Schedule & Accommodations

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | What to Bring | Accommodations | Points of Interest

AWeN Gathering 2026 Schedule Highlights

Ceremonies, Workshops, Music, and More

Below is the tentative AWeN Gathering 2026 Schedule.
All is currently open to change. If you would like to make an offering, send suggestions.

Wren Walker Robbins, who is trained to pour water in the Lakota tradition, will lead two sweat lodges in the evenings—if the fire bans are not yet up, and depending on the weather conditions.
If you are interested in either sweating or tending the fire,
sign up and see Wren about helping set and tend the fire and the lodge.

Only 8 people at a time, with a few fire tenders. Others can sit quietly by and watch the fire.

The rest of us will enjoy a more informal fire and tell stories.

We would like to set aside time for formal OBOD initiations.
Let us know if you would like to be initiated for Bardic or Ovate year.

Thursday, July 9:

Welcome! Set up tents, sign up for work. Each camper will be connected to a member of the Shining Mountains Grove as a point person for orientation or questions.

Informal Dinner:

  • Talk about what brought you to Druidry. How does it live in your life?
  • Opening ceremony run by the Shining Mountain Grove. Speak your name and home base. Bring seeds from home to a central bowl.

After:

  • Socializing in the tent.
  • Sweat lodge for 8 people:
    • If you are interested in either sweating or tending the fire, sign up and see Wren about helping set and tend the fire and the lodge.
    • Only 8 people at a time, with a few fire tenders, others can sit quietly and watch the fire.
    • If participating in the sweat lodge, wear lightweight natural fabrics. Recommended: sweat lodge dress, T-shirt and shorts, a sarong, etc. Remove jewelry; it can be placed on the altar inside the lodge.

Friday, July 10:

Morning:

  • Druid Tai Chi – Morning practice with Nwyfre work
  • Breakfast and brief organizational meeting 
  • Art project: Staff-craft led by Bree.
    • We’ll have some staves available, bring your own if possible, or help us clear a sapling and find one on the land.
    • Close with a circle to tell the story of our staff and charge it in a ritual.

Lunch:

  • Talk about the summer ritual theme—ripening. Are you drawn to:
    • Open and close the portals/directions
    • Write and lead a journey
    • Create the core component
    • Create a chant, provide music
  • Meet in groups to work on your section of Ripening Summer Ritual for Saturday afternoon

Afternoon:

  • Circle to discuss divination and focus on a question—bring notebooks
  • Take an individual divination walk on the land and let nature offer an answer
    • Divinatory tools—cards, ogham, runes, available under the tent to add info
  • Gather to share what we learned

Dinner:

  • Evening: Informal storytelling
  • Bardic initiation for those that request: Attended by those already in the bardic year and up
  • Sweat lodge for 8 people:
    • If you are interested in either sweating or tending the fire, sign up and see Wren about helping set and tend the fire and the lodge
    • Only 8 people at a time, with a few fire tenders, others can sit quietly and watch the fire
    • If participating in the sweat lodge, wear lightweight natural fabrics. Recommended: sweat lodge dress, T-shirt and shorts, a sarong, etc. Remove jewelry; it can be placed on the altar inside the lodge

Saturday, July 11:

Morning:

  • Druid Tai Chi – Morning practice with Nwyfre work
  • Breakfast 
  • Art project: Sacred Pouch / crane bag / medicine bag making with Jayel. Circle to share how we’ll use these bags.

Lunch:

  • Talk: Who/what have been your teachers in the wild? How can we support the Mother?
  • Sign-up for Eisteddfod
  • Break into our ritual groups to work on our section

Afternoon:

  • Perform Summer Ripening Ritual
  • Break time to integrate and journal

Dinner:

  • Talk about what brings hope, even in dark times 
  • Eisteddfod: Share a story, poem, dance, song, reading. (Speaking/performing is optional. Listening is also participation!)

