Hiking the Harmonies of the Land with Connie Burkhart – G230524
This class is full. Hiking the Harmonies will return this fall. More info soon.
Come and experience this unique ‘jam with the land’ as we hike and explore rare sites of Ghost Ranch and the surrounding area. Hiking the Harmonies of the Land will allow you to step into the light and free your soul in the wilderness. We will hit the trail and walk into the stories of the land with history, geology and archaeology that make this region so unparalleled. Our journey will give time to listen to the song Creation sings as we rest near the trickle of sacred water in an arroyo or hear the wind as it passes under the wings of a canyon wren. Gather for an evening campfire surrounded by the red cliffs of the ranch. Participants should be able to walk up to 1 – 4 miles at 6,500 ft in elevation on uneven terrain. We will pack a sack lunch for at least one of our daily adventures, returning to the ranch around 3pm. Come enjoy the Land of Enchantment!
RATES & FEES | IMPORTANT NOTE: PAYMENT IN FULL IS DUE AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION
$1,336 Private Bath Lodging – restroom inside your room $660, $500 tuition, $154 meals package $1,036 Dorm-style Lodging – restroom outside your room $360 $500 tuition, $154 meals package
My name is Connie B. Burkhart and I am thrilled to have you join us for this unique week as we ‘jam with the land’ and enjoy the music of Bluegrass Camp at Ghost Ranch. With over 25 years of instructing various workshops at Ghost Ranch and decades of leading wilderness/archaeology/geology expeditions with other organizations through the 4-corners region, I am excited to have the opportunity to share this amazing location in the high desert of northern New Mexico with you. Ghost Ranch is indeed a place that begs for exploration, so here we go!
This workshop will be a blend of hiking, stories of the land and people of the ranch, campfires, conversation, and adventure through exploration of rare sites of Ghost Ranch and the surrounding area, topped off with the bluegrass music concert!
You will be led off the marked trails with stories of the history, geology and archaeology of the region. Hikes will be not more than 4 miles in one day, on uneven terrain over 6,500ft elevation.
Time will be given to find quiet space in the wilderness, where the experience is often more about the journey rather that the destination we are heading toward. There will be time to breathe and sit in silence to hear the songs of the desert on the wind. We will pay attention to the ancient stories of the land and people and there will be opportunities to explore and discover the treasures of this land, possibly finding fossils or artifacts that speak of ancient days.
The day you arrive, we look forward to meeting you after dinner at orientation at 6:45pm after dinner where we will circle together and discuss the days to come. Our adventures will start the next morning with a lecture on the geology of the area followed bya hike. At least two days we will be away from the dinning hall for lunch, which means that we will pack our sack lunches at the ranch after breakfast before we head out to our destination of the day. Food is provided for us, but if you want extra ‘snacks’ on the trail you may bring them along as well. We should arrive back to the ranch in plenty of time each day to have some ‘down time’ before dinner and any evening time together.
Please find below a list of things that would be good to consider having for this adventure. Some items are available to purchase at the Ghost Ranch trading post, down the road at Bodes store or at the Family Dollar store you’ll see as you near Abiquiu. Also included below is a SAMPLE itinerary. Weather will dictate our final itinerary and length of time out on trails. Hikes will range from 1 to 4 miles with spring storms being our main focus of concern and safety.
We are going to have a wonderful experience together. We look forward to sharing some of our most cherished areas of the ranch with you.
Take Care and enjoy your day.
Connie B. Burkhart 505 484-9887 rdrckwmn@msn.com connieburkhart.com
Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any other questions or information that you may need.
ITEMS TO BRING FOR HIKING THE HARMONIES OF THE LAND:
Multiple water bottles for long hikes
Flashlight or head lamp
Sunscreen
Bug Spray
A hat or bandana
Good shoes for off trail hikes. Heavy duty tennis shoes are fine.
At least one long sleeve shirt (for sun protection if needed)
Rain poncho or jacket
Light weight fleece or jacket – believe it or not, evenings can get chilly
Lip balm
Sunglasses are a great idea too
Baggies for used TP on the trails
Camera / Phone : A note about cell phones. We know a lot of you use your phone as your camera, but now that there is more phone coverage at the ranch and the surrounding area, we ask that you turn off your ring and/or notification of texts while on the trails. It can be a HUGE distraction in the wilderness. Thank you!
SAMPLE ITINERARY ~ 2023:
Daily Options may vary due to weather or ranch road access & bluegrass events
WEDNESDAY: ARRIVAL DAY – Orientation and a breakout circle for our class to meet one another and begin our journey together, time to be determined. We’ll go over the schedule for the week as well.
THURSDAY: 9 am – 2 pm
LECTURE – Where am I? A brief orientation of the lay of the land, the rocks, the rivers, and the volcanoes – let the stories begin.
HIKE – Pack a lunch after breakfast, bring your rain gear, water, etc and prepare to be out in the wild and return to the ranch for the afternoon.
