“Lose your mind and find your soul”
We are located in the ancestral homelands of the First Nations of Treaty 1 signed in August 1871. The lands located by Camp Morton and Gimli, Manitoba are located on the ancestral lands of the Peguis First Nation (see also Selkirk Treaty signed in 1817).
The Little Retreat in the Forest is your secluded, magical forest escape away from it all.
“Lose your Mind and find your Soul“ as the beloved naturalist John Muir wrote.
The cabin is secluded on 80 acres of preserved and protected land located in the boreal forest of Manitoba’s Interlake just north of Gimli. Restore and disconnect away from it all in our beautiful cabin, heal alone with the with the phytochems of the spruce trees in the sounds of nature, on private trails and visit our permaculture pond.
We want to share our Forest with you, to get away from the busyness - guests have said they’ve actually healed faster, the science is out there - whether it is the healing power of forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) or just time away to restore in nature, stresses abate… there’s no replacing the feeling and magic of immersing in the natural world away from the city and our fellow people for a while. Time just literally stops and we can focus on what’s important. It’s so quiet you can hear a birds feathers as they fly over you, or literally listen to the wind, time to just be instead of keeping up with everything. To me it’s literally medicine for the mind and body like eating the right foods or going for a massage.
Our vision is to protect my favourite place on earth and share it with you. Arrive, drop your bags, sit on the deck or chop some wood, light the woodstove, make a tea, go for a meandering hike. Make yourselves at home. Pay it forward to the next guests and chop wood and all, we are a community - just read the guest book of everyone’s doodles in the evening around the fire. A gift to yourself of serious downtime. Pup friendly too if that’s your jam.
Nestled in the spruce forest it’s a cabin with a woodstove but with all the amenities, hammocks, fire pits, permaculture pond… follow our hiking trails with our guide and map, and just relax inside the cabin with our vinyl collection and book selection and have a medicinal tea. As John Prine said, we threw away the TV so don’t expect one!
I might be around on a separate place at the front of the land at my Prospector’s Tent or my tiny meditation cabin I call the Hermitage sometimes while you are an 1/8 mile deep back at the cabin and your own trails. I’ll let you know if I am around or not so you can say hello if you feel like it or meet me, or just have your own privacy. You won’t able to see me or hear me, unless we bump into each other on the road its the only way to enter and exit the land
Just drive right in and drop your bags and enjoy :). Max is 4 guests. Quiet time is 11 pm to 7 am as per RM Regulations (or all the time so you can hear the wind and the birds lol?). Max 3 dogs (as per RM Regulations not ours but sounds ok).
We currently use Airbnb for bookings but we pay the Airbnb User Fee for you, so the price is the price lol. We just don’t want one more thing added onto the cost of your stay when you are trying to enjoy your precious restore time. (we charge the cleaning fee of $75 which goes to our cleaner, and those pesky taxes are added on, PST and GST and soon in 2024 the 5% Gimli RM Hospitality Tax).
Cheers,
Michael and Colette
About the Cabin.
The cabin (really a fully equipped house) has two bedrooms (King & Queen beds), fully stocked kitchen, all linens and bedding provided, two decks, a medicinal garden, kms of trails, great wifi, a record player and eclectic vinyl collection, my old guitar and banjo, but no TV. All bookings through that Airbnb app.
Explore.
Explore 80 acres of forest, and trails year round. We have a pond for swimming, kayaking or skating, and skis and snowshoes for winter adventures. There are constantly new treasures to discover - fire pits, gardens, VW vans, forest tables, an outdoor bathtub, hammocks, and even additional accommodations available for our group bookings (a vintage trailer, a Tipi, and a sailboat).
Follow our journey.
What People Are Saying.
“It's clear that the owners have a deep respect for the land and for maintaining its natural beauty while adding their own eclectic touches throughout. We had a great time exploring the well-marked, extensive trails on the property, skating on the pond, and playing in the snow.”
— Krystal
“A piece of heaven right here on earth. There is really something magical about this place that almost defies description. The cabin has everything you need and so much more. We loved snuggling up by the wood stove listening to records on the stereo. Everything is clean and cozy! The cabin is a feast for the eyes with so many items to see and wonder all about. Outside is amazing too! We loved our walks on the trails and our outdoor fire. It was also so nice to be able to bring our pup along.”
— Kim
“Rustic, wild, and peaceful. If you're looking for a place that has everything you need and you just want to enjoy the sound of the birds and the wind in the trees, along with some great old records, this is the place to go.”