I slept in a yurt in the redwood forest.

I joined a 3-day pilgrimage walk last week in Sonoma County and slept in a yurt for the first time! A yurt is essentially a round tent supported by lattice and stretched fabric for the walls and its dome ceiling, by poles arranged like sun rays. Yurts are the traditional dwelling of Central Asian nomadic people in places like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyztan. The yurt I stayed at is certainly modernized with lighting, heating, a fan, and even a refrigerator! It comes with two vanity sinks inside but the shared toilet and bath are located few steps outside the yurt. The opening at the center of the ceiling or roof is called smoke hole, intended for ventilation, particularly if there is a stove or fireplace inside. From my bunk, I could see the trees towering above the yurt. The soothing sound of water flowing from the Dutch Bill Creek felt like I was sleeping outdoors when in fact I was comfortably cocooned in my down sleeping bag with the heater on. These yurts make up the Pineknot Village section of a camp and conference center called Alliance Redwoods along the Bohemian Highway in Occidental, a tiny village in western Sonoma County, about 20 minutes from the coast. The facility only hosts organized groups but occasionally, the organization offers nature retreats open for public registration. I will definitely stay here again when another opportunity comes up!