EVENING – Campfire with Smore’s, Stories & Sunsets – weather permitting
FRIDAY: 9am – Noon
HIKE – We’ll hit the trail to one of the amazing areas of the ranch. Bring plenty of water and any snacks you may want. We will be back to the ranch for lunch. This is a great afternoon to plan a museum visit or book an O’Keeffe tour or horseback ride. (Advanced bookings are recommended)
EVENING – Free R&R time to enjoy the ranch and any Bluegrass event in the works!
SATURDAY: 9 am – 3 pm
HIKE – Pack a lunch for our last adventure. Bring your rain gear, water, etc and prepare to be out in the wild until about 3pm.
CIRCLE UP/ 4:30 pm – Gifting Circle & Class closing before dinner
EVENING – Bluegrass concert
SUNDAY: DEPARTURE – I know, I always want it to last longer too
HELP
Please use the options below to find helpful information regarding Ghost Ranch Workshops and Retreats
If you need shuttle service, please reach out to Kevin at White Buffalo Shuttle 831.359.8077 | nivek@cruzio.com
Virtual Events: Payments made for Virtual Events are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend the event, recordings will be made available to you after the event. For events with multiple sessions, every attempt will be made to make the session(s) available to you before the next scheduled session.
In-person events: Written notification must be received no later than 45 days prior to the start date of your workshop in order to receive a refund, minus a $150 processing charge. No refunds can be processed after that time. We reserve the right to announce a change in leadership or cancel any program 31 days prior to the first day of the workshop. In this event, you may transfer to another workshop without charge or we will refund the full workshop payment. (Many participants have found it helpful to purchase travel insurance). If the cancellation is received less than 31 days prior to your start date, your funds can be left on deposit for another Ghost Ranch workshop or future stay during this calendar year, but you must know the exact dates of your next stay. Or you can choose to make it a tax-deductible donation to support Ghost Ranch. This cancellation policy does not apply to January Term.
We understand there are some with special dietary restrictions. In order for us to best serve all, prior notice of any special needs is required.
Because we are a cafeteria style foodservice and our number of guests can be quite large, we are unable to accommodate individual meals for any guest. We are, however, always looking to be sure that we have an option that will fit one or more common and crossover restrictions.
Any severe allergies are taken most seriously, yet we cannot promise there will be no cross contamination in the assembling of products here. We highly recommend some personal option be brought along. We do have a few public refrigerators available, but there is no access to a kitchen or cooking.
We are also unable administer any medication, so please have your personal Epi-Pen” readily available.
We are glad you are planning to visit the ranch, and want your trip from beginning to end to be smooth.We rely on White Buffalo Shuttle for our guests. Kevin Spitzer picks up at the Sage Inn in Santa Fe the afternoon of the first date listed, and returns to the Sage Inn the morning of the last date. His phone number is 831.359.8077. Email is nivek@cruzio.com
The best way to get to Santa Fe Sage Inn is Groome Transportation. They are very helpful in assessing your flight info and getting you on the right shuttle at the right time. 505.474.5696/ groometransportation.com
EVENT FAQ's
Click here to see a full list of FAQs
What day/time does the workshop start and end?
In-person workshops begin with check-in at 3:00 p.m. and a ranch orientation in the evening on the first date listed for the course and end at 10:00 a.m. with checkout on the last date listed.
Virtual workshops will have a varied schedule that is identified within each workshop description.
What is the difference between a room with private bath, a room with semi-private or shared bath, and a room with communal/dorm bath?
Private bath refers to the type of bathroom, not single occupancy
Private Bath Room: There is a bathroom in that one room that is not shared between or with any other rooms. The highest rate tier of Ghost Ranch lodging.
Semi-private/shared: There is a bathroom between two rooms that is shared by the occupants of the two adjoining sleeping rooms. These rooms will only be used as family or group suites, not to be shared by unknown neighbors as in the past.
Communal/dorm: There is a communal bathroom/shower in the lodging building and participants will need to exit their room to reach these facilities.
I EAT A VEGAN/GLUTEN-FREE/DAIRY-FREE (ETC.) DIET. WHAT ARE MY MEAL OPTIONS?
- The ranch Dining Hall serves three meals a day on a fixed schedule. We offer a vegetarian option at each meal. While the Dining Hall offers gluten-free items and vegan dishes at some meals, we cannot guarantee that these options will be available for each meal. Let us know about this need in your registration notes. If it is necessary for a guest to eat a specific diet or if a guest has food allergies, the surest option is to bring personal food items to the ranch. There are refrigerators available for guest use in a few common/public spaces.
Instructors
-
Connie B BurkhartConnie Burkhart is a true Renaissance woman who has sculpted her life to include all the passions of her heart and soul. She is a metal design artist, singer-songwriter, musician, southwest wilderness guide, worship leader, Airbnb host and ‘The Dinosaur Lady’, an educator in geology and paleontology. For over two decades she has taught various seminars at Ghost Ranch. She cherishes the gifts around her-she loves prospecting for fossils in the high desert earth, exploring a junkyard for treasures to rescue for metal designs, or listening to the ‘music’ of a rushing river.