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Bend, Oregon · Est. 2019

Walking, breathing,
paying attention.

MindTreks runs small-group mindfulness hiking retreats and breathwork walks in the Cascade Mountains. Eight participants per trip. Three lead guides. One unhurried weekend at a time.

View Upcoming Retreats → Our Approach
6yr
In the Cascades
8max
Per Retreat
340+
Guests Since 2019
Our Approach

Three commitments
we don't break.

MindTreks is not a wellness retreat in the spa sense. We don't make claims about what mindfulness will do for you. We commit to a specific kind of experience — small, slow, guided — and let the trail do its own work.

— 01

Small groups, always.

Every retreat is capped at eight participants with at least two guides on the trail. We turn away inquiries when groups are full rather than scale up. This is not a marketing flourish — it is the reason we exist.

— 02

No metaphysical claims.

We teach attention practices that have been studied in secular contexts for decades. We do not promise transformation, healing, or spiritual outcomes. If you arrive looking for those, we are not the right program for you.

— 03

Real wilderness, well-prepared.

Our routes are in the Three Sisters Wilderness and Deschutes National Forest. All guides hold Wilderness First Responder certification and Leave No Trace Master Educator credentials. We file a route plan with the local ranger station for every trip.

Upcoming

Three retreats,
three landscapes.

We run between fourteen and eighteen trips per year, weighted toward late spring and early autumn when conditions are most predictable. A full schedule and waitlist for each program is on the retreats page.

— 01 of 03

Weekend in the Sisters

Three Sisters Wilderness 2 nights Moderate

A short introduction to our format. Two nights at our base lodge outside Sisters, Oregon. Two guided trail walks, two morning sittings, two evening reflections. Open to first-time participants.

$1,180 per person · all-inclusive
Lodging · Meals · Trail Permits · Transport

Sample Itinerary

Friday
Arrival and intake. Pickup from Redmond Airport at 3 PM. Lodge check-in, equipment review, opening sit, dinner.
Saturday
Tam McArthur Rim, 7 miles. Morning sit at 6:30. Trailhead by 8. Walking practice introduced on the climb. Lunch above tree line. Descent and journal time.
Sunday
Whychus Creek, 4 miles. A slower walk with extended silent sections. Closing circle at the lodge. Departure shuttle at 4 PM.
— 02 of 03

Five Days on the Rim

Cascade Lakes Highway 4 nights Moderate–Strenuous

Our flagship program. Four nights at a private cabin compound on the Cascade Lakes. Four days on the trail, mostly above 6,000 feet. Daily breathwork sessions and a half-day silent walk on day three.

$2,640 per person · all-inclusive
Lodging · Meals · Permits · Local Transport

Sample Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival and acclimatization. Slow afternoon walk to Sparks Lake. Equipment review. Opening dinner with full introductions.
Day 2
Green Lakes Loop, 9 miles. Walking practice in three formats. Group lunch under South Sister.
Day 3
Silent half-day, 5 miles. No talking from 6 AM until lunch. Afternoon free for journaling, rest, or optional swim.
Day 4
Sparks-to-Devils, 11 miles. Longest day. Two short breathwork stops. Sunset on the rim.
Day 5
Closing morning. Short walk, integration circle, late lunch. Shuttle to Bend at 2 PM.
— 03 of 03

Winter Snowshoe Retreat

Mt. Bachelor Backcountry 3 nights Moderate · Cold Weather

Late January and early February only. Snowshoe walks at lower elevations, fire-room sittings, and a long evening of attention practice in winter quiet. For participants with prior winter experience or a willingness to learn carefully.

$1,920 per person · all-inclusive
Lodging · Meals · Snowshoe Rental · Permits

Sample Itinerary

Day 1
Gear-up and orientation. Snowshoe fitting at the lodge. Short evening walk. Cold-weather safety briefing.
Day 2
Todd Lake loop, 4 miles. Slow snowshoe with three formal walking-practice intervals.
Day 3
Tumalo Falls in snow, 6 miles. Longer route. Hot lunch at the falls. Afternoon fire-room sit.
Day 4
Closing. Short morning walk, breakfast, integration. Shuttle by noon.
Lead Guides

Three guides,
different paths.

Our lead guides have spent decades — collectively — between secular meditation training, outdoor leadership, and wilderness medicine. Every retreat is led by at least two of them.

Elena Marchetti

Founding Guide · Walking Practice

Elena spent eleven years as a backcountry ranger in Yosemite and the Cascades before training in secular mindfulness instruction at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She founded MindTreks in 2019 with the specific goal of building a program that does not overstate what mindful walking can offer.

