Help run a retreat center in a Pacific Northwest old growth forest just an hour from Portland, OR, USA

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are a rustic wilderness lodge, a community in a protected old growth forest. We welcome frequent visitors who come to remember that there is a quieter existence outside the bustle of "normal" life. We reside on nearly 200 hundred acres of mature forest and wildlife habitat here in the Pacific Northwest that has been stewarded by the same settler family for five generations.

    We acknowledge that this sacred land is the traditional lands of the Molalla peoples, who were forcibly removed to the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde reservation. We endeavor to live in right relationship with Mother Earth, heal ancestral wounds and deprogram ourselves from colonizing systems and patterns. We are committed to holding a safe space for all peoples, including QT-BIPOC folks. We center the wellness and healing of ourselves and those in our community circle, so we may all cohabitate peacefully and with integrity.

    We have four rustic sleeper cabins and many other accommodations, a cottage, a community lodge with bathrooms and a kitchen, and a bathhouse with a cedar sauna and hot tub. We have a yoga deck overlooking the river along with a swimming beach.

    We're currently developing a conservation easement on 150 acres of the land, which will conserve the forest in its natural state in perpetuity. Our 50 acres outside the conservation easement are being developed into a holistic retreat space where we host paid gatherings and events, including the occasional wedding. The property is owned by a large family, with Ian (he/him) the caretaker living here full-time with his partner Chel (she/her) and their baby Socrates, and Ian’s dad Bill (he/him) visiting every so often to help with building projects.

    We have a fair number of visitors, friends, and helpers passing through our communal spaces. We are remote but not too far out there. The closest town, Molalla, is a 15-minute drive, and we are conveniently 50 minutes from Portland. We work hard here, but make time for fun and relaxation too, which may include sharing meals, film screenings, talent shows, sound healing, music and dancing, bonfires, chilling in the hot tub, yoga, meditation, river dips, foraging for mushrooms and edible and medicinal plants, and exploring the forest :)

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    The setting within our forest is a nature lover's paradise. The flora and old growth ecosystem offer a unique up-close look at the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Anyone from another country/state should get to experience this completely unique and beautiful area at least once in their lives.

    Our zone is ecologically diverse and centrally located within the state of Oregon and the Cascades specifically. We can do language exchange as well. Dive into the forest and soak up every plant and fiber, learn from the organic architecture and the organized chaos of the natural world. Learn English and American cooking! Learn the basic skills of wood chopping and fire starting. After two or three days, the sound of the creek in the background becomes normal and the peacefulness of the setting really starts to unwind the stresses of modern living.

  • Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

    Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

    This host offers accommodation and payment.

    Host has indicated that they will pay at least the minimum hourly wage of their country for each hour worked and that accommodation will also be provided. They are asking for help with a business or business activity. Contact the host directly via the site messenger for more information and details about the wage provided. Any arrangements should be agreed in advance with your host.

  • Help

    Help

    * WE ARE CURRENTLY INTERVIEWING TO FILL 4 VOLUNTEER POSITIONS FOR OUR 6-MONTH HIGH SEASON FROM MARCH-SEPTEMBER. *

    We are gearing up for the busy Spring/Summer seasons, where we host guests and private bookings for retreats, weddings, seminars, and other events. If you are going to be on our team, you are competent, collaborative, and detail-oriented. Weekly tasks you will share with other volunteers include: guest check-in and orientation, cleaning and turning over lodging and communal spaces between guests, and laundry management.

    Other scopes of work that we appreciate proficiency in include: gardening, basic carpentry, and problem-solving skills with plumbing and septic systems, electrical and power. When time allows, we turn our focus to invasive species removal efforts and trail building projects, chopping and stacking firewood.

    To build cohesiveness within our team, we require a minimum commitment of 3 months, but if you can commit to the full 6-month high season, that is even better.

    If this aligns with you, please message us to set up an interview call! We will also want to speak with your references.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Your lodgings in "Volunteer Village" are rustic, and located close to a creek under the canopy of an old growth forest primarily made up of Douglas Fir, Western Cedar and Western Bigleaf Maple. Thick moss blankets many of the lower trees and you will hear owls in the evening. "Volunteer Village" is across the creek from the guest-occupied spaces, including the cabins and communal lodge, so there is separation from work and guests. We also have RV hookups and ample space for folks traveling with their own homes on wheels!

    We have Belle Tents that are 16' in diameter for volunteer accommodations. We work with each individual or couple to assign you to the accommodation that best fits your needs, and so that you may have a place to call your own while you are in community with us. If you come as a single person, you will either have a belle tent to yourself or share with another person.

    There is a fully-stocked camp kitchen, featuring a refrigerator, running water, stove, and all cooking supplies you may need. There is a secluded outdoor shower beneath an old growth Cedar, and two outdoor toilets, including a porta-potty that is serviced regularly. Our barn has a large wood shop and tool space where we have a nice selection of Douglas Fir and cedar for creative projects.

    When the lodge is not occupied by guests or rented out for events, volunteers are welcome to spend time in and around there, cook meals, and use the indoor bathrooms. Depending on the time of year, there could possibly be other workers/tenants/or family sharing the lodge space.

    You will be responsible for your own food, but it is common for volunteers to share meals, and we often have group meals to build camaraderie.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Miles of hikes just upriver. Mt Hood and all it has to offer under 2 hrs. Silver Falls is just over an hour (ten waterfall hike!!) Portland OR is 50 min away. The coast is a few hours drive. The amazing, arid Eastern Oregon is just over the Cascades and offers a completely different climate and cultural experience.
    We have salmon fishing in the river along with some trout and pike minnow (license required).

    There is the potential to do group trips for hiking etc. especially if you do not have a car. We are 15 min from the nearest town and grocery store.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have a fiber optic mesh wifi network that covers most of the structures on the land.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have four RV hookup sites.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    One

  • ...

    Hours expected

    5 hours/day, 4-5 days/week

Host ref number: 768138477887

Feedback (9)



Feedback

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Accuracy of profile: (4.9)

Cultural exchange: (4.7)

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