Vermont Trail Running + Wellness Retreat 2022

Transportation to and from the airport

We recommend you fly into the Burlington International Airport (BTV). The Lodge at Spruce Peak is located in Stowe, Vermont which is about an hour scenic drive from the airport.

You can also choose to rent a car. There are multiple car rental agencies at the BTV for your booking convenience.

We offer retreat participants a sign-up sheet through which they can coordinate ride shares with others who are on a similar travel plan as you. This way, you can share your car rental with others, or join in someone else's rental car.

Retreat Start and End Times

Our program begins on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., so we recommend arriving no later than 3:00 p.m. Official check-in time is at 4 p.m., though you may sometimes be able to check in early. If you plan to fly in on day one of the retreat we recommend an arrival time to the Burlington Airport (BTV) no later than 1:00 p.m.

Our program ends on Tuesday at approximately 12:00 p.m. after lunch and our retreat closing. If you are departing on the final day of the retreat we recommend departing on your flight from the BTV airport no earlier than 3:00 p.m. to allow enough time to transfer from the lodge to the airport and to check-in.

After checking into your room at the Lodge at Spruce Peak, meet your retreat leader for the Retreat Welcome Meeting at 3:00 p.m. in the White Pines meeting room. Come dressed ready to run as we'll depart for today's shake out run soon after the meeting wraps. During the meeting, you'll officially meet your fellow retreat participants and review the retreat intention and flow.

Today's "shake out" trail run is designed to help you get grounded and burn off any nervous energy. Your retreat leader will present the key aspects of the Power Posture as a foundation for your mindful running practice in the days to come. These techniques will be especially valuable if you're new to trail running. Then you'll enjoy a relaxed run on the Ranch Valley Loop trail. After the run, we'll return to the lodge, where you have plenty of free time to freshen up before we gather for dinner in the dining room. Near the end of dinner, your retreat leader will review important information for tomorrow's run in terms of what to bring and what to wear for the conditions.

Time on trail (including stops and clinic): 60 - 90 minutes 

This morning, you'll help yourself to the breakfast buffet served at the lodge. At 9:15 a.m. you'll meet your retreat leader and guides for the short drive to the Stowe Cross Country Ski Center at the base of Mount Mansfield. Today's run is a 6-mile loop along along the Timberlane Trail to Bear Run to Ranch Camp. Your retreat leader will lead a mindful running workshop about how to pace yourself on this rolling terrain with a slight increase in uphill grade with a couple medium-grade hills on the Timberlane and Bear Run sections of trail. The terrain varies between reclaimed logging roads and singletrack XC trails making for easier sections of trail to navigate. With a slightly more intense grade up to Ranch Camp we will loop back to the start of the trail at the XC center In this area we have our pick of scenic singletrack to run, and will opt for a route that maximizes the scenic rewards for our efforts. 
After lunch and some free time back at the lodge, enjoy a private group yoga class (designed specifically for runner!) on the grass outside. Tonight's dinner is at one of Stowe's upscale eateries featuring local and seasonal dishes. 

Time on trail (including stops): 2 – 3 hours

After buffet breakfast at the lodge, meet your retreat leader and guides for today's adventure. Bring a day pack with a change of clothes when you depart the lodge for a 25-minute drive to Smuggler's Notch trailhead. Today's run, in Mount Mansfield State Forest. starts at the Nebraska Notch/Trout Club trailhead near Lake Mansfield along a mile of gentle rolling forest trail. In preparation for today's ascent to up Nebraska Notch to the Long Trail (the oldest long distance trail in the United States), your retreat leader will teach you how mindful running can help you befriend the hills.

Using these newly honed techniques, you'll savor the views from the highpoint of today's run, which offers stunning views of the Notch Cliffs and Lake Mansfield. Your run then continues past historic Taylor Lodge, named after James Taylor, who proposed the Long Trail. From the lodge we will access the Clara Bow Trail, for the return trip to the run's starting point.

After the run, enjoy a casual picnic lunch, then we'll return to the lodge for some relaxation and free time to enjoy the spa or other resort amenities. This afternoon we'll have a Sharing Circle, followed by a ride on the Sky Ride Gondola to the top of Mount Mansfield for a special fine dining experience at the Cliff House Restaurant. 

Time on trail (including stops): 2 -3 hours

After an early buffet breakfast at the lodge, you'll head out a bit earlier this morning to make the most of our final day before the checkout time at 11 a.m.. Today's run begins along a secret trail that takes us to a picturesque waterfall and past rundown ruins of log cabins--a nod to the locations past as a sheep farm in the 1800's. After this scenic and rewarding run, we'll have you back to the lodge a little after 10 am so that you have time to shower and change before the 11 am checkout time.

Then meet your retreat leader for the farewell lunch and the official retreat closing. The final circle serves a powerful final sharing opportunity to reflect on what this experience revealed to you and what'll take away and continue applying to your running at home. Lunch wraps up by 12 pm.

Time on trail: 1 - 2 hours