Squam, Part 1

So I've been back from Squam for 5 days at this point. I keep telling myself I need to blog about it, need to share it, and yet I stare at this blank page and find myself unable to articulate it. I have watched many of the folks who also went start posting on their own blogs, and finally Finch managed to express what I couldn't - "Coming back from Squam is always a strange thing – part of you wants to tell everyone about what an amazing time you had and the other part wants to keep it all for yourself."

I am incredibly cynical. I accept this about myself, so when I signed up for Squam I felt the cynicism kick in. I read reviews by previous attendees and just couldn't believe a retreat could be as transforming as everyone claimed. But it was, and I was happy to find my cynicism breaking down. And with that in mind, I am going to share pictures and talk about some of the things I encountered - but I feel like it's important to say that while this will help you see the beauty of the place, it's impossible to capture the amazing spirit of this retreat. At first I felt like this would be a negative in sharing part of my experience, like I would be letting everyone down by being unable to completely capture it. Now I've come to understand that because the experience is so intimate, personal and transforming, it's ok not to expose it in its entirety. This first post shares pictures of Rockywold-Deephaven camp, where we stayed, and beautiful Squam Lake.