Calendar
- MAY 16-18, 2008, NATURE "WILDERNESS" RETREAT, RMS
- JUNE 2-6, 2008, STONE MASONRY, RMS
- JUNE 7-8, 2008, NATURE "WILDERNESS" RETREAT, RMS
- JULY 28, 2008, 6:30-8:30 PM, INDIGENOUS MEDICINAL HERBALS, SCOTTSDALE
Classes
STONE MASONRY
Eastern Superstition Mountains
JUNE 2-6, 2008, MONDAY-FRIDAY, COST $150
Hands-on experience in the art and skill of stonewall house construction - selecting native stones, mixing concrete, placing stones, aesthetic and structural considerations, choices of tools and materials. Bring work gloves, work cloths and an eager to learn attitude. Help build something that could virtually last forever and never needs to be painted. Includes all meals and overnight accommodations.
WILD EDIBLE, MEDICINAL AND USEFUL PLANT OF THE DESERT
Lost Dutchman State Park/Apache Junction
MARCH/APRIL, 2009, SATURDAY, 9 TO 3, COST $100 INCLUDES BOOK
Learn about Sonoran desert plants, their many secret treasures: from remedies for illness, injury, and venomous bites and stings, to food sources, sunburn protection, soap and fibers. How did Native people survive this hostile environment? We make it easy and fun to learn over 150 medicinal and edible plants with your own personal plant study book with important herbal information and pages for samples. Your instructor, Peter Bigfoot, inspires you with his botanical knowledge, hands-on healing and survival skills, and love of nature. With the rains after a long drought, come see the many wildflowers and plants flourishing this spring.
This is an all-day outing, with easy walking from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. We explore plants along the way, learning how to gather, dry, process and store them. Gain insights on preparing these herbs for teas, decoctions, poultices, salves and tinctures.
Bring a wide-brimmed hat, 2 quarts of water and a picnic lunch. Dress for the weather with protection from the sun.
Meet at Lost Dutchman State Park entrance, approximately 5 miles north east of Apache Junction. From Phoenix take the Superstition Freeway (Hwy. 60) to Exit 196, follow Hwy. 88 north toward Canyon Lake, look for Lost Dutchman Park entrance on your right.
Cost is $100.00. Register early as class size is limited. A $50 deposit is required one week prior to the class in order to hold a book for you to take home.
Winter Count
"Rabbitstick and Winter Count are totally unique learning experiences made available to you from Backtracks. These premier events, focusing on primitive technology, are held near Rexburg, Idaho (RS) and Maricopa, Arizona (WC) each fall and winter."
Medicinal plant classes are taught each year, for more information visit Backtracks
In town classes
INDIGENOUS MEDICINAL HERBALS
MONDAY, JULY 28, 2008
6:30-8:30 PM
Souvia in Scottsdale $35
Please register with Souvia
Indigenous Medicinal Herbal Tea Course Highlights:
- Herbs as preventative medicine
- Herbs as medicine
- Desert plant identification
- Tea Preparation - Is there special prep for medicinal usages?
- Tea Sampling
This is a very informative class on finding, using, and understanding the healing and medicinal properties of southwestern plants and herbs. Herb and tea values discussed will include that from nourishment to remedies for illnesses, injuries and venomous bites and stings. This class includes hands-on exploration of plants from green stage to tea stage, along with questions and answers based on over 25 years of experience. Taught by Peter Bigfoot from Reevis Mountain School.
Retreats
NATURE "WILDERNESS" RETREATS
Eastern Superstition Mountains
MAY 16-18, JUNE 7-8, 2008, COST $200
Two full days of instruction and relaxation time with overnight accommodation in a beautiful wilderness setting
Program activities include:
- Herb walks and lessons
- Medicinal herb study workbook
- Personal quiet time
- Afternoon meditation class
- Organic, healthy meals
- Nutritional counseling
- Fresh air and nature's beauty
- Hikes, short or long depending on group
This is an excellent opportunity to discover what Reevis Mountain School has to offer anyone interested in natural healing, native medical plants, organic gardening and sustainable off-grid living, or for someone who just wants a wilderness experience that includes wholesome food and a comfortable bed. Peter Bigfoot has made his life on this land for the past 28 years and is always eager to share what he has learned along the way.
