What’s It Like in a Hippie Ecovillage? My Experience at Lost Valley
In 2017, I traded concrete for cob, traffic for trees, and deadlines for dandelions. For 7 transformative months, I lived at Lost Valley Educational Center, an ecovillage and educational nonprofit tucked into the lush forest of Dexter, Oregon. I joined their Holistic Sustainability Semester—a unique 3-month, immersive, dual certification program in Permaculture Design and Ecovillage Living—and walked away with more than just certificates. I gained skills, connections, and a whole new lens on what community, sustainability, and “living on purpose” can actually look like.
People often ask me after I tell them my story, my sustainability journey: “So what was it like living in a hippie community?” This post is my attempt to answer that, with honesty, nostalgia, and from my current perspective shaped by this experience.
- Published in General, Lost Valley, Nature, Road Trip, Rotator
Eco-Road Trip – OSU Master Gardens & Grant’s Pass
OSU Master Gardens & Grant’s Pass – Summary:
- Who: N/A
- What: Visited the OSU Discovery Garden in Roseburg; Saw a movie, mural and the Family House in Grant’s Pass; Set up my hammock at Panther Flat Campgrounds in California
- When: Monday, March 26
- Where: Roseburg, OR / Grant’s Pass, OR / Del Norte County, California
Quick Resources:
- OSU Master Gardner’s Discovery Garden Webpage
- Douglas County Master Gardeners Facebook Page
- Douglas County Master Gardeners – Gardening Resource Webpage
- The Ultimate Hang – Hammocking Tips & Articles Webpage
My Route:
Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post
My Travel Story:
I left Lost Valley Education & Event Center this morning – my home for the past 6-7 months – after saying my final goodbyes, hanging up a Texas flag in the community Lodge, and getting my car battery jumped (which was super stressful, but a huge relief once it started up!) (more…)
LV Residential Life – March Highlights Pt. 1
It was with much thought and deliberation, but I decided to leave Lost Valley and put in my notice after living onsite for about seven months. There were various reasons that influenced my decision, but what it essentially boiled down to was wanting to explore the world of sustainability and community outside of Lost Valley, and have more opportunities to learn and practice permaculture.
But before I left Oregon and returned to Texas to figure out my next moves, I packed this month with final adventures and finished some projects!
For Christmas, I gave Avery a coupon for ‘one project of her choice’ (which didn’t require money and was approved by the community). It took some time for her to think about what she wanted as her project, but she came up with a great idea – a living willow structure! We talked about what she wanted and where she wanted to put it, and decided to build her a small amphitheater by the offices/classrooms where her mom was working as the new site manager and it could also be used as an outdoor classroom space. Ashley came to visit one day this month from her work-trade at Dharmalaya, and volunteered to help me build the structure for Avery. We spent several hours planting and weaving willow into a large semi-circle dome, and used zip-ties for additional support, which would eventually breakoff once the willow structure grew bigger and matured. (more…)
- Published in General, Lost Valley
Lost Valley Week 12 – PDC Presentations and Last Days
HSS Week 12
The weekend before our final week, Bri and I went over the Bethany’s to make final touches to our PDC project design and PowerPoint presentation. I was very proud of our design, and really appreciated Bethany’s proactiveness and follow-through, because those weren’t common characteristics of the people living in the community. (more…)
- Published in General, Lost Valley, PDC/EDE, Vlog
Lost Valley Week 11 – Social/Econ Projects and Art Barn Loft
HSS Week 11
As the final weeks of the program were before us, Sara Siegler (Lost Valley’s Executive Director) and Colin Doyle, approached me to see if I was interested in working as the part-time Communications Manager for Lost Valley Education and Event Center. I accepted the position knowing I could put my marketing skillset to use and help Lost Valley move forward with their marketing and outreach. I was even given my own office space that I overhauled and organized for myself, and anyone else who needed public space to work. (more…)
- Published in General, Lost Valley, PDC/EDE, Vlog
Lost Valley Week 10 – Pizza and Field Trip Day
HSS Week 10
That weekend before classes started, Rich – the friendly neighborhood vagabond – returned to Lost Valley, and we got the dragon pizza oven fired up! Rich has a long history with cob fire pizza ovens, which started at his grandpa’s and was also how he wound up staying at Lost Valley and became an approved seasonal traveler.
Pizza days at Lost Valley generally attracted a large crowd, and this weekend was no different. We had residents making fresh dough, cutting up ingredients and toppings, and others just hanging out around the cob booth area while Rich tended the pizza oven. (more…)
- Published in General, Lost Valley, PDC/EDE, Vlog