LDC Field Retreats / Western New York Proposed
Beyond the Grove
Niagara, Cumorah & the mysteries of ancient America.
Four proposed days of spiritual practice, consciousness work and honest conversation, with the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah and the roar of Niagara Falls woven through the journey.
Dates, pricing, venues, facilitators and final route to be announced.
Scenery is illustrative. Venues are not confirmed, and images do not imply access, affiliation, or endorsement.
- New YorkMultiple locations (proposed)
- 4 days / 3 nightsProposed retreat; dates TBD
- Small groupGroup size and pricing TBD
- Historic sitesNiagara, the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah & more
- Ancient mysteriesEarthworks, old accounts & legends
- Faith & restorationThe First Vision, the Book of Mormon & beyond
- Consciousness explorationGuided practice, conversation & personal growth
Where the story of the Restoration meets the roar of the falls
The Grove. The Hill. The Falls.
Western New York holds some of the most meaningful ground in Latter-day Saint history, a short drive from one of the great natural wonders of North America. This proposed retreat pairs quiet places of faith and memory with the scale and power of Niagara.
Each visit is a chance to slow down, reflect and talk honestly about what these places mean, to believers, to historians and to the people who lived here long before.
Illustration
Niagara Falls
Natural wonder and deep time, and the falls that moved Abraham Lincoln to write his 1848 reflection.
Proposed visit · subject to access
The Sacred Grove
Make room for the questions.
The woodland near the Smith family farm in Palmyra/Manchester, remembered as the place of Joseph Smith’s First Vision in 1820. A place for quiet reflection.
Proposed visit · subject to access
Illustration
Hill Cumorah
The hill near Manchester where Joseph Smith said he received the golden plates, and a starting point for questions about ancient America.
Proposed visit · subject to access
“Then as now, Niagara was roaring here”
Lincoln, giants & ancient America.
After visiting Niagara Falls in 1848, Abraham Lincoln wrote a short, unfinished reflection on the falls. It survives as a manuscript fragment, not a speech he gave. In it he imagines how long Niagara has roared, back to Columbus, to Christ, to Adam, and he writes that “the eyes of that species of extinct giants, whose bones fill the mounds of America, have gazed on Niagara, as ours do now.”
That line reflects ideas common in Lincoln’s day. Giant-remains reports and proposed ancient-world connections are disputed claims and legends, not established archaeology. Here they are something to explore, question and discuss, not something we present as fact.
Image: AI-generated illustration of clean-shaven Abraham Lincoln (about age 39, 1848), with Niagara behind him. Not a historical photograph.
More to explore
Sacred ground. Living history.
Illustration
Grandin Building
From manuscript to print.
The Palmyra print shop where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was printed in 1830.
Proposed visit · subject to access
Peter Whitmer Farm
History on a human scale.
The farm in Fayette where the Church was formally organized on April 6, 1830.
Proposed visit · subject to access
Ganondagan
Listen to the people of this land.
A New York State Historic Site at the location of a major 17th-century Seneca town. A chance to learn Seneca history and culture as the site presents it. Indigenous history will be presented on its own terms, separately from speculative theories about ancient America.
Proposed visit · subject to access
Site visits are proposed and depend on opening hours, access and the final schedule; none is promised. No affiliation with or endorsement by any site, church, state agency or the Seneca Nation is implied. Images are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of the sites.
Evidence, accounts & legend
Ancient earthworks. Careful distinctions.
Western New York has a deep Indigenous past and a long history of stories told about it. We keep three things clearly apart:
Documented
Ancient earthworks
Nineteenth-century surveyors, including E. G. Squier in 1851, recorded earthen enclosures and mounds across western New York. Many have since been plowed away or built over.
Historic accounts
Old reports
Nineteenth-century newspapers and county histories printed reports of unusually large skeletons. These reports are disputed, and modern archaeology does not support them.
Legend
Stories & proposals
Ideas linking these lands to giants or to ancient Old World peoples are legends and speculative proposals. We talk about them openly, and we label them as legends.
Indigenous histories and interpretations are presented with respect and are not ours to claim. No artifact viewing or excavation access is proposed or implied.
The heart of the retreat
Beyond the history.
The places are the backdrop. The retreat itself is the journey inward: Chad’s signature program of spiritual practice, consciousness work and personal exploration, with time to practice, question and connect each day.
Consciousness & Remote Viewing
Practice attention-and-impressions exercises, then talk through what you noticed, without treating impressions as verified information.
