A GREAT ESCAPE

Pyramid Life Center offering retreats, camping and so much more for the 2026 summer season

Pyramid Life Center has something to offer everyone in the Diocese of Albany from summer camps to spiritual retreats and camping weekends, just to name a few of the offerings. (Evangelist file photo)

Pyramid Life Center is a different place for each guest. For some, it is the home of a sparkling, clear lake, where kayaks and canoes can quietly sail to their destination. For others, it is an Adirondack escape, offering hiking trails to roaring waterfalls, or the presence of dark, calming forests. But for everyone, Pyramid Life Center is a great escape, inviting its guests to come as they are and return home with a stronger connection to nature and to their Creator. 

Near the hamlet of Paradox, in the heart of the Adirondacks, Pyramid Life Center is a special place for many in upstate New York. Dating back to the 1800s, the center was purchased by the Albany Diocese in 1946. Sitting on over 750 acres of land, the area was first converted into a girls’ camp. By the late 1980s, thanks to the work of Father Paul Engle, Father Bob Roos, and Sister Monica Murphy, CSJ, the camp was reopened as Pyramid Life Center. 

PLC now offers countless families, parish groups and young people the opportunity to enjoy summer camps, spiritual retreats and camping weekends in the gorgeous landscape of the great outdoors. 

The following is the current schedule of events at Pyramid Life Center this year. To register for any event, head to https://www.pyramidlife.org/schedule/. 

JUNE

June 12-14: Open Camping, Catholic Singles Weekend: The annual Catholic Singles weekend gathering brings together Catholic adults for a weekend of fellowship and outdoor recreation. If you are one of the many adults who find their lives more solitary than you’d like, joining our little community could be just the boost you’re looking for. Men and women, young and old are all welcome to join us for a weekend of good food and great conversation surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation at PLC. New to the group? Consider bringing along a friend for the weekend, the more the merrier! 

June 19-21: Open Camping: Open camping for you and your family! Come spend the weekend with us enjoying a little early summer getaway. Nothing cures the end of school stress like a weekend unplugged celebrating creation! Meals will be included with your stay! 

June 28-July 2: Camp Breakaway 2026: Registration is now closed. You may still add your child to the waitlist, but there is no guarantee that a spot will become available for them this year. For more information, contact [email protected].

JULY

July 12-17: Women’s Writers Retreat: Six different class series — meeting daily for the week — will be led by experienced writers/teachers in writing poetry, fiction, journaling, memoir and multi-genre. Stand-alone afternoon sessions will offer a menu of fun topics to inspire participants’ writing; sample as much as you want, tailoring your week to include time alone to focus on your own writing. Every evening, we will get together for readings, where participants are invited to share their writing with a warm, welcoming and appreciative community of women. 

July 17-19: St. Pius X Parish Weekend (private retreat)

July 17-19: Yoga and the Five Elements Retreat with Kimberly Kubicke: Join us for a weekend of yoga, reflection and connection with nature. This immersive weekend retreat is centered around the five elements — space, earth, fire, water and air — and how they live and move within us and around us. Through thoughtfully paced yoga practices, reflection and time in the wild landscape surrounding Pyramid Life Center, you’ll be invited to slow down, reconnect and restore your natural rhythm. No prior knowledge of yoga is required. This retreat is designed for practitioners of all levels who are looking to feel more connected to nature and aligned with its rhythms, while cultivating greater clarity, resilience and ease. It’s especially well-suited for those drawn to a holistic approach to health that weaves together movement, breath, nature and self-reflection. The practices will include options for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners.

July 17-19: Friends of Lois: “Detaching — WITH LOVE:” One of the most challenging aspects of a solid recovery program is detachment. Those of us dealing with addiction — whether in our past or present lives — can easily get busy in other people’s business. Although it is hard to watch our loved ones suffer, everyone needs to grow their own lives. The “WITH LOVE” part of detachment allows us to let go and let God take over. This weekend, we will use the tools of the program to identify healthy ways to detach with love, while we enjoy the peace and majesty of the beautiful Pyramid Life Center. Between sessions, relax in the natural peace and beauty of the private lake — swim, kayak, hike, fish or just BE — alone or in fellowship with other recovering folk.

July 17-19: Storytelling with Tim Van Egmond and Laura Packer: Come and explore the wonderful world of storytelling and the power of imagination with Tim Van Egmond and Laura Packer, your experienced and encouraging facilitators. Over the course of four workshops, participants will learn to develop a story from image or idea to tellable tale, practice and hone techniques to make the telling vivid and dynamic, and gain insight into how to connect with and engage listeners. They will come away with a deepened understanding of their own relationship with storytelling as an art and a practice, and greater confidence when crafting and telling stories. This workshop is appropriate for everyone, from those who have never shared a story to those who have on professional stages. 

July 19-23: Our Lady of Grace and Immaculate Conception Church Weekend (private retreat)

July 19-23: Flamingo in the Forest — Spiritual Art Alchemy Retreat: A four-day Adirondack retreat created for women standing at a threshold — those navigating recovery, reinvention, grief, spiritual awakening or simply the quiet desire to return to themselves. The weekend includes guided meditation, journaling, spiritual reflection, creative art sessions, sound baths, Adirondack hikes and more. 

July 20-23: How to Promote Peace and Justice in Challenging Times? Listening to our prophets with Fred Boehrer: As people of faith, how can we respond with compassion and justice in a society filled with violence and disregard for others? We will explore how prophets and holy people can encourage us to be peacemakers in 2026 and beyond. We will spend time with Dorothy Day, Richard Rohr, Cesar Chavez, Dan and Phil Berrigan, Oscar Romero, Mahatmas Gandhi, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Merton and Malala Yousafzai.

