a place to be still or let your inner child run free
SERVICES
Northern Maine Adventures
Back to the Basics Yurt was established to offer a place of relief from a fast-paced lifestyle. It’s a place to deepen relationships with family or friends. Unwind and be still, or allow your inner child to run free while visiting our yurt and beautiful, natural landscape. Our property offers many walking or skiing trails right next to the Canadian border, a creek, a fire pit, direct access to snowmobile and atv trails, the northern lights, and the most spectacular sunset views.
Shinrin Yoku
It’s an interesting phrase, but it simply means “forest bathing.” Leave your phone at the yurt while Back to the Basics leads you to take time to appreciate your surroundings and listen to the sounds around you: twittering birds, rustling bush, trickling streams. No hiking, running, or quick movements necessary. Breathe in clean, fragrant air and soak in the sights of the textured ground and the shapes of the leaves in the sky. Touch the moss on the trees. This 1-2 hour long experience is designed to refresh your mind and senses.
Women’s Guiding Services
Traci is a Registered Maine Recreational Guide, Wilderness First Responder, ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, and knows all the best places to take your group on an adventure fit for your experience-level. She has led many women’s hiking days, canoe trips on the Allagash Waterway, overnight backpacking trips. As a woman who used to be terrified of getting lost in the woods, she knows how to help your group learn to feel comfortable and competent in the outdoors!
Appalachian Trail Presentations
On August 25, 2022, Traci finished her first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail after 168 days spent on trail. This trail system stretches from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Now she travels to local schools and organizations to give presentations about her experience, why she did it, backpacking tricks and tips, and how to survive in the outdoors in all seasons. Check out all her different presentation offerings on the Services page of her website.
Traci’s last day on the Appalachian Trail, August 25, 2022.
your visit
You can stay at our Yurt through booking it on Airbnb or book one of Traci’s other guiding and outdoor education services on the Services page of her website.
Traci’s family climbed Mt. Katahdin with her to celebrate her accomplishment
The Yurt is a 4-season expereince with a toilet, propane heater, and wood stove.
Testimonials
I spent one week at the Yurt. The setting with surrounding pines and fields covered in snow was breathtaking. It was the first time I had experienced the beauty of Northern Maine winter/snow (I live in PA). Traci introduced me to snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. There are no words to describe the magic of the nights with clear stars and snow-covered pines. -Frieda, Jan 2019
Yurt life was an amazing experience. Clean, cozy and the perfect getaway for our family. The wood stove warmed our bodies after a day walking nature trails around the yurt and at Aroostook State Park. -Danielle, Nov 2021
Traci was a FANTASTIC host! She had a fire started for us when we arrived so we wouldn’t be cold. Her video tutorials were very helpful and the yurt itself was even better in person. It has everything you need for a quiet getaway. I’m so happy I visited! -Joann, Oct 2021
Absolutely stunning surrounding area. The yurt had everything you will need for cooking and having a great time (including warm socks and card games). Everything was so well thought out. One of the best Airbnbs I've been to! -Assel, Sept 2021
Just what we needed for a relaxing mini vacation close to home. Our kids loved the adventure feel- especially hiking “to Canada” and searching for the tree hut. Comfortable, very clean and cozy. -Elizabeth, Oct 2021
If you don't have "sleeping in a yurt" on your bucket list, what are you waiting for! Traci's yurt is amazing and the perfect cure for anything that might be weighing you down. The yurt sleeps 6 to 8 people is very well-appointed and comfortable. The views to the west at sunset are amazing. Traci and Chuck are phenomenal hosts and if I hadn't already had plans to snowmobile this weekend, they would have been tremendous trail guides, I am sure! -Harley, March 2021
Maine Yoga Adventures had an amazing stay at the sweet & cozy yurt and we’ll definitely be back next year! It’s the perfect amount of space for six people and perfectly fine for cooking dinners & breakfasts. We loved our immersion in nature and that you can snowshoe & ski on the property. You’re also not far at all from more wonderful outdoors activities! -Holly, Jan 2023
We had a truly magical experience. Totally kid friendly - great hiking, great accommodations, fantastic views. A total gem. We really enjoyed our time at Traci’s very clean - very comfortable yurt. We already want to go back. Made just right suggestions about activities for my three kids and me to do. Lindsey, Aug 2022
Traci's place was incredible as always. My fiance and I have gone up there twice and plan on making it a tradition. Wonderful and peaceful place! Molly, Nov 2022
Our 4th “Yurt Girls” stay at the yurt and it has never failed to be the one getaway we look forward to all year! Amazing experience at an amazing location! A true getaway. Traci and Chuck are always so attentive and make our visits so special. Looking forward to our next visit! -Renee, March 2023
See Our Yurt
About Me
life after lyme
Soon after I married Chuck in 1994, I had two kids, Carla and Cody. The doctors told me I had a one in a million chance of having kids, and God gave us two. What a gift! Little did we know, we had some mountains ahead to summit. I had been experiencing strange symptoms early on in our marriage, but we chalked it up to marriage, kids, work, stress, etc. By 2003 my health had declined further. Pseudo-seizures, severe weakness, chronic memory loss, muscle aches and severe joint aches joined the already long list of frequent symptoms. I experienced many false diagnoses, including epilepsy, MS, and chronic fatigue. At the same time, my husband and I were in and out of hospitals with two similarly sick children. Their days consisted of chronic pain, lethargy, and a lack of desire to play with friends.
In 2004, our two kids and myself were diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease. I had a portacath put in, receiving a daily IV drip of high doses of antibiotics. At this time, I had to resign from my job and my driver’s license was revoked because of pseudo-seizures. Life went from being an outdoor enthusiast to someone who had to be cared for 24/7. Our journey to get better started with prayer, intensive antibiotic treatments, herbal supplements, and mandatory rest days for three years. My husband was a hard working, compassionate, rock during those years. By 2007, we were symptom free and began to establish a new normal; living a healthy, active lifestyle. Currently, the three of us have been Lyme Disease free for over 10 years, which we dare say is miraculous and proof that there is life after Lyme.
The years limited by illness caused me to search for what I was missing. I kept coming back to the joy found in laughing with friends deep in the woods. In 2000, I reached out to five women who had experienced a variety of severe illnesses. These women, most of whom had never camped in the woods before, committed to an annual camping trip. The criteria was no running water, no phones, no kids; just the woods and good food. We quickly dubbed our group the “Laughing Loons” which has continued its traditions for nearly 20 years. We experienced healing amidst the laughter, tears, and meals we have shared over the years. Though one “Loon” has lost her battle to cancer, our Laughing Loons group lives on as I continue to lead this group of women into the woods for a weekend of youthful fun, twice a year.
Back to the Basics Yurt is a family operated business that emerged from the adventures we experienced. For years, I asked God how we would be able to endure Lyme Disease. I’ve concluded that it forced us to allow friends and family to help, especially with daily responsibilities, through our weakest days. I contracted this disease from a tick in the Connecticut woods, but I gained strength once I overcame fear of the woods. A lot of this battle was fought while spending many days recuperating on our property, encompassed by a beautiful forest landscape. We had to learn how to get back to the basics; we were forced to slow down. I wholehearted believe nature provides lessons; whether in solitude or togetherness, laughter or tears, rest or action-packed adventure.
