The First Women's Recovery through Hiking Retreat 2026

When I created Lynne Burns Recovery Coaching, LLC in 2025, the intention was to provide 1:1 coaching. I really couldn't see beyond that yet. But since then, things have expanded in so many incredible ways. In March of this year I began to have dreams of creating a hiking retreat for women in recovery. This dream would wake me up at night full of excitement and honestly a little fear around trying something new. But I kept dreaming of it. I started to explore rental properties and talk to a few friends who had hosted retreats. It was sounding like a lot of time and effort, but then this incredible property was available. An 8 bedroom house close to Mount Greylock in Western Massachusetts. Anyone close to me knows I'm a sucker for an old house! This historic property that would allow everyone to have their own bedroom was just too much to pass up. There are many times in my life where I feel this consistent nudge to do something that I believe is part of my purpose. These series of nudges were too much to ignore.

We arrived on August 21st and settled into our new home for the next 3 days. This property was amazing! There was a stream that sort of wrapped around the property, fields to walk through, and oak trees who's branches were heavy with acorns. It was the first time I had ever seen....or maybe ever noticed acorns on a tree. We enjoyed dinner together as we talked and got to know each other a little better.

After dinner I set up our retreat journals which were custom made for us by cococreates.net along with our table which included a collection of symbolic items to help us connect with Mother Earth and dispel any fears we might feel around being in nature. We used our journal to set intentions for our retreat. It was a beautiful experience where we were able to share a little more about ourselves and solidify the sisterhood we were starting to feel between us. I think my favorite moment was after our intention setting was over. I went to the kitchen to clean the dishes and I could hear everyone together at the table laughing.....like REALLY laughing. My eyes welled up with tears and I smiled to myself. I remember an interview Gloria Steinem did where she spoke about women's laughter. No one can force us to laugh and no one can stop us from laughing. She said laughter is resistance and it's a rebellion against everything that tries to silence us.

We woke up Saturday morning and shared a nourishing breakfast together followed by a visualization. The visualization took us on a hike to a waterfall where each of our senses were used to experience the forest and connect with the Earth. We arrived at Mount Greylock and hiked up Sperry Road to Stony Ledge where we enjoyed a view of the mountain and were able to quietly sit with her and connect. Next we drove up to the summit and had a picnic together where we got to refuel and reflect on our journey.

We returned home for some down time and then enjoyed dinner together. After dinner we each created our own, unique intention candle to help bring home with us some of our retreat intentions. We also created bookmarks with various quotes about nature all from women.

On Sunday we shared breakfast and then had a fire ceremony together where we wrote down one of our fears around hiking and being in nature. We shared about our fears and then burned them together. We each pulled a card from The Wild & Sacred Feminine Deck (Niki Dewart & Elizabeth Marglin) and as has been my experience again and again we each received a card that spoke to our journey.

So I guess the only question is will I do it again? ABSOLUTELY. The biggest thing I learned creating this space to explore our connection to nature in community with our sisters is that we all need this. It's a yearning that we might not have identified or even noticed, but when we start to experience this connection together you can see that it's exactly what we all need at this moment. There is no spiritual hierarchy. Whether we see ourselves as belonging to one religion, no religion, or every religion, the need to connect is ever present. I feel absolutely honored that these 7 women trusted me to guide us in exploring a deeper connection with ourselves, with other women, and with all else that exists. I am grateful.....and there is more to come. May the deep connection and reverence that I feel for all of nature and her creatures overflow in me (as it is right now....I'm crying rereading this back to myself), so that it is unbearable not to share this feeling with others. We are not separate from nature. We ARE nature. If we can be still and listen and look and feel, our inner knowing will tell us so and call us back to convene in our one, true home. The Earth.

***If you feel interested in joining a future retreat, text or email. I'll add you to my list***