The Hostel in the Forest

My magical weekend was a three day stretch that I won't soon forget. It was so full of beauty and happiness that a part of me doesn't want to share it. I want to keep these warm, happy feelings inside my heart, and these warm, happy memories inside my mind, and lock them inside of me, hoarding them all to myself. A delicious secret.

But that wouldn't be very nice. Sharing is caring, after all, and once in a great while, something that is "too good to be true," really is too good, and really is true. Something like that is worth sharing. So I present to you... The Hostel in the Forest.

I arrived at the hostel just a few minutes after my best friend, Kate and her hubby, Brandon. We were meeting here as a fun little get-away/vacation before they pressed on to Maine. The magic began just after narrowly missing the entrance. We both got a kick out of the extremely bumpy ride down the long, winding driveway. As I bumped along, I rolled down the windows for the first time that day and listened and marveled at the tall trees and the warm sunshine beaming through their leafy branches.

Kate & Brandon were set up in a hut with no walls, just screens.

My first night was spent in the Collaboratorium, which is much more hostel-like. The bottom floor is filled with bunk beds and funky paint EVERYWHERE.

The top floor has an art studio that we were told we could play in, but we never had the time.

There was also a hammock, which I successfully conquered.

I realize that doesn't look quite "successful," but I swear I made it all the way in! It was snug.

Once our bags were dropped, we set off to explore the grounds.

We had a lot of fun around the lake.

This place is about as earth-friendly as it gets, from recycling to composting.

(this includes - colorful! - composting toilets)

As colorful and cheery as these are, it was a little creepy (for me) to go to them in the middle of the night, even with a flashlight.

They also grow much of their own veggies, but you'll be reading more about the food in a later entry.

The showering situation is pretty nice. Freeing, even! It uses filtered sulfur water, so there's that eggy smell, but being able to shower in the fresh forest air pretty much makes up for that.

So there is your introductory tour of the hostel in the forest. Coming soon: dinner at the hostel, where I slept the second night, CHICKENS!, and Jekyll Island.