We could have had nicer weather. Then again, it’s September and Women’s Wellness Weekend goodie bag and t-shirt. Next we had a wine tasting followed by an excellent dinner. The night would have been capped off by an astronomy program but the cloud cover was uncooperative. Fortunately our presenter was quite a storyteller and entertained the ladies inside.
Saturday morning dawned cooler and overcast but at first no rain. After breakfast the women headed out for a variety of outdoor pursuits: kayaking, fly fishing, birding, geocaching, yoga, outdoor photography, nature journaling, guided meditation walk, fossil hike, and tai chi. Indoor programs included aromatherapy, stress reduction through breathing, building an aquatic garden, basic car maintenance, and healthy living. The river was a little choppy when the kayakers were putting in so pretty much everyone got wet. Once in, the water was rolling but not choppy. After a nice lunch we did have a little drizzle, but all of the activities went on as planned. A good lesson – there is no reason a little rain or overcast sky should chase folks away from having a great time outdoors.
The women were so enthusiastic – a little bad weather was not going to get them down!
Just about the only thing that was rained out was the campfire. Many women stayed at Murphy Hall after dinner and enjoyed a slide show of pictures from the event. Still others went back to comfortable fires in their cabins. We packed up “s’more kits” for them so they could roast marshmallows over their fire (or, in a pinch, you can make a decent s’more in the microwave. There was one final session Sunday after breakfast. Thankfully the heavy rain was overnight and we had a gentle drizzle Sunday morning for the last session. We ran the kayak program, moved the yoga into Murphy Hall, Tai Chi under the outdoor tent, and fly fishing participants were treated to a video program and discussion by the instructor in the Potomac River Retreat. At 9:10 a.m. the sun came out!
The weekend ended with a speaker and lunch complete with door prizes.
Two more Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland (an hour west of Richmond) will host next fall’s event October 15-17, 2010. The programs and instructors will vary by location which makes this weekend a fun event to participate in multiple times.