Remember the joys of summer camp? Out there in the open air, trekking through the woods, learning crafts and skills and forming friendships you knew would last forever? Wouldn’t it be great to feel that way again now that you’re all grown up?

Well, summer camp has grown up, too. And here’s a twist: it’s happening in the fall. The first weekend in October, hundreds of women from around the Southeast and beyond will gather at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain (the same sylvan venue that hosts the legendary LEAF festivities) to share in the 5th Annual Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference. And while the conference is fundamentally concerned with medicinal and edible plants, over the years it has grown into an expansive celebration of women’s health and wisdom.

Conference director Corinna Wood, the founder of Red Moon Herbs in Black Mountain, and a dedicated staff of coordinators and volunteers have crafted a weekend full of opportunities for women to explore their environment and themselves. An impressive coterie of teachers—more than 30 at last count—will teach classes on subjects ranging from medicinal oils and tea blending to Tantra and abstract drawing.

The weekend is infused with Susun Weed’s "wise woman" tradition, which encourages using local wild herbs and plants to establish and nurture health. Weed also advocates for sustainable living, homegrown wisdom and the empowerment of the nurturing feminine principle. A self-educated herbalist who runs the Wise Woman Center in Woodstock, New York, Weed has published several books filled with her common-sense approach to nutrition and healing: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year; Healing Wise; New Menopausal Years, the Wise Woman Way; and Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way.

What Weed and her colleagues present are, essentially, survival skills for an off-kilter world: how to nourish and heal yourself and your loved ones with minimal impact on the earth. Their workshops are appropriate for women with a personal or professional interest in health and wellness. This year’s conference also offers continuing education credits for nurses.

The mood at this popular annual conference tends to be far from academic, however; there will be plenty of fun and games—hiking, swimming, singing and myriad opportunities for creative expression. Instead of weaving potholders, attendees can relax into the "just us girls" community and weave connections with other women of varied ages and lifestyles—including a special program for girls ages 11 to 17.

Oh, and those stale cheese sandwiches and tepid bug juice that seemed to be standard camp fare when you were a kid? Forget them. In keeping with the focus on delicious wholesome food, meals at the conference are lovingly crafted from farm-fresh, local, seasonal offerings, with a menu inspired by Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook. So pack your swimsuit and your hiking shoes—the wise women await.

The Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference takes place at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain October 2-4. Call 828-669-0012 for details, or go to