This is an ASL video by Deaf certified ANFT guide, Summer Crider, explaining the details of this retreat, including some video clips of the Aspen Camp location.
The North Carolina training will take place at the Kana'ti Lodge in Hot Springs, deep in the mountains of Southern Appalachia along the Tennessee border. The photo above shows why this area is called the "Blue Ridge." Forest mists permeate the valleys and create a beautiful, soft light that creates a mystical ambiance across the landscape. The photo above was taken from the Appalachian Trail adjacent to the land where Kana'ti Lodge stands. Our guide trainings at this site combine the experiences of guiding in forest environments and on the grounds of a small permaculture farm that typifies the "satoyama" sensibility of place, where mountain and cultivated land overlap.
Registering for a training begins by completing an application which may take 20-30 minutes. This application is a way for us to get to know you and to determine if we think you will make a good forest therapy guide. Once your application is received, our admissions team will review it and, if you are accepted into the program, send an acceptance letter within three weeks. This letter will contain all the information for next steps, including a registration link to reserve your space in the training. To promote an optimal learning environment, we generally cap enrollment at 21 participants per training. Applications we receive after we have filled the training will be placed on a waitlist. If an accepted applicant drops out, we will contact the next applicant on the waitlist until the training is full again.
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Kana'ti Lodge is a small, family-run Bed & Breakfast-style Rustic Mountain Retreat, designed in the spirit of the Great Lodges of older times and ancient places. Within the lodge we offer three cozy rustic bedrooms with organic sheets and towels, two with separate entrances and porches. We also have a small campground that is available to AT hikers and those wishing for more modest accommodations. Many of the neighbors in the immediate area offer Bed and Breakfast options. The last time we held a training here, about half of the participants stayed with neighbors; all had very positive experiences.
Forest Therapy Guide David Kendall has stewarded this beautiful lodge and the nearby Trout Lily farm for many years. The lodge itself is constructed from mostly local materials, many of which were harvested from our own land or reclaimed from old cabins and barns around the Southern Appalachian region. The windows and doors were recycled from the old school house of our local Spring Creek Community. See the lodge's website here.
We offer three cozy, rustic rooms located within the lodge. Each room is uniquely different in it’s interior design and layout, and all of them have their own private bathroom and porch. Two of the rooms, Kana’ti and Selu, also boast a private exterior access, while the third room Tlanuwa is accessible from the lodge’s main room.
Kana’ti has a queen-sized bed and a private bathroom, entrance, and porch. It also has a small writing desk and two comfy reading chairs.
Selu has a queen-sized bed and a private bathroom, entrance, and porch. It also has a small day-bed, writing desk, and one comfy reading chair.
Tlanuwa has two twin-sized beds, which can be combined to create a king-sized bed, and it is the largest of our three rooms. It also has a private bathroom and porch, with an entry from the main room within the lodge and a writing desk and two comfy reading chairs.
All of our rooms are available for the same base rate of $90/ night ( for single occupancy). Each additional person(s) that stays with us adds $30 per person/ night. Therefore, if a couple stays for two nights, the rate would be $120 per night. Those who are age 9 and under stay free of charge!
*The rates listed above also include a delicious breakfast, provided the morning after each night’s stay. We proudly strive to serve nutrient-dense foods that are organic, local, and humanely-raised whenever possible. Often times we serve fresh produce from our own Trout Lily Farm, which is located 1 mile down the road, on the way to Max Patch. We can accommodate all types of food preferences, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. Please let us know ahead of time if you have specific food sensitivities or allergies so we can be well prepared.
From Knoxville:
Take I-40 towards Asheville. After crossing the TN/NC state line, take Exit 7/ Harmon Den. At the bottom of the ramp, go Left under the overpass onto Cold Springs Rd. Continue for about 6.5 – 7 miles on this gravel road, following signs towards Max Patch. At the top of the mountain, the road ends in a “Lazy Y” type intersection. Turn back to your left onto Max Patch Rd., and go a couple hundred yards, where you’ll then turn right onto Little Creek Rd.