July 31-Aug. 2: Celebrating Creation in the Spirit of Laudato Si’ with Sister Linda Neil, CSJ: This weekend retreat is an immersion into Pope Francis’ ecological encyclical Laudato Si’. It is for those who want to refresh themselves in this vital teaching and for those who have little experience of the document. The weekend will weave the art of Marion Honors, CSJ, the photography of Clare Pelky, CSJ, reflections, poetry, art, dance and the beauty of Pyramid Life Center into a celebration of Laudato Si’. 

AUGUST 

Aug. 2-7: Our Lady Of Lourdes Reunion: Registration will begin soon!

Aug. 16-21: Nature Retreat: Join us for this year’s PLC annual Nature Retreat, “The Earth Speaks: Peace in the Midst of Becoming.” Nothing in creation is static. Earth, our lives, our communities, even our conflicts — all are in motion. Creation is not finished; it is still unfolding. We belong to a living, evolving universe where everything is still becoming, often through chaos, shaped in ways both visible and hidden. Through prayer, reflection, community and contemplative time immersed in the beauty of Pyramid Life Center’s land, may we attune our hearts to the Earth’s wisdom and explore how to become peace and love in a world still unfolding.

Aug. 21-23: Willing to Grow along Spiritual Lines: Registration will open soon! The intent of this retreat is to explore and simplify 12-step spirituality for anyone in any recovery program, regardless of time in recovery or progress in their own 12-step process. 

Aug. 21-23: Poetry Workshop with Cynthia Brackett-Vincent: This workshop begins with haiku and leads into longer poems by looking at the practice of focusing on images when writing poetry. This supportive workshop is suitable for beginning poets and established poets alike. Plenty of writing prompts will be offered. 

Aug. 23-28: Writer Fest: Writer Fest is an opportunity to learn the writing craft from successful writers in a variety of genres. Take your fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or work-in-progress to the next level. 

Aug. 28-30: Inclusive Camping Weekend: Join us for a restorative weekend in nature created especially for LGBTQIA+ folks, their families and allies. This camping retreat is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply and enjoy time in a space where you can fully be yourself — surrounded by a like-minded, affirming community.

Aug. 30-Sept. 4: Loonsong — Heart of the Sacred With Emily Joan Smith, Christina Rountree, Charles Mitchell: Weaving song, ceremony, meditation, sound healing, gentle yoga, Qigong, drumming and contemplative nature experiences, we will journey together into an intuitive flow of embodied spiritual practice and remembering.

Aug. 31-Sept. 2: Late Summer Yoga Retreat: This late summer retreat, “The Sacred Path: Yoga Meditation, Reiki and Self-Care,” invites you to immerse yourself in the sacred path of yoga, self-care and renewal. This retreat offers a blend of gentle yoga, gratitude activities, Qigong, Reiki healing, chakra balancing with crystal bowls, meditation and yoga nidra for deep relaxation and balance.

SEPTEMBER 

Sept. 11-13: Stillpoint Retreat: Setting Life to a Sacred Rhythm with Mary DeTurris Poust: The world moves at breakneck speed and expects us to do the same, but Psalm 46 famously tells us, “Be still.” Another translation of this favorite psalm puts it like this: “Cease striving.” This year’s Stillpoint Retreat will offer participants an opportunity to step away from the madness of the world to rest, recharge and reconsider the way we move through our days. With a combination of presentation, prayer and practical exercises, this retreat will provide an opportunity to slow our frenetic pace, let go of our endless striving, and create some calm amid the chaos of our everyday lives. The spectacular natural beauty of Pyramid Life Center provides the sacred ground on which to do all of this. Led by writer and retreat leader Mary DeTurris Poust, Stillpoint includes silent breakfasts, guided meditation, music, creative practices and more. The weekend also includes an optional yoga class taught by Mary, who is a certified yoga teacher.

Sept. 18-20: Spiritual Journaling Weekend: Join us for a weekend of Spiritual Journaling to either start or re-energize your own journaling practice. Using journaling to connect with the God of your understanding helps you grow in the realization that you are deeply loved and cared for by your God. 

Sept. 18-20: Walking with Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: This annual retreat, led by the Saint Kateri Conservation Center, will journey alongside the person and legacy of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, with a deep exploration of her cultural present, past and future. This is a Native-facilitated retreat that will include prayer, meditation and integrate ecologically focused activities. 

Sept. 25-27: Men’s Weekend. Registration begins soon!

OCTOBER 

Oct. 2-4: Open Camping

Oct. 2-3: Pyramid Lake Fishing Derby: Only 30 spots available; first come, first serve! This casual fall fishing derby for the whole family will take place on Oct. 3 from dawn until lunch. All entrants, divided into adult and youth divisions, will compete with one another to reel in the biggest fish! Participants will be responsible for providing photo evidence of their catch, along with a PLC provided official measuring stick. Entrants are welcome to use PLC’s boating equipment and are welcome to share boats with others.    

Oct. 2-4: Autumn Photography Workshop: Join photographer Courtney Bradt for a fall photography weekend. We’ll cover some basics of shooting and editing with a focus on fall colors. Enjoy Pyramid Lake or nearby hikes during peak foliage.

Oct. 3: Alive Together – Nature Connection with Katrina Clay: Ever feel like you don’t know where you belong? Or that you have to do everything right to find a sense of worth? Join presenter Katrina Clay and unplug for a day in the Adirondacks to experience true connection with the Earth, community and yourself.