Issue 53: Photo Essay - "Back To Your Nature" with Bae Retreats

Photographer Arin Yoon documents my inaugural retreat celebrating Komerican sisterhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Heeeey KP!

I’m so thrilled to share a bite of my new venture with you… Bae Retreats! Earlier this year on the first weekend of February, photographer Arin Yoon documented the inaugural 2025 Winter Retreat centering Komerican sisterhood, feminine wisdom and the overlapping Komerican Pie value —“Love Yourself. Love Everybody.” Eighteen lovely ladies from eight different states (CA, GA, KS, NJ, NY, PA, VA, and TN) met on top of Bald Mountain in North Georgia and spent a glorious weekend in nature reminding ourselves to “just be.” It was pure healing, joy and magic! Scroll down to experience more and consider joining us next year.

SAVE THE DATE, LADIES! 2026 Winter Retreat will take place February 6-8, 2026 at Elohee! Registration opens late summer/early fall 2025.

Sweet & Salty: Photo Essay - "Back To Your Nature" with Bae Retreats

Arin Yoon (pronounced uh-RIN or 아린) (she/her) is a Komerican documentary photographer and visual artist based in the Kansas City area. Her work focuses on the military community and the impacts of war, notions of family, women and issues of identity and representation. She is a National Geographic Explorer and an International Women's Media Foundation fellow.

Arin’s work has exhibited at venues such as the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul, Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, Photoville and A.I.R. Gallery in New York. She has an MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts and a BA in Political Science and a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She is HEFAT certified. See more of Arin’s work at arinyoon.com or follow her on IG @arinyoon.

A partial group shot of the Bae Bunch between the cabins of Elohee. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Welcome table with Bae Retreats swag bag for attendees. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Welcome Session with Sarah peeling and cutting bae for all attendees. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Early morning sunrise at Elohee. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Sound bath and meditation with Sabrina in the Forest Studio. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Healing our nervous systems with dance! Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Komerican Pie contributor Mira Bayonne receiving a reading by Komerican shaman Seo Choi. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Afternoon group hike along the Red Trail - one of several trails that is part of Elohee’s 220 private acres. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Tasting different kinds of kimchi and ingredients that make it in a Healing Kimchi session with Hollee McGinnis. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Some attendee art created during the Visual Journaling workshop with Komerican Pie’s Aram Kim. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.

Hanging out under the Pavilion. Just being. Photo credit: Arin Yoon.