Main Street News

Laura Sink was inspired to create a place where people could stay that would invoke feelings of creativity, calm, and inspiration. After living in New York City for five years, she and her husband Paul Jacobsen, who had grown up in Brooklyn, were naturally drawn upstate to the beautiful Hudson Valley. It was in Germantown, about halfway between Hudson and Rhinebeck, that they found space ten years ago to create what would become Gatherwild Ranch. 

Laura, who worked in product design and engineering, took a workshop on yurts, which are portable, round tents covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Inner Asia. She had been looking for a way to build something from the land in a creative manner, so creating Gatherwild seemed like a serendipitous next step. Paul, who is an oil painter, designed and built the majority of cabins on the property. 

For Laura and Paul, it’s important to immerse themselves in nature due to the “freedom of the soul and spirit” that it provides. 

“It’s one of the most important things that you can offer yourself, especially if you’re not spending a lot of time in nature. You can feel your body reacting to that,” Laura said. “The natural world is getting harder to access and that’s a big reason why we’re here doing what we’re doing.” 

Accommodations

Gatherwild is home to eight curated spaces that share the recently renovated bathhouse and outdoor kitchen.

Gatherwild features four glamping tent options: 

• The Stargazer Tent is a hand indigo dyed canvas tent that sits alongside a tiny caravan for a group site. It boasts simple luxuries and ultimate convenience, is great for families and couples alike, and can accommodate five adults or a family of six. It resides close to the new bathhouse and is in close proximity to parking which makes an optimal choice for accessibility. The tent platform has a low deck that overlooks the landscape, and sits back privately towards the rear of the orchard with a fun hammock couch, private picnic table, fire pit, and Adirondack chairs as well as heating in the colder months and AC in the summer. 
• The Luxury Tent boasts the largest size floor space with a magical tent shape and a king-sized bed, a spacious sunbathing deck, and a centralized location inside the orchard. The tent is surrounded with private grassy knolls and has a private picnic table, fire pit, and Adirondack chairs as well as heating in the colder months and AC in the summer.
• The Firefly Tent boasts ultimate privacy and a spectacular view on the ridgeline of Gatherwild Ranch. It’s the longest walk from the parking area and bathhouse, and sits on the border of the woods’ edge. Due to the distant and private location, Firefly is off grid and relies on solar energy for lighting.
• The Upstate Tent is a short walk from the parking area and bathhouse, sitting to the west side of the orchard at the border of the woods’ edge. It has a deck that overlooks the pastures and has an amazing view of the sunrise in the morning. Due to the private and distant location, the Upstate Tent is off grid and relies on solar energy for lighting.

In addition to the tents, Gatherwild also has three cabin options and a vintage Shasta camper that will be available this season. 

• The A-Frame Cabin has both modern and rustic architecture and is perfect for two or a small family of three. It’s located near the bathhouse and has a rooftop deck where you can look out over the landscape. It’s also the only cabin that boasts air conditioning and electricity for needs beyond lighting. 
• The Guest House is the most spacious and traditional of the accommodations at Gatherwild. It’s a renovated offset of the 1850’s farmhouse and here, you get the best of modern convenience – i.e. electricity, air conditioning, in-house coffee maker, and reliable WiFi – and still have the outdoor experience right out of the doorway. 
• The Pink Bungalow is a charming bungalow that is nestled in the orchard. Boasting a private sun deck, hammock, picnic table, fire pit, Adirondack chairs, electricity, and air conditioning, the Pink Bungalow is the perfect shady grove. 
• The Shasta Camper is working on being restored to its original interior. It will keep the kitschy style of 1963 while upgrading to new furnishings. The camper is nestled down in the orchard, hosts one main full size bed, and a second lofted full size bed. It’s a great option for a family or two couples. 

As far as curating the spaces, Laura looks to nature. “I try to mimic the outdoors in a lot of ways with soft, neutral tones, but still have a fun flair. Each of our accommodations has a different look to it. Our goal is to surprise and delight when you enter our accommodations.” 

How does Gatherwild “surprise and delight?” 

“It’s always exciting when you enter a round space. The corner-less feeling is whimsical, and we expand on that with string fairy lights, chandeliers, sheepskin and wonderful textiles,” Laura explained. “We incorporate pops of color and artwork. You don’t know what you’re going to see until you’re there. That’s exciting.”