MBSR Teacher WFR LNT Master

Daniel Okonkwo

Guide · Breathwork & Recovery

Daniel was a respiratory therapist for nine years and a registered yoga teacher for six before moving to Bend in 2020. He leads our breathwork sessions and the cold-weather portions of the winter retreat. He is careful to teach techniques only in the contexts where they are well-studied.

RYT-500 WFR RRT (inactive)

Sage Kawamura

Guide · Trail Leadership

Sage joined MindTreks in 2022 after eight years guiding for the Sierra Club's Outings program and four seasons with the Pacific Crest Trail Association. They handle most of our route planning, weather briefings, and group safety logistics on the trail.

AMGA Hiking WFR LNT Master
From Past Guests

In their
own words.

Edited for length, posted with permission. We don't run testimonials we haven't been able to corroborate with the guest directly, and we do not pay for reviews.

"

I was nervous I had signed up for something more mystical than I wanted. It wasn't. The guides were specific, the walks were physical, and the silent half-day was the most useful three hours I had spent in months.

Maya R. Portland, OR · Five Days on the Rim, 2024
"

Six in our group, two guides, four nights. The ratio actually means something. Sage caught a weather window I would have walked straight into. Daniel ran a breathwork session on day three I still come back to.

Tomás L. Berkeley, CA · Five Days on the Rim, 2023
"

First retreat where the program description matched the actual experience. Nobody was trying to sell me a follow-up. Elena was direct about what mindful walking can and can't do, which I appreciated more than I expected.

Priya S. Seattle, WA · Weekend in the Sisters, 2024
Journal

Field notes from
the trail.

Long-form writing from our guides — practice notes, route observations, and the occasional opinion. We do not run sponsored content and we don't accept guest posts.

Walking Practice

Mindful Hiking: A Working Definition

There is a real difference between walking on a trail and walking with attention on a trail. Elena breaks down what she actually teaches in the first morning of every retreat — and what she does not teach.

February 18, 2025 · Elena Marchetti
Breathwork

Three Breath Techniques We Actually Teach Outdoors

A practical look at the breathwork practices Daniel uses on retreat — and the dozen we don't, including the ones that come with serious physiological caveats. Specific, not mystical.

January 22, 2025 · Daniel Okonkwo
Trail Notes

Why We Cap Groups at Eight

Sage explains the logistics, safety, and group-dynamics reasoning behind our group-size policy — and why we have turned down good money to keep it.

December 14, 2024 · Sage Kawamura
Before You Inquire

Common questions,
direct answers.

If your question is not below, the contact form will reach Elena directly. We try to reply within two business days.

Do I need prior meditation experience?
No. The weekend program is built for first-time participants. The five-day program assumes a willingness to spend extended periods in silence but does not assume a formal practice background.
How physical is this?
The weekend is rated moderate: 4–7 miles per day with 700–1,400 feet of elevation gain. The five-day program includes days of 9–11 miles. The winter program is moderate with cold-weather demands. If you can walk briskly for two hours, you can complete the weekend. Specific medical conditions should be discussed with us before booking.
What's your cancellation policy?
Deposits are 30% and refundable up to 45 days before the retreat start date. Between 45 and 14 days out, deposits are non-refundable but transferable to a future trip within 12 months. Inside 14 days, full payment is non-refundable but a credit may apply at our discretion. Full terms are on the booking confirmation.
Is this religious?
No. We teach secular mindfulness drawn from the MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) tradition developed at UMass Medical School. We do not teach Buddhist doctrine, chant, use mantras, or perform any religious ritual. If you are interested in a religious retreat, we are not the right program for you.
Is MindTreks suitable for under-18s?
No. All retreats are for participants 18 years of age or older. We do not run youth programs.
Do you make any health or medical claims?
No. We teach attention and breathwork practices in an outdoor setting. We do not claim that participation will treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose any condition. If you are managing a health condition, consult your physician before booking, particularly for the multi-day or winter programs.

Send us
a note.

We're a small operation. Inquiries reach Elena directly and we try to respond within two business days. For urgent questions about an upcoming retreat, please call.

MindTreks LLC
1240 NW Wall St, Suite 240
Bend, OR 97703

+1 (541) 322-1180
hello@mindtreks.com

Office hours
Monday–Friday · 9 AM – 5 PM Pacific
Closed weekends and during active retreats.

Inquire about a retreat

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We typically reply within two business days. For urgent matters, call +1 (541) 322-1180.