Camping Retreat: Aug 2026
Since there is a fair amount of info to share about our 4th annual summer camping retreat here at Empty Mountain this coming August, I thought it might be a good idea to craft a blog post with all the details for those who might be interested in joining us. Here goes!
August 14-16(Fri-Sun): Camping Retreat
We’ll send more details after folks RSVP, but below are some basics that are helpful to know up front. Most importantly: please know the whole of our retreat will be held outdoors. We do not yet have an indoor group meeting space, though we will have a canvas tent set up in case of rain. So folks will need to come prepared for a range of temperatures & weather.
Arrival: 4:00-6:00pm on Friday August 14
Start of the retreat on Friday: 6:30pm
End of the retreat: after lunch on Sunday August 16 (around 2pm)
Location: EM is situated 60-miles west of Missoula & just 3-miles off of I-90 (we’ll send detailed directions to those who RSVP)
Food: We will provide breakfast on Sat & Sun mornings and dinner on Sat night; all other meals are bring your own. Meals provided will be vegan friendly.
Cost: $50; payment can be made in cash on site or ahead of time through the donate tab on our website
Lodging options: Folks will need to BYO sleeping situation: tent, hammock, or van/vehicle. If you have a tow behind camper or RV you want to bring along we should have no prob finding a place to park it, but please do let us know. Need a tent? Reach out and let us know. We have a couple on hand folks are welcome to borrow.
Off-grid & without running water: Here at EM we operate off-grid and without running water. We have solar panels for electricity (translation: you can charge your phone inside our cabin if you need to) and we have creative ways to dispense the rain water we collect (and filter for drinking). We have an outhouse with a composting toilet as well. We do not have cell service or wi-fi here. We do, however, have a cell phone antenna on our cabin, which picks up ONLY the Verizon signal, so if you have Verizon as your cell carrier you can get cell signal & 4G when you are at or very close to our cabin, but if you don’t have Verizon you likely won’t get any signal. We can hotspot you if you need access to your phone while you’re here.
Please scroll down to read our policies in place regarding dogs and drugs/alcohol.
Want to attend only on Sunday? Please email us to let us know. We gladly welcome folks to join us simply for the day on Sunday. Arrival time on Sunday is between 8:30-8:45am. BYO lunch and a cushion or camp chair along. We’ll be going on a one-hour hike to a nearby creek.
RSVP by August 7. To let us know you plan to attend, please email us at: emptymountain406@gmail.com
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Friday August 14
Arrival Time, 4-6pm
BYO Dinner
Welcome Circle followed by Guided Deep Relaxation 6:30pm
End of Day & start of Noble Silence, 8:30pm
Saturday August 15
Wake Up, 6:30am
(Optional: 6:00-6:30am self-guided movement to music)
Sitting Meditation, 7:00am
Breakfast (provided), 8:00am
Walking Meditation, 9:30am
Reading & Sitting Meditation 11:00am
BYO Lunch, 12:30pm
Rest/Personal Time
Qigong Stick Exercises, 2:30pm
Sharing Circle, 3:30pm
Free & Open Social Hang Out Time, starting around 5pm
Dinner (provided), 6:00pm
After dinner possibilities: yard games, music making, campfire hang out
Sunday August 16
Wake Up, 6:30am
(Optional: 6:00-6:30am self-guided movement to music)
Sitting Meditation, 7:00am
Breakfast (provided), 8:00am
Silent Hike to Keystone Creek, 9:00am
Teaching Talk by Nicole, 10:30am (at the creek)
Closing Circle, 11:00am (at the creek)
Social Walk Back to EM, 11:30am
BYO Lunch, 12:30/1pm
End of Retreat around 1:30/2pm
A Couple of Things
About Dogs. Dogs are welcome, but please do bring a leash along. Allowing dogs at program events is an EM experimental endeavor. We’re still in the trying-it-out phase. While we dearly love dogs, they can be challenging to enfold into the practice of meditation & mindfulness, the mix of humans, other dogs and all of the enticing smells & critters of the forest.
About Alcohol & Drugs. Here at EM, we aim to be a safe space for folks wanting to live a sober life, which includes ourselves as well. As such, we respectfully ask that alcohol and drugs not be brought on site, including recreational marijuana.