Smoke Farm is a pristine 365-acre property nestled between the foothills of the Cascade mountain range and the Stillaguamish River, near Arlington, WA. Once a dairy farm owned by the Smokes brothers, the land has since been converted into a natural reserve under the Cascade Land Conservancy and a performance/retreat space for educational and artistic projects hosted by the Seattle based non-profit: Rubicon Foundation. Artists, educators, scientists, philosophers, and youth explore ideas and creativity while engulfed in a rural, communal setting.

You can visit the official Smoke Farm webpage here, or see a map of the property here.

The diverse environments of the farm make it an ideal place for a massive variety of activities. Last summer's programming included retreats for theater-makers and set-designers, workshops for print-makers, a week-long art camp for children, a “Bio-blitz” biology outing for inner-city youth, woodworking with an Asperger's Syndrome support group, a philosophy camp, a culinary fundraiser, and more. Regardless of the event, visitors to the farm are always engrossed by the natural surrounding: swinging by rope into the river, scrambling up boulders in a foothill creek, hunting for mushrooms in a cedar grove, or tracking deer through a tall-grass maze.

At Fortnight, campers find time for both work and play in Smoke Farm's many settings. While they build in the shop and the woods, they also hike up the creek and cool off in a swimming hole. They cultivate and eat from the garden and play capture the flag in the fields.

One of Fortnight's goals is to allow the natural world to leave a positive impression on campers, such that they desire to leave a positive impression on it. Fortnight's staff understands the importance of integrating respectfully into the environment. Campers learn that building inherently disturbs our surroundings, but with special care and attention, we can work in a sustainable and low-impact way.