Nature and Reconnecting

<p>My first backpacking experience was at 18, and it blew my mind. I didn’t grow up with camping or other experiences in nature – I lived in a poor and violent neighborhood. While it may sound odd to some, for me, being in the wilderness was also one of the first times I remember feeling...safe. Out in the middle of nowhere, I wasn’t at risk of someone shooting or mugging me. Sure, there were bears and rock climbs, but to me, they felt way less scary than the urban violence I was at risk of.</p><p> </p><p>From then on, I spent every minute I could learning about how to rock climb, mountaineer, and take care of myself and others in the wilderness.</p><p> </p><p>Since that first backpacking trip into the High Sierra, I’ve spent countless hours decades guiding people into the wilderness all over the globe: in the US, Mexico, Nepal, India, the Philippines, and more.</p><p> </p><p>I found that not only was guiding people on adventures a lot of fun, but that wilderness transformed and <i>healed</i> me. I also discovered that this wasn’t unique to me. In fact, many people I guided had the same insights and revelations.</p><p> </p><p>These days, I intentionally commit to holding my retreats with clients in nature, and ideally in actual wilderness, because of the power of place in our healing, growth, and development as whole human beings is very real. I also incorporate nature into the online courses I teach. These adventures are crafted to facilitate, as Bill Plotkin calls it, “the descent to soul.”</p><p> </p><p>Time alone in nature, when approached in a certain way, can be a lot like the time we spend meditating or doing yoga in terms of the mindfulness and insights it brings to us. It can also provide us insights in the same way that plant medicine and other entheogens can, especially when combined with fasting, solitude, and silence.</p><p> </p><p>For example, the Adventure Mastermind is designed to help people uncover their greatest gift - not only in terms of what is most unique about them, but also of what they c