Mountains and Rivers Backpacking Retreat
Nature Awareness, Backcountry Zen practice, and Exchanging Water
- Requires a phone interview about your experience and abilities, with a discussion of the route, to complete the registration process
- 2.9 mile approach hike, river crossing on log, 1,800' elevation gain, soft forested trail, with a long switch-back grade in the middle and a few tough steep places near the end.
- Day hiking to higher elevations from camp, alpine above timberline, several miles
- 9 mile exit hike, a gentler grade 2,300' elevation loss, soft forested trails, rocky areas, river crossing on log
- Between two and eight 30-minute periods of seated Zen meditation (zazen) each day, trailside rituals, and sutra chanting services.
Inspired by Eihei Dogen's 1240 text the Mountains and Rivers Sutra (Sansuikyo), this retreat includes a day of guided nature awareness and meditation in the front-country followed by four days and three nights of silent backpacking through a beautiful old growth hemlock forest to a seldom-visited base camp at Mazama Park, just south of Mount Baker at the foot of Park Butte. Our days will be interspersed with some social and free time.
Activities include traditional Zen practice, a solo wilderness exercise, a day of Zen meditation, and opportunities for day hiking. The retreat is appropriate for new meditators and beginning backpackers.
The retreat begins at Hawk Meadow Farm with a day of meditation, preparation, and nature awareness activities. The ritual form of the backpack is a pilgrimage to our home mountain, "sutra mapping" the Sansuikyo on the upper watersheds of the South and Middle Forks of the Nooksack River.
Led by Reizan Bob Penny & Nomon Tim Burnett - see our Practice Leaders page for more about them.
Schedule:
Saturday (9/6/25): Arrive at Hawk Meadow Farm at 1 PM for an orientation, gear inventory, sorting, and pack up, group dinner, and evening zazen.
Sunday (9/7/25) : Hidden Mountain Zendo and Sansui-ji Mountains and Waters practice day. Start with zazen at 6 AM followed by breakfast at Hidden Mountain. Then, on to Sansui-ji for practice from 9:30-noon, including a jundo blessing for the departing pilgrims. We'll have lunch at Sansui-ji, followed by Cedarwood Pilgrimage Walk from 1-3 PM and return to Hidden Mountain for an intentions ceremony in the Cedar Grove.
Monday (9/8/25): We’ll start early with meditation, drive to the trailhead, and hike in to our backcountry zendo at Mazama Meadows just below Mount Baker. We hike in silence with regular stops to chant the Sansuikyo.
Tuesday (9/9/25): In the backcountry with a mix of formal Zen practice, day hiking, and relaxed camp life. A personal solo morning at your own meditation spot on one of the days.
Wednesday (9/10/25): Zazenkai (siilent retreat with zazen and kinhin) in the backcountry until 4 PM.
Thursday (9/11/25): We’ll hike back out from the backcountry returning to Hawk Meadow Farm to close the program by about 7pm.
Hike Difficulty:
This is a moderately challenging backpack. The hike in is 2.9 miles long and gains 1,800 feet. The hike out (with lighter packs) is about 9 miles and mostly downhill. We'll have two in-camp days with moderate day hiking as well.
Pre-hike interview required: A telephone interview with Bob to assess questions around hiking gear and fitness is required before registration is completed.
More information: Please contact Wilderness Programs Coordinator Bob Penny at wilderness@redcedarzen.org with questions and see our Wilderness Dharma Program webpage for an overview of this program.
Timing: Meet at Hawk Meadow Farm (1102 E. Kelly Road, Bellingham) by 6pm on Friday. Plan to be back at Hawk Meadow between 6pm and 7pm on the following Wednesday.
What to Bring: Full set of backpacking gear. All food is provided with the registration fee (informed by a discussion of individual preferences and needs). Details will be provided.
Donations to the Leaders: As with all of our events, teachers/leaders are not compensated for their time. Unlike our "indoor" retreats dana (teacher donation) is not collected during the event, but dana given before or after the event is always welcome, and you can do so on our Donate to a Teacher page.
Questions? Contact Wilderness Dharma Program Coordinator Bob Penny at wilderness@redcedarzen.org and see our Wilderness Dharma Program page for an overview of this program.
