The retreat will start with leaving early on Wednesday and arriving back in the afternoon on Saturday. Think of this as a sesshin with different forms to suit wilderness practice. Recommended pre-reading for this trip is Shohaku Okumura’s The Mountain and Waters Sutra: A Practitioner’s guide to Dogen’s “sansuikyo”

The backpacking level of effort is moderate. Our first-choice destination is the Indian Heaven Wilderness in southwest Washington. Most of our hiking will be on unofficial, unmaintained trails. The hiking is mostly gradual, but there are several short somewhat steep ups and downs. Total hiking distance over the 3 days is about 15 miles, with a total elevation gain of about 1000 feet. Sosetsu will lead this retreat.

Sign-up for the retreat will end Friday, August 16. Wilderness rules limit us to 12 people including the leader. Due to lack of space, no dogs are allowed. We will have a mandatory pre-trip planning meeting after dharma talk on Sunday, August 18, and a later gear check meeting for any participants with little backpacking experience. As it currently stands, we will each be responsible for our own meals, except for Oryoki breakfast.

Contact Sosetsu at above email if you have any questions.

Your registration fee will be refunded if the retreat is canceled because of fire/weather.

Registration for this retreat is closed.