This issue will offer reflections on how things went at The Mountain in 2017, and update you on what great things are coming up in 2018.
More guests welcomed in 2017
We are hosting more people at The Mountain each year, welcoming 3,157 adults and youth in 2017, a 4% increase over the past four years. This represents just over 11,000 onsite person nights! Guest evaluations are also showing favorable responses to our food and dining experience. Responses indicate 90% of guests rate our food, accommodation of dietary needs, and overall dining experience at 7 or higher, out of a high rating of 10. Kudos to Matt Wright and the Kitchen Team!
Message from the Executive Director
Speaking with guests during our Thanksgiving celebration I jokingly said that 2017 was the year of the windows. We started the year by replacing the windows in the Great Room and ended the year replacing the windows in the Dining Hall. Bookends to an amazing year at The Mountain.
For five years, I continue to feel humbled and blessed by the love and generosity of our guests, donors and stakeholders. For example, in August we hosted the Total Solar Eclipse retreat, a program that was a year in the making. We had three beautiful cloudless days filled with wonderful speakers and activities. Then, on the morning of the big total eclipse day, a cloud appears on the horizon. As the time of Totality drew near the clouds thickened. We did not see the eclipse the way I pictured. I felt glum, wanting to hide my head like an ostrich. But something beautiful happened; the power of people and the magic of the Mountain drew me to speak with so many loving, understanding folks who were so happy to just be a part of our program. They lifted my spirit and strengthened my soul. Thank You!
I see this time and time again at this special place. I watched it happen with our campers all last summer. I see it with our longtime friends who haven’t been able to visit The Mountain for years. And, I see the amazing transformation first timers experience when they hadn’t known that their heart needed a shot of affection until they discovered it here.
All this is why The Mountain exists.
You are why The Mountain has been so successful and why 2017 was such an amazing year. I said in my opening that we replaced windows, but did so much more. With your support we repaired Sally’s Deck at the Lodge, added ground lights around the roadways at the top, replaced the Dining Hall chairs, and so much more. Our programs continued to grow. We hosting over 3,100 guests, setting recent attendance records for Easter Work Weekend, Music week, Thanksgiving, and MountainCamp. All in all, this is a magnificent community to be a part of!
Thank you for everything you contribute: your time, talent, and treasure. I love you all and look forward to seeing you here in 2018.
Until then, Blessings of Peace and Grace~ Ted
Upcoming Retreats & Programs
Looking for a great way to spend time at The Mountain in 2018? Come to The Mountain for one or more of these retreats, camps, and programs! Visit our website and check out the “Retreats” tab to see all our program offerings and register today...Link to more retreats & programs at http://themountainrlc.org/mountain-retreats-programs-2018/
Many Hands Peace Farm
It may be winter on the Many Hands Peace Farm, but there is progress being made in establishing the plantings for the new Food Forest and Mushroom Lab.
We now have over 200 trees, shrubs, and vines overwintering on our hillside nursery. We continuously add leaf mulch around the plants. The plants have so far successfully weathered zero degree temperatures and a couple of large snowfalls..
Along the furrows, we placed several burlap sacks full of wood chips and mushroom spawn. These bags are preventing erosion and helping us propagate Tiger Sawgill (Lentinus Tigrinus) and Turkeytail (Trametes Versicolor) mushrooms.
The meadow is currently filled with Goldenrod stalks and their galls. The larva inside of the galls have remarkable adaptations that allow them to survive freezing conditions. They also serve as food for Downy Woodpeckers and parasitic wasps. It may be winter on the Many Hands Peace Farm, but there is progress being made in establishing the plantings for the new Food Forest and Mushroom Lab. We now have over 200 trees, shrubs, and vines overwintering on our hillside nursery. We continuously add leaf mulch around the plants. The plants have so far successfully weathered zero degree temperatures and a couple of large snowfalls.
Your Generosity Matters
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity by so many of you in 2017, we were able to purchase all new wooden chairs for the Dining Hall, two utility carts for our Housekeeping and Facility staff use, the completion of the Lodge deck, and new energy-efficient windows for the Dining Hall. Learn more about special projects at http://themountainrlc.org/giving/
The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center | (828) 526-5838 development@themountainrlc.org | www.themountainrlc.org
