What to Bring

The property of Elder Farm is a narrow sliver of truly wild land surrounded by horse ranches. It rests in the mountains on the way to high desert, and as such enjoys the full spectrum of weather possibilities- hot dry, long summers, warm sunny spring and fall, and cold, wet, sometimes even snowy winters. In cases of truly inclement weather, we have a Yurt that serves as both temple and classroom. Whenever possible we will have class and ceremony directly on the earth. In order to be able to experience the elements fully in the most enjoyable way possible, we encourage you to come prepared with whatever you may personally need to be comfortable in the event of any weather possibilities in all seasons. This may include, but is not limited to the following items.

Basics

  • A tent with groundcloth and rain cover

  • A warm sleeping bag, sleeping pad or air mattress

  • Pillow

  • Extra wool or down blanket

  • A good multi-purpose knife

  • A headlamp or flashlight (no candles, open flames or sacred smokes allowed for any reason)

  • Clothing for all weather/appropriate season

  • A bowl, a plate, a cup, a mug, utensils, a cloth napkin, water bottle

  • A battery operated alarm clock or watch (please plan to leave your phone in your car or tent during the day)

  • A solar charger (most of the outlets on the land are needed for the kitchen. If you will need to plug in your phone please plan for your own means of charging)

Seasonal Items

  • Hand warmers (fall and winter)

  • Sun hat (all seasons)

  • Warm hat, scarf, gloves (fall, spring, and winter)

  • Clothes for extreme heat such as a sundress (fall, spring and summer)

  • Clothes for extreme cold such as winter jackets and wool sweaters (winter only)

  • Tall waterproof boots (winter and spring)

  • Warm socks/Wool socks (winter and spring)

  • Raincoat or poncho (winter and spring)

  • Umbrella (winter and spring)

  • Sunscreen (fall, spring and summer)

  • Bug spray (spring and summer)

A word about Snacks

Three meals a day will be provided. If you know you will need to snack on your own schedule or have dietary restrictions, please bring a container that seals and a zip lock bag to bring leftovers to your tent. There are all manner of wild animals in this region so if you plan to keep food in your personal space, please prepare to seal it very well. You may bring your own emergency rations for late night/ early morning nutritional needs, though we ask that you not bring highly processed foods, candy, soda, etc…Nut butter, dried meats, dried fruit, nuts, etc. are good options. There will be no access or use of the kitchen space for storing or preparing your own food items.

Showers & Toilets

Water conservation is very important in this ecosystem. To this end, we have an outdoor shower as well as two composting toilets on the land. Because our shower water goes directly back into the ground water, we ask that you plan to only take showers lasting 10 minutes or less while you are here as well as only using the shampoo and soap provided. If you will be showering while here, please bring:

  • Shower shoes

  • Your own towel

* Only the soap and shampoo provided can be used