Program fee include:
- Instruction and all class supplies
- Hearty, delicious breakfasts and dinners
- Private cabins and yurpees with beds or if you prefer, a campsite for your tent, reserved on a first requested basis
- Hot showers in our much-photographed stone solar shower-house
- Parking and shuttle service from M & S Marine, Roosevelt, AZ. (10 miles each way)
Typical Weekend Schedule
Friday evening arrival
- 5:00 PM Pickup at M & S Marine in Roosevelt
- 6:00 PM Locate accommodations for each guest
- 7:00 PM Potluck and orientation. We provide a freshly harvested salad; please bring a healthy, covered dish to share
Saturday
- 9 AM Our Reevis farm fresh, hearty breakfast of organic greens, eggs, whole grains and herbal tea
- 10 AM - 1 PM Farm tour followed by morning activity
- 1-2 PM Mid-day break with a snack and light refreshment
- 2-5 PM Afternoon activity or hike
- 5-7 PM Dinner with Bigfoot stories and/or slide presentation
- 8 PM Retirement time
Sunday
- 9 AM - 5 PM Breakfast and activities similar to Saturday, depending upon group preference
- 5 PM Ride out to vehicles
Total price is $200/per person/per weekend. Preregistration is required with a $100 non-refundable deposit at least one week in advance to secure accommodation and ride
Group sizes are kept small, typically ranging from 6-15 participants.
We're looking forward to some wonderful life-changing and friend-making events.
Personal Retreats
You may also schedule a personal retreat, where you can relax, hike and enjoy the wilderness setting. Meals and accommodation are provided, fees vary, generally $35 to $80 a night.
Group Retreats
You may use our facilities to host retreats, classes or events that are tailored to your needs. We can provide accommodation, kitchen, meeting space and a wonderful wilderness setting, and instruction in herbs, self help and homesteading. Contact us for details.
Registration
We require a 50% deposit to hold a space for you on our class roster. Class sizes tend to be small, typically ranging from 6-15 participants, so it is important for you to register early. Register online and pay by credit card or check. For mail registrations send your check to: Reevis Mountain School, HC02 Box 1534, Roosevelt, AZ 85545-9787
Instructors
Peter Bigfoot's path of herbal wisdom began in the New Jersey woods in 1948. Discovering a sassafras root with its vibrant scent of old-fashioned root beer was quite tantalizing to a seven year old boy! Peter is perhaps best known for his much-publicized 1975 trek across the Sonoran Desert. Walking 85 miles in 15 days, he took along no food or water, relying strictly on what could be found and foraged along the way. Grueling heat and the constant threat of dehydration were a true test of his wilderness survival wisdom. This transformational experience inspired Peter to found Reevis Mountain School of Self-Reliance within Arizona's Superstition Wilderness. There is no other school like it in the world! Here, students experience Peter's uniquely loving blend of spiritual awareness, botanical knowledge, natural healing techniques and outdoor survival skills.
Bella Donna joined forces with Peter in the summer of 2006. She has experienced a similar path's to Peter with a lifelong interest, study and use of herbalism to enhance health. She owns and operates BHealthyBHappy LLC, and has been teaching Reiki, aromatherapy and herb classes since the 80's. She began with herbal studies classes online through AOL as a forerunning to online teaching. She has since published a book "Incorporating Herbs Into Your Life" and uses this in her herb and aromatherapy classes. All of Bella's classes are hands-on, fun and life-changing as you learn to understand and use tools and ideas to make your life healthier and happier.
Information for Classes and Retreats at RMS
Visits and lodging are by confirmed appointment or reservation only. Please e-mail for availability.
Accommodation
Two single bed private cabins, one double bed cabin, a sleeping-loft teepee, and dorm-style yurts are available by registration only. All structures contain off-the-floor beds, some carpeting, furniture and a heat source. Accommodation is included in the class fee, register early to get your pick. There is also ample camping space by the creek.
What to Bring
Sleeping bag or seasonal sleeping gear; sleeping pad & tent if no yurpee reservation; plastic water bottle; protective hat; FLASHLIGHT(!!); sunglasses; bath towel; day pack; personal articles, a desire for sharing and rejuvenation.
What to leave at home
Drugs, alcohol, firearms, smoking materials, electronic equipment, pets, junk food, and sour attitudes.
What to expect
Small class sizes, rustic but comfortable surroundings, fellow students who wish to acquire self-reliance skills in a mutually supportive setting. Instruction is highly personalized, meals are home-made, and clean-up after meals is often shared by students and staff.
Meal Plans
Two full meals a day consisting largely of produce from the Reevis garden and orchard. All foods are organic, whenever possible, and homemade.
Facilities
Community house, stone masonry shower house, green house, and solar power house, organic garden, orchard and vineyard, two underground springs, country store, small poultry farm, perennial creek.
Services
Workshops, classes, jin shin touch/Reiki/aromatherapy healing treatments are all available by appointment. There is much national forest with hiking and Indian ruins nearby.
Staff
Peter Bigfoot and Bella Donna
Nearby attractions
Cliff dwellings in nearby Tonto National Monument, Theodore Roosevelt Lake and Dam, Superstition Wilderness.
Getting There
Two to three hours by car from Phoenix. Road conditions to the RMS sanctuary are quite variable and subject to change with the weather (flooding). Typically, the access road is bladed once per year, courtesy of The National Forest Service. Check with us if you wish to drive your own vehicle in. Four wheel drive is usually recommended, but, on occasion, two wheel drive with extra ground clearance and steady nerves will do. Detailed directions are provided with reservations. Shuttle service available by prior arrangement.