LADDER TO THE MOON RETREAT
June 16-20, 2027
Ladder To The Moon is a destination experience open to songwriters of all levels.
An intimate group will gather at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico to spend four days fostering creativity and sharing songs. Surrounded by the very same red and yellow cliffs of the Piedra Lumbre (or Shining Rock) that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe, participants will be given the time and space to find their own inspiration, to write, to collaborate, and to share their music.
Each day will feature a period of masterclass-style songwriting instruction, and each evening will feature a live performance and group song share around the campfire (weather permitting). There will be optional group activities such as hikes, yoga, and deep listening sessions, but attendees will be encouraged to follow their muse, take advantage of the beautifully peaceful setting, and work on their songs. Bring unfinished material and see if this dedicated time is just what you needed to finish. Begin new songs and feel free to share what you've written with a supportive group of fellow songwriters. Meet kindred spirits and create something together. All of this will lead up to the full moon on the final night of our gathering, just on the cusp of the summer solstice.
Give yourself the gift of time in the serenity of the southwest, and leave with more gifts of music to share with the world.
What will my time at Ladder To The Moon look like?
You’ll join us at the beautiful Casa del Sol at Ghost Ranch at 3pm on Wednesday, June 16. After checking in, you’ll be given some time to settle into your room and explore the surroundings. We’ll gather for dinner, followed by our first song share.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will each begin with an optional outdoor activity (yoga, a short hike). Each of these days will also feature a period of masterclass-style songwriting instruction.
Each attendee will get to film a performance video (like the one above, which Rachel filmed at a previous songwriting retreat). Interested attendees will also be invited to learn how to create videos like this, from capturing video and audio to editing and sharing online.
Retreat participants have free access to most Ghost Ranch facilities including hiking trails, meditation labyrinths, and the pool (weather permitting). Optional activities will include visits to the Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology, the Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology, and the Ghost Ranch Library (all located on the Ghost Ranch grounds). Additional Ghost Ranch-led activities (like sunset horseback rides through O’Keeffe landscapes) are available at additional cost to each participant and can be booked here.
Each night will end with an instructor performance followed by a song share around the campfire. At our final song share on Saturday night, attendees will be encouraged (but not obligated) to share something they’ve written during the retreat.
We’ll provide dinner on Wednesday; light breakfast, light lunch, and dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; and light breakfast on Sunday. Dinners will be planned and prepared by the wonderful Kat Wallace.
You’ll check out and depart 10am, Sunday Morning.
**Most importantly** you’ll have time and space available to write, to think, and to give space to your creativity.
The Instructors
…is a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter. Originally from the California desert, Rachel is now based in Boston where she leads her string band trio Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light. Rachel has won the Kerrville New Folk Competition; the Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition; and the Lennon Award, for her song “Radium Girls (Curie Eleison).” She has performed at the Library of Congress, where several of her songs are now included in the collection.
Rachel is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has taught at WUMB’s Acoustic Camps (both Summer and Winter sessions), the Passim School of Music, and various workshops throughout the country to students of all ages.
…has toured the country as a solo singer-songwriter, opening along the way for acclaimed songwriters such as Iris DeMent and Joan Shelley. Ian has performed several times at the legendary Newport Folk Festival, where he was deemed “the songwriter’s songwriter.” Ian’s latest album is Uselysses, a collection of 11 new original songs released in June 2025.
Ian’s mastery of language, encyclopedic knowledge of American Folk Music, and deep and abiding love of Bob Dylan has made him an expert in the craft of songwriting - a subject he’s taught at the Passim School of Music.
In addition to being the most in-demand fiddle player in New England and a member of Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light, Kat Wallace is a singer-songwriter who has performed her songs both solo and as part of the Celtic quartet Forsyth. Kat released her solo debut, Grand Design, in 2025.
Kat is a graduate of the Ithaca College School of Music and attended the New England Conservatory. For years, she ran her own studio of private students and has taught at fiddle camps, public schools, and community music schools.
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Yes!
But more specifically: this is a retreat for songwriters of all levels, whether you’ve just begun or you’ve been writing for years, amateur or professional. While we will aim to provide our attendees with new insights and information about the craft of songwriting, Ladder To The Moon is primarily a retreat for songwriters to be able to work in a quiet, calm, beautiful, and inspiring setting among supportive peers.
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To preserve the intimate quality of this retreat, we are limiting our group to 20 participants.
