The Story of the Valley
Updated: Oct 5
Valley of the Cross began with a piece of land and the idea of creating a place where people could come to stay, gather, and spend time away from the pace of everyday life, while building a life here that was closely connected to the land itself.
Austin arrived in the valley with a clear idea of what he wanted to create, but living and building here gradually gave that vision more shape. Most things took longer than expected. Winter rain could pause outdoor work, summer heat changed when physical jobs were best done, materials were not always readily available, and some behaved very differently once exposed to the conditions here.
Plans became more practical through experience. Some jobs had to wait for the right season, others changed once work began, and what looked simple on paper could become much more involved once we understood what the land, buildings and existing infrastructure actually needed.
Living off-grid also meant learning to understand the systems that support everyday life here. The solar setup needed attention, the chimney systems had to be properly arranged for winter heating, and water and electricity became things we had to think about in a much more direct way. Without external supplies to fall back on, we became far more aware of how each part of the place worked and how much depended on keeping those systems well-maintained.
Somewhere along the way, Christina became part of life in the valley too, and the project gradually became something we were building together.
Living here while developing the valley changed the way we approached things together. We became more thoughtful about where to put our time and energy, what would genuinely improve life here, and what could be left for another season. Rather than trying to do everything at once, we started making decisions about what would support the place as both a home and a retreat centre, and that shift made the whole project feel more sustainable and more like something we were building to live with for the long term.
Daily life here became increasingly shaped by the land itself. Alongside hosting people and continuing our own work, we were growing food, looking after animals, building, repairing and learning how the seasons affected what could be done and when. Over time, that made us more familiar with the rhythm of the valley and more realistic about how we wanted to live and work within it.
The Gathering Yurt was one of the moments that made the vision feel much more tangible. For a long time, it had existed as something we talked about and planned, and seeing it finally standing in the valley gave us a dedicated space where people could come together for retreats, workshops and other gatherings.
Since then, the valley has continued to develop in much the same way. Some ideas have stayed close to how we first imagined them, while others have changed as we have lived with the place and come to understand it better. The seasons, the land and the practical realities of everyday life here have all influenced what Valley of the Cross has become.
The project is still evolving, and we are evolving with it. We have a much clearer sense now of what we want the place to be and, just as importantly, how we want to live while creating it.
For us, it is about caring for what is already here, continuing to improve how the place works, and creating somewhere that feels warm, lived-in, and connected to its surroundings, where people can come together and have some real space away from the pace of everyday life.
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