holden pics...

holden pics...

holden pics...

Holden to embolden spirit, body, and palate

I recently returned from three weeks at a place called Holden Village. An old mining operation, given to the Lutheran church, it now welcomes thousands of visitors--you don't have to be Lutheran (and hundreds of volunteers who work hard) each year. Set in the BEAUTIFUL (look at the pics) Wenatchee National Forest, with the Northern Cascades dropped in for added benefit, this is place for hikers and people who like to be in the forest. People like me...and you?

I was there to enjoy the nature (hike!), work in the kitchen, and study for my financial consulting tests. There are pictures of the first two. I'll let you use your vivid imagination for the last one. enjoy!
If you are interested in visiting, volunteering at holden, check it out.

some points of highlighting:
the bell: you don't need a watch at Holden, because all events, including meals and sessions, evening worship is signaled by one or two rings of the village bell.

wildlife: there are various creatures you will meet. including an eagle, birds, chipmunks, deer, and bear (although I didn't meet the bear.

food: holden makes good food (even if it is mostly vegitarian). The bread rocks. burritos are good with cheese and hot sauce. and the basic soup and salad is lavish simplicity.

hiking: if you like hiking, you've come to right place. Hikes range from 30 minutes to overnights. if you real crazy, you can try to squeeze an overnight into one day. i don't recommend hiking 18 miles in one day.

amenities: holden is not as rustic as I thought. internet, unlimited electricty (thanks to a power generation plant by the creek), sauna, and jacuzzi. who knew living in the middle of no where could be so good?

crafts: pottery, weaving (some like rugs), knitting, stained glass. many options await.

nature: did I mention there is an abundance of the natural thing--brown, green, brown.

garbage: because Holden is in the middle of the mountains, garbage is a BIG deal. It is dealt with in a specific manner. In the dining hall, there was 4 different bins: compost, burnable, landfill, and recycle. Holden has to pack out all of the stuff that is not compostable or burnable.

the burger: after a few weeks in the (mostly vegi) village, the meat eater in me was really craving a nice thick cheese burger. we stopped at rusty's world famous on our way back to civilization. it was good. real good.

i'm glad I went. you will be glad too.
www.holdenvillage.org