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Built in 1932, Casa del Sol is a picturesque adobe home located about two miles from the main part of the Ranch. To get there, guests pass through the Painted Desert, where Georgia O'Keeffe lived and worked. The spacious patio of Casa del Sol looks out on Cerro Pedernal, painted many times by O'Keeffe and a destination for indigenous people for more than 7,000 years. Casa del Sol has two bedrooms with private baths, five bedrooms that share three common baths, and a full kitchen and living/ dining room. Next door, in the Hermitage building, there are three more rooms, each with a full-size bed and a private bath.
Here is the Casa del Sol floor plan.
Commuter participants staying offsite without vehicles will rely on carpooling with other program participants (or walking – it’s a beautiful 45-minute walk through the Painted Desert!). There is no official ranch shuttle to get back and forth from Casa del Sol to the main campus. -
This is an all-inclusive retreat experience – your registration covers lodging, meals, workshops, performances, and all programming.
What’s IncludedFull retreat programming – workshops, performances, and song-sharing sessions
A professionally filmed live performance of one song on the Ghost Ranch grounds
All meals – family-style dinners, simple breakfasts and lunches, plus snacks, coffee, and tea (prepared by Kat Wallace)
Lodging at Casa del Sol (unless you register as a Commuter)
Access to Ghost Ranch land and amenities
A commemorative t-shirt
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Payment plans are available!Pricing (per person) – does not include transportation to and from Ghost Ranch:
Deluxe Room: Queen bed, shared bath
- Single Occupancy: $2,500
- Double Occupancy: $1,850 per person
Premium Room: Queen bed, private bath
- Single Occupancy: $3000
- Double Occupancy: $2,250 per person
**SOLD OUT**: Premium Room: Full bed, private en suite bath
- Single Occupancy: $2,150
The Big Room: Queen bed & twin bed, private en suite bath
- Double Occupancy: $2,350 per person
- Triple Occupancy: $1,950 per person (This option is only available to three people who wish to share a room together. A third person will not be assigned to this room)
Standard Room: twin bed in shared room, shared bath: $1,950 per person
Guest Room with two twin beds & shared hall bathroom. (specific roommate may be requested, otherwise a roommate of same gender identity will be assigned)
Commuter: $1,550
Access to all workshops, performances, and meals within the retreat. No indoor lodging included. Ghost Ranch offers campsites, RV Sites, and cottages located on the main part of its campus, 2 miles away from the Casa del Sol (where all activities will be held).
—All registrations are non-refundable. If something unexpected arises, we will do our best to help you transfer your spot to another participant.
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Ghost Ranch is 128 miles (approximately a 2-hour-and-15-minute drive) from the Albuquerque International Airport (a.k.a the Sunport) and 72 miles (approximately a 1-hour-and-25-minute drive) from the Santa Fe Regional Airport. Though further, the Albuquerque Sunport will generally be a more convenient option for those traveling from outside the southwestern U.S.
Car rentals at the Albuquerque Sunport are available from the following companies: Ace, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt, and Thrifty. The car rental center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (though each company within the rental center may have its own hours).
Car rentals at the Santa Fe Regional Airport are available from Hertz and Avis.
For other methods of travel, see this helpful compilation of options made by Ghost Ranch.
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This is a sober retreat. No drugs or alcohol will be allowed.
Linens and towels will be provided.
There will be wifi available.
Food allergies and dietary preferences will be accommodated.
Ladder to the Moon is designed for participants 18 years or older. Minors are not permitted without their legal guardian or other adult designated by the participant’s legal guardian as a chaperone. If you are attempting to register a minor, please contact Rachel: rtsumner@gmail.com
Weather is unpredictable; this part of New Mexico in mid-June often experiences warm days and chilly nights. Be prepared for a range of temperatures.
Ghost Ranch is an open and typically very sunny space. We encourage attendees to bring and wear sunscreen.
CAN I BRING MY PET?
If you are in a self-contained RV in which your pet can comfortably stay, they are welcome to join you overnight in the campground. They are not allowed in any other lodging. Leashed pets are welcome to accompany you as you explore the property, but may not enter any of the buildings.CAN I TOUR GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’S HOME AT GHOST RANCH?
O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch house has never been opened to the public.
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Ladder to the Moon is a beautiful, surreal painting made in 1958 by Georgia O’Keeffe. Since our retreat location offers participants a view of the Pedernal Mountains nearly identical to the one in O’Keeffe’s painting and was designed to culminate on a full moon, we found kinship in this painting and are hopeful this setting will help people unlock the next rung of their creativity.
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Email us at laddertothemoonretreat@gmail.com