Awaken or Re-Awaken Your Connection to Wild Nature and to Yourself with this 3 night – 4 day retreat led by “Ranger Dave” and “Coach Helene” Van Manen in the mountains of Colorado at the Horseshoe Lodge in Beulah, Colorado.
This retreat is designed for men/women/couples who refuse to wait any longer in nurturing their relationship to the natural world!
Fall and Winter retreat dates TBA soon!
“There is a love of wild Nature in everybody, an ancient mother-love, ever showing itself whether recognized or not, and however covered by cares and duties” ~ John Muir
Do you long for the space in your life to immerse yourself in wild Nature, to experience the quiet and the mystery of the Earth?
Can you feel inside yourself a need to be more connected to the natural world?
Do you imagine yourself learning how to see more birds, identify plants, read animal sign?
Does exploring your personal connection to Nature, supported by others on their own Nature discovery path, speak to you?
Are you ready to finally take the journey back to Nature that you’ve always known you would one day take?
If so, then My Nature Connection is the opportunity that you have been waiting for!
Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from. ~Terry Tempest Williams
Enjoy carefree days on your Nature Connection Retreat with a variety of daily activities including:
- Hiking and walking (at whatever level you are comfortable with)
- Time for personal reflection, journaling, writing
- Developing your naturalist skills (at whatever level you are at)
- Inspiring and thought-provoking discussions on various topics (e.g. environmental ethics, Nature education)
- Fun activities that will make you remember being a kid at camp
- Nature poetry, Nature quotes and music too!
- Developing a personal plan to stay connected to Nature
Tell your friends…. “I’m going on my Nature Retreat this summer…”
And if you love music, you’ll be treated to a music hike where we’ll delight in songs while looking out over the big views of the ponderosa pine forest. Dave and Helene Van Manen bring their own brand of harmonies and acoustic music to this retreat for making memories you’ll carry with you home. Plan to sing, listen, sing and enjoy the moments. 
My Nature Connection Retreat will be held at The Horseshoe Lodge at the Mountain Park Environmental Center in Beulah, Colorado. Located in a beautiful stand of 100 year old Ponderosa Pines, you’ll find quiet nights, tranquil walking trails outside the 
door and restful rooms with luxury linens and every detail designed to support your retreat. Choose from a private room or share a room with a friend or partner. Limited private baths are available so register early. The meals are healthy, freshly prepared and plentiful. There is always coffee, herbal teas, fruit and other snacks available between meals, and the kitchen staff will work with any special dietary needs you have including dairy and gluten free. There may be an additional fee for special diets. Please inquire.
If you are flying in to COS airport, there is no need to rent a car. You will not be going anywhere once you arrive and the shuttle will provide you with door to door easy comfort travel. The journey from the COS airport is 70 miles and takes 1.5 hours. MPEC’s excellent drivers will make sure you arrive safely and will make your trip easy. The cost is $125 round trip, but you must first email the guest relations staff at MPEC guestrelations@hikeandlearn.org to get the flight times for shuttle reservations. If you are driving directly to the Lodge you will receive directions upon your registration.
Dave Van Manen (Ranger Dave) is the Founder of the not-for-profit Mountain Park Environmental Center, which he began in 1998, and currently serves as its Special Project Coordinator and Resident Naturalist. His service to MPEC includes facilitating specific programs (Nature Toddlers, Full Moon Hikes) developing special projects and programs (including grant writing), writing about MPEC for various publications, public speaking and more.
Ranger Dave has been working in the field of education, with both children and adults, for nearly forty years. His background includes being a nationally known children’s musician, performer, and recording artist with a specialty in environmental music and storytelling. He is the author of Plants of Pueblo Mountain Park, a field guide to the flora of the park and surrounding areas. Dave is a recipient of the Enos Mills Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education. Dave has been a resident of the town of Beulah for 38+ years, where he and his wife Helene raised their two children and now spend much time with their grandchildren. He is an avid hiker and can often be found hiking the trails of of Pueblo Mountain Park and beyond. 
Through Mountain Consulting, Dave consults for not-for-profits and those working on special projects. www.DaveVanManen.com
Helene Van Manen is the Founder and Director of Training at www.RetreatCoaches.com and holds a Master Certified Coach degree from the International Coaching Federation. On the faculty at Coach University, Helene is a seasoned teacher growing students in both their leadership skills, business success and environmental awareness. Specializing in mentoring new coaches, Helene Van Manen has trained hundreds of students to lead retreats, workshops, trainings and other programs. Coach Helene leads retreats for leaders, professional women, self care retreats, staff and organization retreats. Helene brings her love of music and poetry to her work and leading style and empowers others to listen deeply to their creative selves. Learn more about her at www.CoachHelene.com
“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious… Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television. “
