The steam from the hot springs cave rose steadily up through the bows of the cedar tree as Bret immersed himself in the pool with a sigh. Kristin was silhouetted in the entrance of the cave against the black and white dusk of summer. After four months as caretakers of a remote wilderness cabin, campground and hot springs, life had settled into a quiet rhythm. It is a lifestyle not for everyone, but one in which the self-disciplined and creative can thrive. How Kristin and Bret became prepared for the challenges caretaking has presented, and where they would like this lifestyle to take them is too long a story for these pages. Along the way the story has involved a dusty old ‘87 Jetta with two flat tires in the middle of Namibia, a sailboat with a broken autopilot half-way across the Atlantic, a reckless taxi ride across Cambodia and many other important life-shaping experiences.
Kristin and Bret met while in school finishing their degrees in the fine arts in Portland, Oregon. After a camping trip in Washington and a short road trip they decided to spend four months traveling in Africa. It was a make or break kind of trip that left them knowing a lot more about each other and the world they were sharing.
Upon returning, Bret took over managing and operating a small ocean resort his grandparents had built in the 1950’s on Cape Cod. “Hospitality is in my blood, it’s a family tradition,” he says. He also drew heavily from the experience of founding and running an art gallery and studio cooperative in Portland, OR. After completing massage school, Kristin joined Bret at the motel. Kristin was instrumental in helping the motel conduct an eco-audit and overhauled the motel’s operations to lead Cape Cod’s hospitality industries in ecologically sound practices. Being a seasonal business, Kristin and Bret were able to spend their winters doing what they loved, traveling and creating art.
After four years at the motel, they decided to move on to new experiences and towards the future they wanted to create for themselves. It was around the same time that they found out about The Caretaker Gazette. They loved seeing all the opportunities in the pages and began looking for a position. During the interim, they were hired as studio assistants at a bronze foundry on Abaco Island in the Bahamas where they apprenticed and made their own sculptures. Life was good. While there they house-sat a friend’s solar-powered cottage; Bret spear fished for dinner and Kristin made and sold batik sarongs. As always, they worked to leave the property better then they found it and enjoyed some nice afternoons painting and working on the house. An ad had come through the Gazette for a property in Washington State that they had jumped on. It was the remote hot springs they had gone to on their first camping trip together years before. Months of correspondence had fizzled out and Bret and Kristin began talking with a couple in Guatemala about renting and running a small hotel. Then one morning, the family in Guatemala sold the property and that afternoon, with perfect timing, the hot spring’s director called asking if they wanted to take the job. They were thrilled and accepted the position.
Living in an old growth forest, deep in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, has given them a summer they will never forget. Waking up each day surrounded by such unspoiled natural beauty and having such direct and constant contact with that environment has been incredible. Bret and Kristin both agree it has given them the opportunity to “slow down” and enjoy the simpler sides of life. The position is also full of the challenges of living off-the-grid and far from the conveniences of modern life, but they enjoy it. Amongst the responsibilities they have accepted is to always keep in mind their own and all their visitors safety, especially in such a remote location. Their unique collection of experiences, skills and interests lend themselves perfectly to this isolation caretaking position where self-reliance, good judgment and adaptability are essential for both safety and sanity.
Bret and Kristin still enjoy perusing the Gazette when it arrives, wondering what opportunity may reveal itself next. After their time in Washington, they plan to stay busy volunteering teaching English to Burmese political refugees in Thailand. In the future, they hope to find a position that will give them more experience in sustainable examples of business. They look at caretaking and working for unique properties not only as a way to offer outstanding service but as market research for starting their own business. It will be a business that combines aspects of their background in hospitality, travel, interests in sustainable food production and building, and artistic abilities. In the meantime, they keep their eyes and ears open for the next open door.
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