Sacred Ground

In perhaps one of the more ill advised attempts at treatment, the previous owners of Shady Pines built a special place in the woods nearby. They called it the sacred ground, and it was designed as an experiment in using team building exercises and shamanistic techniques to promote mental healing among the insane.

It went well. For a time. Then something went wrong. One of the patients escaped in the night and got lost in the woods.

He was never seen nor heard from again.

Or at least that's the story they tell around campfire. From there, some insist that 'Crazy Jim' is still alive, living off the land and training the squirrels to do his bidding. Some say he comes out on rainy nights to kill little girl scouts who don't go to sleep when they are told.

Rumors aside, though, the Sacred Ground is a fairly serviceable camping area. When the new owners first discovered it, it was a rather tacky site with a generic 'American Indian' look, but it has since been converted to something more suitable. The TexMex décor was toned down into something a bit more streamlined and authentic, with a subtle Native American influence rather than a screaming mix of different (and oftentimes incorrect) cultural references. Trees were allowed to grow in rather than being cut down for absurdly wide paths - instead, one can navigate through the camp by way of the trail markings.

A cluster of cabins form a large circle around the fire pit that serves as both a place to relax and to cook a meal. The cabins sit on stilts above the ground and there are screens to keep insects at bay. Inside the layouts are simple and clean. Some are large enough to fit a family while others are only a single room. They provide shelter but little else in the way of comforts, as this was designed to be a place that reconnected people to nature. Those who choose to live here are selecting a more ascetic lifestyle. Well, either that or they are bringing their own generators and dishes to keep up the connection to modern technology.

The fir pit is suitable for smoking, grilling, spitting, and other such open flame cooking techniques, and all the necessary equipment is stored in a single room cabin nearby, along with other extra supplies. Water is supplied through a pump nearby, and is safe to use both in cooking and for filling up the tanks above the makeshift outdoor showers. A sturdy latrine is further out, and while the way is well marked one should be able to find their way in the dark before attempting a nighttime run.

After all, there is Crazy Jim and his penchant for skinning wanders of the woods to worry about.

The team building exercises are still in existence, as there was no real reason to remove them, and they are only a short hike away. The first thing one would come across in investigating this area would be what some might recognize as a sweat tent, a place to burn herbs and meditate on their life. Further on, though, there are more physical activities. Rope ladders and zip lines, platforms high in the trees, that make up an obstacle course. Perhaps not nearly as challenging for the Vyusher R'asa, but a possible source of entertainment nonetheless.