Heart and Sword -- Arkansas Backpacking Retreat
Deposit and Service Agreement
1. What this agreement is
By paying the $500 deposit to reserve a spot on the Arkansas Backpacking Retreat (the "Trip"), you ("Participant") and Heart and Sword LLC ("H&S") agree to the terms below.
This agreement covers the deposit transaction, the application process that follows, and Participant's responsibilities. The full liability release for the trip itself will be provided with the application and must be signed before the trip start date.
This document is not legal advice. Participants are encouraged to read it carefully and ask Conor questions before paying.
2. The Trip in brief
The Trip is a five-day men's backpacking retreat on the Eagle Rock Loop in the Ouachita National Forest of Arkansas -- roughly 27 miles over four days of hiking, with one night at the trailhead camp and three nights on trail. The Trip is limited to ten (10) participants and is intended for men who are honestly oriented toward the five Heart and Sword tenets listed in Section 7.
Group activities include backpacking, camping, men's-work facilitation, opening and closing fire circles, and multiple on-foot crossings of the Little Missouri River and its feeder creeks. The route climbs through hardwood ridges, with the middle day carrying the most climbing and mileage. There is no summit objective and no high-altitude travel on this route.
Full trip itinerary, day-by-day, is on the trip landing page.
3. The deposit
A $500 deposit reserves your spot. The deposit is non-refundable, except in the case of application failure as defined in Section 5 below.
Trip price (deposit plus balance) varies by registration window:
- Super Early Bird -- $950 total. Registration window: now through September 15, 2026. Balance after deposit: $450.
- Early Bird -- $1,150 total. Registration window: September 16 -- 30, 2026. Balance after deposit: $650.
- Last Minute -- $1,400 total. Registration from October 1, 2026 until the Trip fills. Balance after deposit: $900.
Balance is due by October 1, 2026. Balance is refundable up to 30 days before the trip start (October 5, 2026). Balance is non-refundable after October 5, 2026.
Registration closes October 28, 2026 (one week before the Trip), or whenever the ten spots fill, whichever comes first.
4. The application process
After the deposit is paid, H&S will send Participant a written application within 72 hours. The application asks about:
- Physical fitness, backcountry experience, current and recent activity level
- Medical history relevant to remote backcountry travel (including cardiovascular conditions, joint or mobility limitations, cold-exposure sensitivity, and any condition that could be material to sustained hiking, on-foot river crossings, or cold-weather camping)
- Psychological readiness, including any active mental health concerns that could be material to the safety of a remote backcountry trip
- Familiarity with and honest orientation toward the five Heart and Sword tenets (Section 7)
- Any other context Conor needs to assess fit and safety
The application must be returned no later than fourteen (14) days after Participant pays the deposit. H&S reviews and decides on each application within seven (7) days of receipt.
5. Application failure and deposit refund
If H&S determines, at Conor's sole and reasonable discretion, that Participant is not a fit for this Trip, the application is deemed a failure and the $500 deposit is refunded in full within fourteen (14) business days via the same payment method used to pay it.
Application failure can occur for any of the following reasons:
- Participant is deemed not physically fit for sustained backcountry hiking over rugged terrain (carrying a 25 -- 35 lb pack, multiple miles per day over four days, sustained climbs through hardwood ridges, and repeated on-foot river crossings)
- Participant is deemed not psychologically fit for the remote setting and group container of this Trip (for example: active suicidality, untreated psychosis, severe untreated PTSD, or other concerns that this trip is not equipped to safely contain)
- Participant declines to engage honestly with the Heart and Sword tenets in Section 7
- Participant's application is materially incomplete or untruthful
- Other safety, group-cohesion, or fit concerns at Conor's discretion
H&S is not required to disclose specific reasons for a non-fit determination. The decision is final. Participants who are refunded under this section are welcome to inquire about future trips that may be a better fit.
6. Personal responsibility
The Trip involves real risks. Backcountry travel over rugged terrain -- with on-foot river crossings, cold water, weather exposure, and wildlife -- can result in injury, illness, or death. Participant acknowledges and accepts that:
- Participant is one hundred percent (100%) responsible for their own safety. This includes their own physical conditioning before the trip, hydration and nutrition on trail, gear management, footing and decision-making at each river crossing, and decision-making at each step.
- The Little Missouri River and its feeder creeks are crossed on foot. Water level and temperature vary, and in November the water can be cold. Conor monitors the river gauge in the days before and during the Trip and briefs every crossing, but crossings carry inherent risk of slips, falls, cold-water immersion, and -- in high water -- being swept off footing. Participant accepts these risks and agrees to follow the crossing protocol.
