The Zapata-Medano Ranch
Mosca, Colorado
August 20-25, 2023
Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s life-long commitment to the Strenuous Life, Ed Roberson’s Strenuous Life Retreat is a five-day annual gathering of curious, humble, and motivated individuals who are committed to pushing themselves hard every day, both physically and intellectually.
Hosted a Ranchlands’ Zapata-Medano Ranch– a 100,000-acre bison ranch located on the western flank of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado’s San Luis Valley– participants spend the week exploring the spectacular landscape on foot and horseback, as well as expanding their knowledge of topics including conservation, land stewardship, and history.
The 2022 Retreat included hikes to a spectacular alpine lake situated above timberline at 12,000 feet, a stunning waterful, and to the top of a historic mountain pass. We rode horses through the other-worldly terrain of Great Sand Dunes National Park, and alongside the bison, elk, coyotes, raptors, and waterfowl that call the ranch home. An especially devoted crew began each day with outdoor pre-dawn exercise– running, lifting, rowing, and stretching as the sun rose over the Sangres.
We enjoyed in-depth discussions on regenerative agriculture, large-landscape conservation, and water in the West, and guest speakers included some of the foremost western conservation and ranching experts from the teams at Ranchlands and the Nature Conservancy.
Perhaps most importantly, the participants had ample opportunity to learn from each other– during our hikes, rides, and world-class meals, and around the nightly campfire. With participants hailing from Seattle to Miami and many places in between, all participants brought different perspectives and abilities to the Retreat. But everyone shared a deep love of wild places, physical effort, intellectual curiosity, conservation, and self-deprecating humor.
Yes, the mountains were spectacular and the horseback adventures were rewarding. But without a doubt, the best part of the 2022 Retreat was the people. Fun and funny, interesting and interested, motivated and humble, smart and curious, kind and tough– I could not have dreamed up a more fascinating and cohesive group of folks. We began the Retreat as strangers, but after five days of shared effort and purpose, we left as genuine friends.
For those considering attending a future Strenuous Life Retreat, it is not your physical conditioning or specific knowledge of history or conservation that matters– we welcome all ability levels. But what is non-negotiable is the energy and intention that you bring to the Retreat. We embrace positivity, humility, curiosity, compassion, support, and a devotion to pushing outside of one’s comfort zone.
The Strenuous Life Retreat is not for everyone. In fact, it is probably only a fit with an extremely small (and possibly weird) subset of the population. But if you’re one of those unique individuals who feels drawn to a “vacation” focused on pushing yourself physically and mentally alongside a top-notch group of like-minded folks, we welcome you to attend.
