Earthways
Retreat Center

Earth Lodge Retreats and Rentals

An Earth Lodge is an ancient structure that was built in climates similar to ours by indigenous peoples around the world for thousands of years. They are constructed of peeled wooden poles laid in an oval, teepee-like structure based on a rock foundation and, in past times, sheathed on the exterior with birch bark and moss. Due to changes in the availability of natural resources, we have modernized these lodges by sheathing the exterior in roofing rubber and covering it with hay. Over time, the hay composts down and when seeded becomes a green, living mound that blends into its surroundings. Traditionally, they would have an open top with a fire-pit in the center of a dirt floor. We have crossed over into the modern world by adding a wood floor, windows, a woodstove, and a chimney.

Nestled into a grove of black locust trees on the edge of a field, these lodges provide a charming retreat. We have four of them, three of which are currently available as rental spaces. They are very comfortable living spaces -- cool in the summer and warm in the winter, with plenty of surrounding woods to explore. We provide basic necessities for your stay: dishes, water jugs, and an outhouse. You provide your own sleeping bags, food, flashlights, towels, and personal items. Waterproof boots, snowshoes, or skis may be appropriate, depending on the season. Hauling water from our drilled well and gathering wood for cooking and heating may be part of your experience. Bathing may be done in the sauna, by sponge bath, or by a visit to the Canaan Motel (three miles away), which offers a pass to their pool and shower.

We believe that you will enjoy these lodges and find peace in their gentle, remote settings. While you are there we can create an event for you such as a skill study (for example drum making), herbal consultation, nature walk, wild plant walk, or a philosophy and meditation session.

Contact us for details.

Testimonials

I spent a week in September in one of the Earthways lodges. It was in a secluded area providing privacy, peace, and serenity for meditation, studies, and walks. It was a combination of vacation, philosophy, and self-renewal ... the best thing I've ever done for myself.
- Carol, Maine.

When you walk inside an Earthways lodge you feel a sense of calm. I don't know why this is. Perhaps it is the lack of corners and edges -- the oval shape of the lodge itself or the roundedness of the logs it is made of. Possibly it is the warm glow of wood, or the silence that surrounds you. There are no humming refrigerators or air conditioners or blustering furnaces here. You hear only muted sounds of the wind outside or a squirrel chattering nearby. As you listen you feel close to the life around you, yet protected, like a woodchuck in his burrow or a fox in his den.
- Kate, New Hampshire

Earthways
159 Earthways Road, Canaan, Maine 04924
Phone: (207) 426-8138
The use of email has been unreliable so we can only be contacted by telephone at this time.
Copyright © 2008 Earthways - All rights reserved.