Our Retreats

“My retreat was a surprise in that I reveled in the love and support I got. I cried and laughed and hugged other women who knew exactly what I knew about being a woman who hears the words ‘you have cancer’”.

Hope on the Rise retreats are held in Vermont and New Hampshire each year. Retreats are offered at no cost to women who are residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine and serve women who are at any stage, and with any type of cancer.

A Typical Retreat

Retreats typically begin on Friday afternoon around 3pm. Participants are greeted by our volunteer staff and settle into their assigned rooms. In most cases, participants will share a room with one other person attending the retreat. Once all participants arrive, retreat staff helps fits each person with the gear they will need for the weekend. HOTR provides all equipment for the retreats (waders, boots, rods, reels, line, vests, basic accessories). Staff lead a retreat orientation prior to dinner to provide an overview of the weekend and to answer questions. Following dinner, participants have free time.

Saturdays begin with a hearty breakfast, followed by a morning that includes an overview of fly fishing equipment, essential tactics, knots and entomology. The morning is designed to give participants the basic knowledge needed to fly fish. Just before lunch, participants will learn basic casting skills. Following lunch, we will discuss stream conservation and talk about the important work of conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited. Participants then “gear up” for an afternoon of instructional fly fishing on a lake or pond. Participants can spend free time prior to dinner.

The day ends with dinner and our Reflections on Fly Fishing fireside chat.

Sunday kicks off early with another great breakfast. Additional volunteers join us for breakfast. Our new volunteers, along with HOTR staff provide one-on-one guiding as we spend the remainder of the morning fly fishing on a local river. Lunch and a closing ceremony completes our retreat weekend.