Hypnotherapy & NLP
Explore guided focus and language exercises, offered as optional exploration. Not therapy or treatment.
Breathwork & Meditation
Practice guided breathing and stillness at your own pace, with time afterward to reflect.
Energy Practices & Spiritual Gifts
Explore practices and perspectives on spiritual gifts, discussed through participants’ own experiences and beliefs.
Esoteric Christianity
Reflect on scripture, symbolism, and the mysteries of faith through a Christ-centered lens.
Skywatching
Night skywatching and CE5 discussion: observe together and talk about contact-related ideas as beliefs and interpretations. Nothing is promised.
Fireside Conversations
Gather in the evening for open conversation, honest questions, and shared reflection.
These are proposed experiences, curated for each retreat. Not every modality appears at every event, and new modalities may be added. Guides and facilitators are announced only after confirmation, and every session is optional.
Proposed four-day journey Proposal
Four days. One journey inward.
01
Day 1
- Arrive and settle in at the retreat home base, subject to venue arrangements.
- Opening circle: intentions, boundaries and how the program works.
- Evening breathwork or fireside conversation.
02
Day 2
- A proposed visit to Niagara Falls, subject to access, weather and the final schedule.
- Reflection time on wonder, scale and deep time, including Lincoln’s 1848 fragment.
- Evening session from the experience menu, subject to facilitator confirmation.
03
Day 3
- Proposed visits around Palmyra: the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah and the Grandin Building, subject to access.
- Quiet time for prayer, meditation or journaling.
- Fireside conversation on what the day stirred up.
04
Day 4
- A possible visit to the Peter Whitmer Farm or Ganondagan, subject to access and timing.
- Closing circle and integration.
- Depart, subject to the final schedule.
Conceptual connections among Niagara Falls, Ganondagan, the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Building and the Whitmer farm. Sequence is illustrative, not a confirmed itinerary.
These are proposed program moments, not contracted activities or confirmed timings.
Where we stay
A comfortable retreat home base.
The plan is a comfortable, quiet home base in western New York where the group can gather, practice and rest between outings. Nothing has been booked yet.
- VenueNot confirmed yetTBD
- Rooms and mealsNot confirmed yetTBD
- Group sizeNot confirmed yetTBD
- Transport between sitesNot confirmed yetTBD
In conversation with Chad
Your questions belong here.
Join Chad for a proposed retreat shaped by spiritual practice, sacred history and honest conversation. Bring your curiosity. You do not have to agree on every answer.
About ChadBefore anyone applies or pays
Still being confirmed.
- DatesNot confirmed yetOpen
- VenueWestern New York; not confirmedOpen
- Facilitators and sessionsNot confirmed; none namedOpen
- Group sizeNot confirmed yetOpen
- PricingNot confirmed yet; no price shownOpen
- Lodging and mealsNot confirmed yetOpen
- Site visits and accessNot confirmed; none promisedOpen
- Refund policyNot confirmed yetOpen
Questions before you join
Is this a church history tour?
No. The heart of the retreat is spiritual practice, consciousness work and conversation. The historic sites and Niagara Falls are the journey around it.
Are visits to the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah or Ganondagan guaranteed?
No. Every site visit is proposed and depends on opening hours, access and the final schedule. No affiliation with or endorsement by any site, church, state agency or the Seneca Nation is implied.
Did Lincoln give a speech about giants at Niagara?
No. Lincoln’s Niagara text is an unfinished manuscript fragment he wrote around 1848, not a public speech. Its line about giants reflects ideas of his time and is not evidence for them.
Who will lead the sessions?
Guides and facilitators are announced only after confirmation. Every experiential session is optional and is not medical or mental-health treatment.
What happens after I join the list?
You’ll get updates as plans develop. Dates, venue, pricing and lodging will be shared before applications or payment open. Signing up is not a booking.
All activities remain proposed. Exercises are optional exploration, not medical or mental-health treatment, and no paranormal, healing, or therapeutic outcome is promised.
Follow the questions.
Get the first look at confirmed routes, dates and booking details.
Joining the interest list is not a reservation or payment.
Working title / Draft for Chad
Independent retreat concept in development. Not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ganondagan State Historic Site, the Seneca Nation, New York State Parks or any venue. Dates, venue, pricing, group size, facilitators and site access are not confirmed; no price is shown. Images are AI-generated illustrations; they are not photographs of the sites, verified reconstructions or a booked venue.