May 25-27, 2024 Guided Day Walks
Guided Day Walks Overview
Guided Day Walks - also called Medicine Walks - are opportunities to be in deep conversation with the natural world in order to gain access to new insights and gifts. While these walks can be done in solitude, having access to guides who hold space for participants as they make meaning of their walks can be invaluable to the process of finding clarity. Guides do not lead participants on this excursion, but instead serve as "lanterns" to illuminate the path that participants are already on. Day hikes offer more opportunity for extended solitude than backpacking trips do. Day hikes are different than vision fasts in that they are less time-intensive which makes them more accessible to people who cannot take an entire week away from their lives.
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Harper's Ferry, WV
This fast will take place on the beautiful private land of the Friends Wilderness Center, located near Harpers Ferry, WV. Harper's Ferry is a river-side community located on the historical lands of the Manahoac, Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee) and Massawomeck Peoples.
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Schedule:
Sat, May 18, 2024, 10:00-1:00pm: An optional Pre-Trip Meeting will be held to support participants who identify as "beginners" and want added support regarding packing and preparation for the trip. Specific details about a meeting location in Frederick, MD will be announced to registered participants.
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May 25 - May 27, 2024: The general flow of the program includes arriving in the afternoon of Day 1 to set up camp, review logistics and safety, and begin to explore the land. You will then be offered teachings about learning from the land including information about the Four Shields of Human Nature. In the evening, time and space will be given to set intentions for your solo walk. On Day 2, participants will rise at dawn and be ceremonially put out on the land for walks in solitude. Upon returning at the end of the day, participants will share a meal and be prepared to tell the story of their walk the next day. On Day 3 Guides will use storytelling time to hold space and mirror back to participants in order to further deepen people's understanding of their time on the land. Following stories there will be time to share about how one might bring back to their communities and the world the lessons they experienced.
Program Guides
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Bryan Bieniek, MS, MAT is a Wilderness Rites of Passage guide and lead facilitator on this journey. He has been leading vision fasts since 2012 and believes strongly in the role of ceremony as a means to increase capacity for insight and healing. Read More >>
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Kris Bajgier, LCSW-C, MEd is a clinical social worker and member of the Wilderness Guides Council. She has certifications in Nature-Informed Therapy and Wilderness First Aid. She has a love of hiking, foraging, and the woods. She will provide gentle guidance and prompting throughout the journey to support participants in exploring themselves and their relationship to nature through mindfulness, contemplative practice, and campfire councils. Read More >>
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Hiking Terrain / Difficulty Level
The Friends Wilderness Center is a diverse ecosystem of 1600 acres of Blue Ridge forest, criss-crossed by hiking trails and mountain streams. All trails are marked and maintained and most are easy to moderate in difficulty, but are not paved. Participants should be prepared to hike and explore the property throughout the duration of the event, but long hikes and difficult terrain are not a requirment depending on people's comfort levels.
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Trip Costs
Program registration is $349 for participants who are bringing their own backpacking gear. Participants needing gear can rent a backpacking kit for an additional $50. Gear kits include: backpack, tent, sleeping bag, pad, stove and fuel.
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Cooking and Meals
Cooking supplies will be provided, but no provisions will be made for meals. Guidance will be provided during the pre-trip meeting to help participants obtain the resources they need to address nutritional and dietary needs while on the trip.
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Registration
Reserving your space on the trip and purchasing gear can happen by selecting the button below. Within 2-3 business days, you will be contacted by one of the guides to complete the appropriate liability forms and to schedule a pre-trip screening.
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Questions before registering?
Please contact info@outdoortherapeutics.com if you have questions before making payments.
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