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A massive fire swept through the Pleasant Valley Farms Bed & Breakfast located in Slatyfork in the late hours of October 27, 2005. Nothing inside the building survived; years of family memories were destroyed in a flash.

For months afterward owners Sam Gibson and his wife Gayle Boyette weren’t sure of the path they should take next. Slowly, over the next year, a plan unfolded.

Today, Pleasant Valley Farms Retreat boasts one of the region’s first “green” lodging. The Wilderness Cabin not only sits among 900 acres of virgin forest in the Monongahela National Forest, but is also off the grid. That means no electricity is used at the accommodation. Solar is the primary source of power with a nearby spring used for clean drinking water.

Gibson and Boyette are working to form a cooperative with area neighbors so visitors can enjoy a new experience when lodging in the region.

Both visionaries are very proactive in the application of sustainable farming at the Retreat. Such alternative solutions are ways of farming that not only protect the environment but preserve it for generations to come. By incorporating natural systems into their everyday farming practices, Sam and Gayle are ensuring a productive and profitable future for everyone.

By establishing demonstrations and displays on the Retreat, children who visit will become familiar with farm animals and the humane practices involved from farm to dinner table. Inclusion of duck houses, and bluebird houses along with special consideration for the riparian ecosystem, will feature Pocahontas County’s unique bionetwork.

“The fire taught me to live life in possibilities,” said Gayle “when you think of it, that is what farmers do every day.”

Visit them on the Web at http://www.pvfarmsretreat.com/