Sunday, July 12:

Morning:

  • Druid Tai Chi – Morning practice with Nwyfre work
  • Anishinaabe water blessing at the stream led by Wren Walker Robbins

Closing the Circle:

  • Take a portion of seeds from the communal bowl

Afternoon:

  • Pack and leave. 
  • Lunch for those who stay.

What to Bring:

Bring: Sleeping quarters: bring your own tent/RV, request one of the campers on the land, or stay in local lodging nearby (see list of local lodging below).

  • Towels: Our 3 showers can be used
  • Sun Protection
  • Bug protection (though it’s not very buggy here)
  • Ritual garb if you’d like, simple white or green clothes if no robes
  • A journal and pen 
  • Seeds from your garden or wildflower seeds from your area
  • A plain wooden staff/walking stick if you have one (some will be provided for travelers)
  • Art supplies (we’ll have some, feel free to bring extra)

Accommodations:

Directions + Lodging

Practical Info for Travelers:

Directions to:
33384 Terrace Lake Road, Ronan, Mt 59864 

Fly:
We are about an hour north of the Missoula airport, and about an hour south of the Kalispell airport.

Ride:
We are 79 miles from the Whitefish Amtrak station. 

Drive:
We are 2 miles east off of Route 93.  

Coming from Rt 93:
Turn east—toward the mountains—onto Terrace Lake Road. This straight road goes over a hill and then drops down into the trees. About 2 miles from Rt. 93, notice a yellow sign saying “narrow bridge” where the road narrows slightly to go over the creek.
We are 33384—the first driveway on the left after the bridge/creek.
Go through the two stumpy flagstone pillars with metal ravens on top and straight up the hill to the top (we are the only house up here). After you unload, we have parking down at the bottom of the hill. 

We’ll have room on our Facebook page for people to coordinate rides from the airports and train station.
2026 AWeN Gathering of OBOD | Facebook

Accessibility: 

  • Most activities will be under a large tent on flat ground.
  • Some (but not most) socializing will also happen on the back deck, up a few stairs.
  • Indoor accommodations are up stairs, in campers—a few steps. 
  • If you let us know it is needed, we’ll make sure one of the porta potties is accessible.

Local accommodations:

Points of Interest:

Nearby towns, activities, and points of interest to check out while you’re in the area.

  • The National Bison Range:  Information and Hours of Operation | CSKT Bison Range
  • The Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana: Home – Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana
  • The Ewam Buddhist Gardens: Ewam International – Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism
  • Pablo: Home of the Salish Kootenai Tribal College (where Wren taught), tribal facilities, and the people’s center, well worth a visit.  
  • Flathead Lake: Just 20 minutes north of Ravens Ridge, in Polson. It is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, with over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. The southern half of Flathead Lake is within the boundaries of the Salish Reservation, so recreationists must purchase a tribal recreation permit at Walmart in Polson or Westland seed company in Ronan, out round Butte Road. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks maintains thirteen public access sites around the lake. In the summer, roadside stands along the east shore offer a variety of locally grown cherries, apples, plums, and other fruits. 
  • Polson: 20 minutes north of Ravens Ridge, at the foot of Flathead Lake. Swimming and fishing piers. Small-town shopping. Kerr Dam and the Kerr Dam overlook. Walmart with the best view in the country. Community theater. A few restaurants overlooking the bay. And the Miracle of America Museum—perhaps the most unique museum we’ve ever seen.
  • Kalispell and Whitefish: An hour north, both are interesting towns to poke about in. Whitefish has world-class restaurants.
  • Glacier National Park:  www.glacier.org About two hours north. Pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes with over 700 miles of trails. Some of the most spectacular views one could ever see.
  • Boats and Biking: The waters on Flathead Lake are amazingly clear. Scroll down for boat companies for kayak or boat rentals. If you are booking over a holiday weekend, the rates are a bit higher—and you need to book ahead. The Big Arm Boat Company is a bit farther, but their prices are better and they are a relaxed and friendly crew. Always wear a life jacket—the water has unusually cold currents underneath.

Click HERE to RSVP