DO YOU CARRY RAIN PANTS IN YOUR BACKPACK?
Do you carry rain pants in your backpack? I know many people who never carry rain pants, and a genuine “Yay!” for lessening pack weight by several ounces. Me? I never leave home without [...]
TECHNOLOGY SNAFUS BRING DIVINE MESSAGES!
I aspire to improve my relationship with technology, release my seemingly innate resistance to it, and stop longing for the days of parchment paper letters written in calligraphy with a fountain pen. Well, maybe not quite, [...]
#HIKERTRASH? …or #HIKERGODDESS???
This post is inspired by the intuitive feeling of resistance and negativity I feel when I see hikers identify with the word “hikertrash.” I have a lot of friends in the hiking community. And [...]
MAKING SMALL CHANGES THAT BRING BIG RESULTS: HABITS
[MAKING SMALL CHANGES THAT BRING BIG RESULTS: OUR HABITS! PART 1:] For many years it was my practice to get up early in the morning, perform my sacred rituals, meditations, and go on [...]
LEAVE NO TRACE MASTER EDUCATOR COURSE!
Guess who is beginning her Leave No Trace Master Educator course this weekend!?! Yes, that would be me… and if you know me well, you know I absolutely LOVE talking about Leave No Trace. In [...]
HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK ABOUT HOW YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH?
How often do you think about how you brush your teeth? I don’t mean what kind of toothpaste you use or whether or not you use a toothbrush made of recycled yogurt containers. I mean [...]
RELEASING OUR RESISTANCE TO LIFE!
When I am “Walking as a Sacred Practice,” it is my custom to ask for guidance and clarity. I always receive the healing I request, but I know I am there to give the [...]
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF PERU?
How do you describe what cannot be conveyed with simple words? I use the expression Magic and Mystery frequently, for to me, it is the ultimate reward of presence. Free from distractions, we can [...]
THE ART OF SLOWING DOWN
The Art of Slowing Down People ask me all the time, “What is WildWood Magic?” And although I have at least a thousand things to say about it, the phrase “The Art of Slowing [...]
I ♥️ REST STOPS!
I am so grateful for REST STOPS! Being a frequent traveler, one of the things I appreciate most about American highways is the super nice rest stops I stumble across! They show up on the [...]
THE ART OF EASE AND GRACE!
I don't know about you, but in the past, I rarely looked for an "easier" way to do things. I usually would just charge forward, full steam ahead, into projects, ideas, and sometimes difficult terrain. [...]
CULTIVATING A NEW PERSPECTIVE ABOUT “EXERCISE”
Have you ever felt like exercise was a punishment? I don’t mean that precise moment when you’re doing some activity you love, and you get to the really hard part, and you ask yourself, “Why [...]
SHIFTING FEAR TO LOVE!
Ever since I got back from living in India, I have had a “thing” with dogs. Without getting into every terrifying detail, let’s just say, I thought I was going to die from a [...]
THE USELESS PURSUIT OF PERFECTIONISM
I am proud of myself for learning the habit of looking for the blessings when things don’t go my way. Does it happen instantly? Well, hell no, is the short answer. Sometimes it takes [...]
MY FAVORITE TIPS TO STAY COOL WHILE WALKING IN THE SUMMER HEAT!
MY FAVORITE TIPS TO STAY COOL WHILE WALKING IN THE SUMMER HEAT! Whether you enjoy summer or not, it gets hot for at least a part of the year in most places on earth. But [...]
I WENT FOR A WALK TODAY…
I went for a walk today. I go for a walk most days, but I missed the past two days. I have been walking almost every day for twenty-something years, and I am still capable [...]
MEANDERING DOWN THE PATH…
Lately, I have been examining my {nearly default} state of feeling like I’m in a hurry. This feels like a learned pattern/habit from times when it felt appropriate ...or even desirable to always be in [...]
FINDING THE ORDER IN CHAOS!
I just returned from a three-day backpacking trip in my all-time favorite wilderness area. The weather was absolutely stellar, I got to hike with a dear, old friend, and I had some new, cool gear [...]
WALK MUCH? STAND UP STRAIGHT!
Last fall, I began to see a chiropractor for chronic pain in my Sacroiliac (SI) joint. I had blamed it on walking on pavement for 7-10 miles a day after hiking on dirt for as [...]
LEAVE NO TRACE, PRINCIPLE #4: LEAVE WHAT YOU FIND
“Leave only your footprints” or, “Take only pictures” are common LNT messages you may have heard. Take photographs, observe, and learn all about the area you are visiting, but please leave anything you find [...]
WHAT IS WILDWOOD MAGIC?
What is Wildwood Magic? The Wild Wood is an enchanted place where we take our physical body for a simple walk in the woods and are, in turn, gifted with nothing less than a most [...]
3 STEPS TO BEING FULLY CALM & RELAXED WHILE HIKING ALONE
Have you wanted to experience the peace and solitude of an enchanted forest but have been too afraid to go by yourself? Many people are conflicted about this, but there are simple ways to move [...]
ANYTHING CAN BE A SACRED PRACTICE!
ANYTHING CAN BE A SACRED PRACTICE! Some would call only specific spiritual disciplines a Sacred Practice, such as yoga, meditation, or other rituals. But in reality, any activity can become a Sacred Practice. By observing [...]
DO YOU HAVE A NEW YEAR RESOLUTION?✨
Well, here we are… another “New Year,” a “brand-new beginning,” a “clean slate”...and, of course, we are grateful to be here! But… “The New Year” (insert dramatic music here), and all the expectations and pressure, [...]
WHAT IF EVERYTHING WAS A BLESSING?
When we walk through our day with curiosity and wonder, it is easy to be grateful for every experience that shows up. For every moment, conceals a remarkable gift, hidden in plain sight. If [...]
A MEDITATION EXPERIMENT: WALKING WITH AWARENESS
Would you like to participate in a meditation experiment? I have created a variety of fun and healing sacred meditation practices that I would love to share with you as "Mystery Meditations." If you [...]
DECIDE TO COMMIT AND THE UNIVERSE RESPONDS!
I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to make a commitment. The accomplishments that have meant the most to me, are those that I consciously decided to make a [...]
YOU ARE THE LIGHT! KEEP SHINING!
While walking the other day, my eyes were repeatedly drawn to the perfect beauty of the sacred geometry playing out in nature all around me. I kept noticing the flowers’ impossibly intricate patterns and [...]
BARRY THE HAWK
Sometimes we find ourselves in very strange situations under unusual circumstances. I am learning to embrace transition by looking for affirming signs and omens to remind me that I am always in the perfect place [...]