Activities & events

Gatherwild also hosts a variety of workshops and retreats. 

Page Break is a weekend reading retreat from May 31 to June 2 that combines novels, dining, and community. Fifteen New Yorkers head upstate for the weekend and read an entire novel together, mostly aloud, and partnered with local Hudson Valley chefs to prepare delicious meals that are creatively themed to the book. 

From June 20 to 23, Gatherwild is hosting a Summer Solstice Yoga Retreat, which is crafted for those eager to deepen their understanding and elevate their practice, ensuring that new learnings are not only embraced during your time together, but also integrated into your ongoing yoga routine.

September 12 to 15 is a Yoga & Mobility Retreat with Sarah Randall, where you’ll deepen your relationship with yourself and nature through daily yoga, meditation, journaling, and more.

The Coming Home Retreat is a wellness retreat for those seeking reconnection, weaving a tapestry of self-discovery, and communal bonding taking place on October 18 to 20. 

“We host a lot of artist-led and art-forward workshops,” Laura said. “We have a lot of fun stuff on the calendar coming up and we’re always open to new collaborations!”

Recent renovations

Gatherwild has undergone a handful of renovations in the past few months, including the construction of a new bathhouse and an upcoming rooftop sunset deck.

The bathhouse exterior was constructed using locally milled wood, and then Laura and Paul used an all-natural, eco-treatment with iron oxide pigment so the coating is non-toxic. The building has tall ceilings with louvered windows at the top and bottom to encourage natural air flow. The vanity and interior is finished with natural lime based plaster which is both natural and breathable.

“We took inspiration from tropical locations where they have a lot of open air flow, but also shade all around the building to keep it cool,” Laura explained. “It echoes a desert aesthetic on the interior.” 

Additionally, the bathhouse also has an outdoor kitchen attached to it where guests can cook their meals. Guests are also welcome to utilize produce from the garden and to collect eggs from the chicken coops each morning. 

Gatherwild offers produce from the garden and meats from neighbors and so you can cook your own food, fit with big communal tables, great for groups and plenty of space. 

This year, Gatherwild also added custom hammocks, tree nets, a wood-fired sauna, a cold plunge, and stand-alone clawfoot tubs. 

“The tubs are a great replacement for a pool and they’re in their own private locations,” she explained. 

Other renovations include an improved venue space, which Laura and Paul are calling the gallery. They’re looking forward to hosting more art-forward shows and workshops in the coming months and will also expand their gift store into that space as well.

“We are always improving and creating within the spaces we already have,” Laura said. 

Shifts in trends

When Laura and Paul first opened Gatherwild Ranch, they were a bit ahead of their time. Airbnb and other short-term rental companies weren’t exactly mainstream yet, and the concept of “glamping” was still gaining its footing. 

“We were in this unique stay category that was utilizing this trust-based business tactic, and we were some of the only people doing it. People were just coming around to the idea of sleeping in a tiny yurt in a field” she said. “Now, many more places have opened up in the Hudson Valley and in the Catskills in recent years, which is great because it’s more commercially accepted and trusted.  We hope to stand out as a well-established and locally-owned glamping location.” 

Laura believes that it’s been a positive shift to see in the area, as she feels that people are craving unique locations to travel to and stay at that will inspire creativity and innovation. 

One of the most rewarding parts of being in the business for Laura and Paul has been their connection to the local community. 

“We have a great community base here and we want to provide our local community with resources. We have an open door policy with people and we’re always looking to include and collaborate with people who are doing amazing things.”

Additionally, working with the land has been another one of the most rewarding parts. “We’re stewarding this Mohican land, always learning and adapting to what nature needs. Generations after the Mohicans lived here, but generations before us were apple farmers and we’re working to invigorate the apple trees where we can,” Laura explained. “We’re so happy to be in this beautiful landscape along the Hudson River. We want to continue to utilize regenerative agriculture on a small scale and reinvigorate the land in a natural way.” 

Gatherwild Ranch is located at 331 Roundtop Road, Germantown, NY 12526. Visit them on their website here or on their Instagram @gatherwildranch. Reach out to them at hello@gatherwild.com with any inquiries.