It’s been a long-lived love affair, this relationship between Shadowcliff and us. It has been my home away from home, an extended family, the place where we volunteered and dreamed possibilities, the place we were married – a place that inspired our journey.The Executive Director (ED) approached us as part of a pilot program to separate the duties of running Shadowcliff into two pieces: the ED and the Operations Manager. We were up for the adventure.
When you live in a place, versus visiting . . .you see it differently. During early season, there are moose alerts when the garden holds irresistible nibbles for the animals that come “down” from the snowy hills to munch greens; or the fox that burrowed under one of the buildings for the winter, but moves onward as too many people disturb the peace of the place, the endless elk in our meadow.
There was staff to guide, and computer systems to tangle with, and guests to greet. There are groups that have been coming since the beginning, 25 or more years. It was fascinating to hear their stories about how their lives evolved and how Shadowcliff was a touchstone for them all. Shadowcliff is just off of the Continental Divide Trail, and it was those guests that inspired me most of all. Hiking 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada, we are the half way point and many hikers lingered a couple days, enjoying town food, and perhaps family visit. The great room was alive with people, from so many different backgrounds who happened to find this one spot at the same time. It was exhilarating.
Then, at times it would be so quiet you could drink in the view of the lake, the turn of the season, snow receding from a ledge, the greening of the hills, the apex of summer with July 4th fireworks and the journey into fall colors. It snowed the day we left.
We are off to new adventures, but it will be a long time before we forget our summer at Shadowcliff.
