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Last replied
6 Feb 2025
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Description
We are a budding cooperative artists' retreat located on 75 acres in the middle of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in the Little Belt Mountains of Montana. We are quite literally surrounded by thousands of acres of wilderness! We are 12 miles from civilization! We are looking for adventurous/creative types to help us build small cabins and other infrastructure to grow our project and be a part of our growing community. This summer we will begin work building the Poets Cafe among other projects. The project was founded in 2007 by NYC musician/artist Chris and is operational from mid June to mid September.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will have a chance to learn about a variety of building styles including cordwood masonry and more traditional log cabin building methods. You can learn to run our saw mill (if interested) and how to use a variety of shop tools including table saws, miter saw, sanders, etc. Or, if you prefer, you don't have to use any power tools at all! Cordwood masonry is simple and easy and is done all by hand.
You may also pick up some art/music type tidbits from the other creative folk who are there, and will be invited to share your own wisdom in the creative artistic realm. We encourage all to join our nearly nightly very low key campfire jam and social time.
We frequently host visitors from foreign countries so the cultural exchange is always lively and rewarding. Because of this we also prepare group meals with recipes from around the world!Help
Help needed for activities such as building traditional and non-traditional log cabins and other structures, clearing trails, peeling logs for structures, cutting and gathering wood for campfires and wood stoves, preparing group meals, picking berries and gathering herbs.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
We are attracting travelers from all over the world. We all love learning all we can from each other including language.Accommodation
We have 7 structures than can sleep a total of 15-18 people now. 4 cabins. Two sleep up to 3 and the other two up to 2 people. A mobile home with 1 bedrooms and a living room with a fold out couch. 2 large camper trailers which can sleep 2 to 3 people each and a camper Van which can sleep 1-2. If we have overflow some folks some will have to sleep in tents of which we have several including bedding and sleeping bags. (this is still a fairly rare occurrence.)
We have 4 fully pressurized hot showers, 5 composting toilets and 2 flush toilets.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We do NOT have cell phone service or internet access here. I repeat, there is absolutely NO Cell service or Internet service at here on purpose. (In this regard we are indeed truly “off the grid”.) There is a mountain pass 3 miles up the road where one can get cell phone service. You can hike there or we have mountain bikes available to take you there if you need to check messages or make a call. We do, however, have many electrical outlets to charge computers, i-pads, and other devices.What else ...
Leisure activities include hiking the many National Forest trails, swimming, fishing, frisbee, whiffleball, volleyball, nightly campfires (with poetry, stories and some jamming most nights!), and some of the most amazing star gazing you will ever do!
We also take short group trips (usually 1 or 2 nights) to mind-blowing places like Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park both of which are a very short 3-4 hour drive from here.
Another very popular local excursion is to hike the Sluice Box canyon which is only about a half hour drive.
There is no public transportation to us here but we can pick you up in Great Falls, Montana if you fly or take the bus. (1 hour drive)
More information can be found on our website which will be provided when you contact us.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have the ability to provide electric hookups for a few Campers/RV’s. Water can be hauled.
Can possibly accept pets
Well behaved dogs who are good around people, children and other dogs are allowed. Otherwise a hard no on this one.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (33)
You are far, far away from your life here, truly disconnected. No interruptions. Just present. I can't understate the value of that alone. I stayed nearly a… read more
Chris is an expert at his instrument, for an EXPERT. Talk to him about anything, he's really on this earth to help.
Living here was a little slice of heaven. I loved the morning poetry readings. We all are a… read more
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You are far, far away from your life here, truly disconnected. No interruptions. Just present. I can't understate the value of that alone. I stayed nearly a… read more
Chris is an expert at his instrument, for an EXPERT. Talk to him about anything, he's really on this earth to help.
Living here was a little slice of heaven. I loved the morning poetry readings. We all are a… read more
This is a place of absolute magic. I would think it unreal and impossible had someone shared their feelings of being here with me and I had to believe they all came from this place.
It was some of the most fulfilled living I have ever experienced. So many… read more
First of all, Chris is a wonderful host. He has been spending summers in this place for many years, and can show any newbie the ropes. He wants everyone to be comfortable here, to be well fed, to have… read more
Chris is an amazing, inspiring person with realistic plans to achieve his dream of an artist refuge, and he is well on the way already. The work is fun, but it doesn't hold a candle to all the late-night campfire jam sessions, delicious food and thousands of… read more
She was also very pro-active. If something needed fixing she fixed it. If something needed cleaning she cleaned it.… read more
Also a world class hiker and climber he guided us on new adventures in the… read more
This is a place where I found my inner child and walked around barefoot and sleeped on the hammock between pines.
There is so much to do, to create, chop some wood make some art, playing flute on the hill, singing out loud in the valley and listen to my own echo, paint on everything that can be painted, playing guitar staring at campfire,… read more