucks coffee, and a snack (one juicy cucumber), which we snapped in half to share during the drive. It might have been a “you had to be there” moment, but we had a lot of laughs about this shared, raw cucumber (maybe it was the barista-crafted caffeine).

The drive home was equal parts reflective and refreshing. It was nice to be able to process the trip with someone else who experienced it before getting to Denver (and eventually, Wisconsin) where I’d have the pleasure of telling others about my trip, knowing that they couldn’t quite grasp just how transformational it was.

Eventually, Hannah dropped me back at Chelsea’s house where I waved farewell before promptly jumping in the shower (my first in 3 days) to get ready for dinner.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

While swiping through photos of the retreat, I remembered that the whole point was to bring together a talented, diverse group of outdoorsy womxn to connect and learn from each other in a uniquely special outdoor setting. Mission accomplished? Definitely. But what resulted from a weekend in the Colorado wilderness was so much more than simply fulfilling.

I meant it when I said that I’ve been busy implementing the things I learned during my time at High Camp Hut. These womxn - my new friends - taught me so much about what it means to be a business owner, a conscious consumer, an outdoor steward, an advocate, an ally, and a person lucky enough to exist on this planet.

Every day, I get to use something I learned from one of those rad gals to improve my business, nurture a relationship, advocate for mother nature and inclusivity in the outdoors, or add value to my life and the lives of those around me. While these results can’t be quantified, you’ll have to take my word for it when I say that they were well worth the money, time, effort, and energy that went into this retreat. I feel lucky and privileged to have been able to attend.