All YAG lodging, the square dance, bonfires, and the majority of the extracurricular activities will be at Higher Ground Retreat Center in West Harrison, Indiana, which is located about 35 minutes west of St. Gertrude’s just north of I-74.
The YAG itself will start at St. Gertrude’s on Friday at 4 pm, with Mass and dinner. Each day starts with Mass at St. Gertrude’s, not at Higher Ground. We try to coordinate carpooling so everyone can get to Mass. Always come to the church first!
The dorm building at Higher Ground is set up to accommodate men and women in two separate wings, complete with their own bathrooms and showers.
If anyone of the opposite sex is found in the wrong wing at any time, he* will be asked or forced to leave immediately, whether in his own car, via Uber, or by whatever other means removes him from the property. Offenders likely will be barred from future YAG attendance.
*or she!
Each wing is subdivided into a few smaller rooms, with 6 to 8 bunk beds in each and one larger room with more beds. The bunkbeds have mattresses but no other bedding, so attendees MUST bring their own sheets, towels, pillows, blankets, toiletries, etc. If you really can’t fit bedding with you, because you are flying Spirit Airlines from the Maldives or for whatever other reason, we do have spare bedding for about 20 people, but much of it is spoken for ahead of time. Let us know if you will need it when you register! It probably won’t be available if you just show up needing it.
If you pack strategically, you can fit sheets, a few rolled-up throw blankets, and a small pillow into a medium-sized canvas tote bag or backpack, which you can bring as your personal item if you’re flying. The dorm is air-conditioned and there are control panels in each room, so the temperatures can be adjusted for further comfort.
Higher Ground has a campus curfew of midnight, so by that time (or preferably before) attendees are expected to be in their sleeping quarters. PLEASE be considerate – if you plan to be up half the night talking and laughing, select one of the smaller rooms for yourself and your chatty friends and let the rest of us sleep in peace. The “bedtime” of each room is usually determined by popular consensus and posted on the individual doors.
Official Higher Ground Campus Rules & Regulations
- Check-In: 3 pm
- Check-Out: 11 am
- Campground quiet time: Midnight – 6 am.
- We do not provide swimming pool towels. Please do not remove bath towels from any place on the campus to take to the pool.*
- Candles and burning incense are prohibited in any and all buildings.
- Please drive only on the roads.
- Speed limit: 15 mph
- No parking or driving on grass.
- No cooking of any type allowed in any buildings.
- Appropriate attire is to be worn at all times (shirts must be worn unless in the pool area).*
- No wet clothing in the Dining Hall or on cloth chairs.
- Please do not nail, pin, staple, tape, glue, or tack anything to the walls. “Plastic Tac” is acceptable.
- You are responsible for any damage that occurs during your stay.
- NO PETS allowed anywhere on campus.
- NO ALCOHOL allowed anywhere on campus.
- NO SMOKING allowed EXCEPT in the two designated smoking areas: 1) Picnic table behind the barn and 2) Picnic table behind the Life Center. A $100 fine will be assessed if smoking occurs in undesignated areas.
* We do not use the pool during the YAG. It should go without saying that you need to keep your shirt on.
Football Field Rules – please read, soccer players!
- No food or drinks on football fields – this includes chewing gum!
- No metal spike shoes
- No metal, glass, or other sharp objects that could puncture the fields
- You are responsible for any damages that occur during your use of the fields
- No “messy” games are allowed on the field without prior approval from the office
Flying
When planning flights, keep in mind that the airport is about an hour’s drive south of the church. Arriving early on Friday is not a problem; there will be people setting up in Helfta Hall and any help is appreciated!
Maybe someone local can come and get you from CVG airport (which, again, is in Kentucky and almost an hour south of church). Maybe not. Do not count on it. Let us know when you register. Give us your flight schedule as soon as you have it. We try to match people needing airport rides with willing local volunteers as much as possible. It is not always possible. Especially if your flight is at a weird time or on a different day (like arriving Thursday or departing Monday). Budget for airport transportation just to be safe. Or, if you already have a local social network in Cincinnati, reach out ahead of time to get a firm commitment from someone. Checking “need rides” when you register does not guarantee that it will be possible for us to arrange you an airport pickup. It just guarantees that we will try to arrange an airport pickup. We might fail. Be prepared!
If you pack strategically, you can fit sheets, a few rolled-up throw blankets, and a small pillow into a medium-sized canvas tote bag or backpack, which you can have as your personal item in addition to your carry-on bag.
Carpooling
See above for notes on airport transportation.
Once you get to St. Gertrude’s, it becomes easier. Transportation between church and the retreat center is pretty straightforward, as everyone is going to the same place at more or less the same time. We will help arrange carpools. If at any point you find yourself unsure about how to get from the retreat center to St. Gertrude’s or vice versa, speak up and tell the people nearby that you need a ride!