Follow Little Creek Rd. for about 1 mile, and then turn left onto Poplar Gap Rd., which is a paved road. Go about one mile, over the top of a ridge, past a small cemetery, and then turn left on to Poplar Ridge Lane (which is our driveway). Across from Poplar Ridge Lane will be a large black mailbox with Kana’ti Lodge posted on the side.
From Asheville:
Take I-40 towards Knoxville, getting off at Exit 7/ Harmon Den. At the bottom of the ramp, turn Right onto Cold Springs Rd. Continue for about 6.5 – 7 miles on this gravel road, following signs towards Max Patch. At the top of the mountain, the road ends in a “Lazy Y” type intersection. Turn back to your left onto Max Patch Rd., and go a couple hundred yards, where you’ll then turn right onto Little Creek Rd.
Follow Little Creek Rd. for about 1 mile, and then turn left onto Poplar Gap Rd., which is a paved road. Go about one mile, over the top of a ridge, past a small cemetery, and then turn left on to Poplar Ridge Lane (which is our driveway). Across from Poplar Ridge Lane will be a large black mailbox with Kana’ti Lodge posted on the side.
Please note: although our technical address is listed as “Hot Springs”, our actual location is in the mountains, 15 miles South of Hot Springs proper. Please ask us for directions from Hot Springs when planning your trip.
Our trainers are among the most experienced guides in the world and each one undergoes a rigorous training process beyond their certification as guides. The trainers listed below are subject to change based on trainer availability. No matter which trainers you work with, you will be taught by the best in the field.
Carolynne Crawley is a Mi'kmaw woman with mixed ancestry from the EastCoast. She is dedicated to social and environmental justice and supportingIndigenous led community work related to food sovereignty and food security.She has worked with one of Canada’s largest food security organizations for thepast decade as the Indigenous Food Access Manager, increasing access to affordableand healthy foods, developing a cross cultural youth program focusing upon theIndigenous way of being in relationship with land, and organizing a provincewide Indigenous Food Sovereignty Gathering. She has also built school foodgardens, created and facilitated curriculum -linked food literacy programs forboth students and teachers. Carolynne is passionate about connecting peoplewith the land, themselves, and with each other. She leads workshops inrelationship building to develop and strengthen healthy, reciprocalrelationships based upon Indigenous teachings that decolonize existinginteractions with the land.
Our trainers are among the most experienced guides in the world and each one undergoes a rigorous training process beyond their certification as guides. The trainers listed below are subject to change based on trainer availability. No matter which trainers you work with, you will be taught by the best in the field.
Summer , as a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide, works in partnership with Nature to provide opportunities to help humans re-connect with the Earth and themselves. Born and raised in the cypress swamp of North Florida, Summer has navigated through various life experiences as a human being who happens to be deaf. After getting their degrees in Expressive Art Therapy and Deaf Cultural Studies, and certified in American Sign Language, Summer taught ASL, Spanish, and Deaf Culture in various high schools and colleges/universities for 15+ years. They also established a media consulting business, making educational films accessible to the sign language community.After they experienced some challenges with severe anxiety, Summer found Mother Nature calling them back home. Summer decided to study Nature and Forest Therapy through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and eventually found a new purpose- assisting humans from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages to rediscover their connection with the Natural world through the healing practice of forest bathing.
Summer , as a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide, works in partnership with Nature to provide opportunities to help humans re-connect with the Earth and themselves.
Born and raised in the cypress swamp of North Florida, Summer has navigated through various life experiences as a human being who happens to be deaf. After getting their degrees in Expressive Art Therapy and Deaf Cultural Studies, and certified in American Sign Language, Summer taught ASL, Spanish, and Deaf Culture in various high schools and colleges/universities for 15+ years. They also established a media consulting business, making educational films accessible to the sign language community.
After they experienced some challenges with severe anxiety, Summer found Mother Nature calling them back home. Summer decided to study Nature and Forest Therapy through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and eventually found a new purpose- assisting humans from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages to rediscover their connection with the Natural world through the healing practice of forest bathing.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Our Mission: Support planetary health by nurturing heart-centered relationships between all peoples and the More-Than-Human World of Nature.
