EXTRA INFORMATION 

➡️ Q: How do I get there?

⭐️ A: You are responsible for getting to and from the retreat, whether you wanna fly, drive, or carpool with someone else! Whatever you wanna do. You may be along someone’s driving path who could pick you up along the way, or you might be flying in near someone who could pick you up. There will be a group chat once people start registering, so we can all coordinate easily.

➡️ Q: Can we drop you back off at the airport?

⭐️ A: Probably! Again, we can only do one drop off time at one airport, so you’d need to get a flight that leaves at X time on Sunday 5/18. Or carpool with someone that is headed to the same airport as you.

➡️ Q: Do I need my own car during the week?

⭐️ A: No, you do not need your own personal vehicle during the retreat week. We are renting a 15-passenger van to use for everyone for the week so we can go everywhere as a group. We will be driving together to and from our destinations, so there is no need to have a personal vehicle during the week. 

Some people may be arriving in their own vehicles if they choose to drive, but we ask that you carpool with the rest of the group in the van during our time together.

If you want your own car, that’s fine. There will be parking available at the house. But since we plan on traveling as a group, your car might just sit there in the driveway all week and might be an unnecessary cost.

➡️ Q: What do I need to bring?

⭐️ A: You’ll need to bring outdoor clothes that you don’t mind getting sweaty or dirty in, some good outdoor shoes or hiking boots, hiking poles if you have them, your woodburner and any other supplies you might wanna use (paints, books, etc), a lil’ bit of spending money for souvenirs/gift shops, and then of course the basic clothes, lounge wear, toiletries, etc.

You will also want to bring your camera, iPad, laptop, etc. any other devices. I will be showing you some things using Procreate on the iPad but you absolutely do not NEED to have one. We can share. 💚

➡️ Q: What about other art supplies?

⭐️ A: We will be providing all of the wood and any other major supplies you’ll need during the week, such as paints, sketchpads, brushes, color pencils, etc. We will also bring my set of Optima 1 burners and nibs that I use for in-person classes for you to use. You do not get to keep the Optimas- they’re just to use during the week. But you can purchase one at the end if you want to take it home with you!

➡️ Q: What will the hiking be like?

⭐️ A: So Shenandoah National Park is big and hiking trails ABOUND! There are all kinds of trails from simple, easily accessible trails to extremely difficult backcountry trails. We will NOT be doing the latter. Everything we will do will be agreed upon by the group and everyone’s comfort + energy levels, so expect easy/beginner to MAYBE “intermediate” trails.

There are some waterfall hikes we could do, so some trails may be rocky and wet. There is always the potential for closed trails or flood warnings, so we will play it by ear each day depending on weather and trail conditions.

Nothing will be too uphill or downhill.

➡️ Q: Will we be hiking all day?

⭐️ A: No. Well, not unless the group as a whole wants to keep going or extend our trail time. The plan is to balance our outdoor time with our art time, so maybe a morning hike with a picnic lunch and then come back to the house, or vice versa- a morning in with a picnic lunch and afternoon hike.

We will not exhaust you with all day day-hikes.

Also- remember we have to work with the weather, so it’s possible our hikes will get cut short or we might have multiple rain days, we just have to play it by ear.

➡️ Q: Will we be CPR/ First aid trained?

⭐️ A: Yep! Both of us will be going through training again. David used to have his Wilderness First Responder certification a few years ago. It has since expired, but he is still the best first aid + emergency guy on all of our personal hikes with family and friends and canoe/backpacking trips. I have some athletic training under my belt and can perform CPR and general first aid. But again, we are both getting our certifications renewed before this trip. 

➡️ Q: Where should I fly into?

⭐️ A: Both Washington DC and Richmond are 2 hrs away from Shenandoah NP and both have International airports. Dulles (pronounced Dull-ess) is in DC. Major airlines fly out of both. There is also the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. It’s only 45 min away but that is a smaller, domestic airport. You might be able to find a flight out of there if you’re lucky!

Update: a ‘Doodler in North Carolina has volunteered to pick up anyone who might fly into Raleigh-Durham International Airport, NC on Saturday evening or Sunday morning and drive together the rest of the way to the retreat.

Dulles International (IAD) out of Washington DC (2-hrs away)

Richmond International (RIC) out of Richmond, VA (2 hrs away)

Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO) (45 min away)- is only serviced by Delta, American, and United Airlines

➡️ Q: What do we recommend for airlines?

⭐️ A: David and I fly exclusively with Southwest because they’re always our cheapest option. They have tiered flights and we always get the “Wanna-Get-Away” tiered flights bc they’re the cheapest. However, they’re the cheapest for a reason- they have limited refund rules and limited liability, so they’re more “risky” to buy in case something goes wrong.

But Southwest also has 2 free bags, so there is no “gotta pay an extra $120 to check my 2 suitcases” BS. Bags fly free, and that’s always worth it for us.

But fly with whoever! Just make sure you pick a good flight time that gets you where you wanna be on time. 💚

➡️ Q: Do I need an Uber or rental car to get there?

⭐️ A: That’s totally up to you. If you want to get a whole rental car you can, but that might be an unnecessary expense. You might be able to meet up and share a ride with another Retreater or carpool with someone who can pick you up. If you'd rather a 2-hr Uber, go for it. Whatever is easiest and most cost efficient for you.

Update: a ‘Doodler in North Carolina has volunteered to pick up anyone who might fly into Raleigh-Durham International Airport, NC on Saturday evening or Sunday morning and drive together the rest of the way to the retreat. 

➡️ Q: What about the food situation?

⭐️ A: We will be sending out a food preference and allergy questionnaire ahead of time!

We will provide all meals, coffee staples, snacks, drinks, etc.

➡️ Q: Alcohol? 👀

⭐️ A: We do not have a Virginia alcohol license, so we cannot and will not purchase or serve alcohol to you. But YOU can! If you wanna BYOB or grab a bottle of wine/beers to have while you’re there, you absolutely can. We just cannot *serve* it to you. You have to pour it yourself.