- Conor will do his best to keep Participant safe, including ongoing weather monitoring, river-gauge monitoring, group safety and crossing briefings, route management, water management, bear-aware food storage and bear spray, and a Zoleo satellite communicator carried for two-way messaging, live weather updates, and emergency SOS. Conor cannot guarantee safety, and his best effort does not transfer responsibility for Participant's well-being from Participant to H&S or to Conor.
- Backcountry rescue is not on-demand. Cell service is unavailable in the wilderness. Evacuation, if needed, may take hours to days depending on weather, terrain, and aircraft availability.
- Participant agrees to follow Conor's instructions on safety matters during the Trip, including (but not limited to) river-crossing protocol, weather protocol, water filtering, bear-aware food storage, and any decision to alter the route, hold position, or evacuate.
A full liability release will be sent with the application and must be signed before the Trip start date. The Service Agreement does not replace that liability release.
7. The Heart and Sword tenets
Heart and Sword is shaped by five orientations. Participant is asked to be honestly oriented toward each of them. Participant does not need to have them fully embodied -- only to be honestly facing in their direction.
These tenets are the foundation of the H&S container. Participant should familiarize themselves with each one before paying the deposit.
Fatherhood. You are a father, will be one, or want to be one. The arc of fatherhood -- past, present, or future -- is part of how you orient your life.
Sobriety. Not in the AA sense. Everyone has compulsions -- substances, screens, scrolling, anything that pulls you out of contact with what's real. All of us share an interest in more presence, fewer escapes.
Sexual integrity. A commitment to maturing in how you use your sexuality -- pornography, the way you look at women, dating patterns without desire for partnership, how sexual energy moves through your life. Not shame-based. Maturation-based.
A higher power. Non-denominational. No script. Something bigger than you, called on to create sacred space.
Sacred space. Every Heart and Sword container -- retreat, group, gathering -- is held as sacred space for men. This is non-negotiable.
8. What the deposit and Trip price do not cover
The deposit and Trip price cover what is listed on the trip landing page (the full backpack and all group gear, food on trail, facilitation, route, permits, river-crossing safety and gauge monitoring, satellite communicator, group safety equipment, and round-trip ground transport from Austin, Texas to the trailhead). They do not cover:
- Travel to Austin, Texas for Participants coming from out of town (flights, and any transport or lodging needed to reach the Austin departure point), or Participant's own transport to the trailhead if they choose not to ride with the group
- Personal gear (clothing, hiking boots, water bottles, personal hygiene items, personal medications)
- Lodging before or after the Trip
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Medical care or evacuation costs if Participant requires them
- Any incidental costs from voluntary route changes or an early exit from the Trip
9. Cancellation by Participant
- Before the application is reviewed: Participant may cancel at any time. The deposit is non-refundable in this case unless the application has been determined to be a failure under Section 5.
- After application acceptance, before October 5, 2026: Balance paid (if any) is refundable. Deposit remains non-refundable.
- On or after October 5, 2026: Both deposit and balance are non-refundable. Participant is welcome to send a replacement participant if H&S approves the replacement under Section 5.
10. Cancellation or alteration by Heart and Sword
If H&S cancels the Trip in full prior to start (for example: wildfire or flood closure of the Ouachita National Forest or the Eagle Rock Loop, dangerously high river levels, weather emergency, force majeure event, or illness preventing Conor from leading), Participant is refunded the full amount paid (deposit plus any balance already paid).
If the Trip starts and is then shortened or altered for safety reasons (weather, high water, injury, evacuation), no partial refund is owed, but H&S will work in good faith with Participant on any reasonable accommodation.
11. Force majeure
H&S is not liable for events outside its reasonable control, including but not limited to: wildfires, flooding or dangerously high water on the Little Missouri River, government closure of the Ouachita National Forest, severe weather, pandemic-related restrictions, war, or other force majeure events. If such an event prevents the Trip, Section 10 applies.
12. Governing law and disputes
This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas. Any dispute arising under it shall be resolved first by good-faith negotiation between Participant and Heart and Sword LLC. If negotiation fails, disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in Travis County, Texas, under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association.
13. Acknowledgment
By paying the $500 deposit, Participant acknowledges:
- Participant has read this Deposit and Service Agreement in full.
- Participant has familiarized themselves with the Heart and Sword tenets in Section 7.
- Participant accepts personal responsibility for their own safety per Section 6.
- Participant understands the deposit is non-refundable except in the case of application failure under Section 5.
- Participant agrees to complete the application within fourteen (14) days of paying the deposit.
- Participant agrees to sign the full liability release (sent with the application) before the Trip start date.
Heart and Sword LLC reserves the right to modify this agreement before payment. The version of the agreement in effect at the time of payment is the version that governs.
Important note
This document is a service agreement between the Participant and Heart and Sword LLC. It is not legal advice and does not replace the full trip liability release sent with the application. Participants are encouraged to read the agreement carefully before paying the deposit and to ask Conor any questions before doing so.
Lock Your Spot - $500
