Fire in the Sky

Let the fire of the old ways burn out in the light of the risen sun.

Ignite the Fire in the Sky with us

Friday, July  21st - Saturday, July  29th

Fire in the Sky is a 9-day rite of passage through the four-fold journey of transformation. Along the way, we will face the Fear of Change, explore the Wound of Suffering, discover the Gift we bear, and learn how to bring that gift home as an act of Service to our families and communities. This program is designed to be physically challenging while not overwhelming, but it does require participants to be in adequate health for carrying 20-40 pounds on their back and hiking for 4 to 8 miles a day (typical mileage will be 4-6).

The exercise of hiking will push us to the edge of our comfort zones where the practices of journaling and fire councils can be most effective. On this trek, we will use the landscape as a metaphor for the inner journey we are on. We will fjord a river to mark our crossing into the liminal space of the Otherworld. We will embrace the mountainous terrain as a symbol of the challenging Call to Change that we are facing. We will hold vigil through the night to represent the shadows we must face and the Suffering we must endure for transformation to occur. Finally, the long trek home on now familiar terrain, will teach us how to bring our Gift back to our communities as an act of Service in a practical, meaningful way.

But the journey doesn’t end when the trek is over. The core philosophy undergirding our work at Clearwater Transformational Trekking is that the key to transformation is the sense of belonging we experience through the giving and receiving of the Gift we bring home. As Dr. Alexander John Shaia wrote in Returning from Camino, “Homecoming is the final, critical part of the journey where we gradually learn how to put into effect the changes that were awakened in us as we walked.” The trek awakens us to new potential, to new ways of being in the world. We realize that new potential through the 10,000 decisions we make during our Return Home. It’s during this time that we re-negotiate our relationships with our families and communities in a way that honors them and our own transformation.

We will support each other through this season of Homecoming with 6 monthly, virtual fire councils. During these virtual fire councils, we will encourage one another in our efforts to realize the change we marked on our journey together and support each other as we travel the fourth path of transformation.


What follows is a general outline of the Fire in the Sky program and the daily schedule. Use these guides to measure your preparation for the journey. Below these outlines, you will find a downloadable packing list as well as links to download registration forms and to pay.

Some of these forms will include authorization for Ridgerunner Outfitters, LLC to serve as our licensed Idaho Outfitter and Guide. Ridgerunner Outfitters has been guiding hunts, packing trips, and family vacations in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest for many years. Along with support for the journey we’re on, they provide exceptional experience and personal knowledge of the trails we’ll be on.

Please, return these forms via email (instructions provided) along with your deposit no later than Friday, April 21st to secure your spot. Final payments are due by Friday, May 26th.

For more information, please contact Todd Holcomb via email at todd@clearwatertrekking.com or by phone at 208-704-9739.

Fire in the Sky

July 21st - 29th, 2023

Please note that the prices below do not include Idaho's 6% tax, which will be included in your checkout total.

Instructions

Click on the links below to download the forms to your computer. They are fillable PDF files that can be completed electronically or printed and filled out by hand. Please note that electronic signatures do not appear to work in a browser. They must be downloaded to your computer to e-sign. Once complete, return them via email to todd@clearwatertrekking.com. If you printed the forms and filled them out by hand, you will need to scan them and email them back. Most smartphones have the option to scan documents, or you can take a clear photo of the form as well.

    • Day 0: Optional camp out at the trailhead
      • Ideal for participants coming in from long distances
    • Day 1: Departure
      • Gear checks. Assign group gear.
      • Hit the trail by 10:00 AM.
      • Fire council around the journey ahead. (Separation ritual)
    • Day 2: Crossing the Threshold
      • River crossing as a threshold marker into liminal space.
    • Day 3: Climbing the Mountain. 1st Path. (Liminal Space)
      • "Ascend the mountain.” Miles dependent on the trail and potential vigil locations.
      • Fire council
    • Day 4: Preparing for the Vigil
      • Locating vigil spots
      • Gathering firewood & water, preparing vigil site
      • Blessing Ritual
      • Fire Council
    • Day 5: 24-hour Solo Vigil. 2nd Path.
      • Silence and Fasting commence after breakfast
      • Depart ceremony to vigil locations.
      • Fire Council
    • Day 6: Celebrating Sunrise. 3rd Path.
      • Sit through sunrise in vigil.
      • Gather together after sunrise to break fast. (Guides will call everyone together.)
      • Circle up. Break silence with words of gratitude.
      • Break fast with group meal.
      • Rest.
      • Fire Council
    • Day 7: Descend the Mountain. 4th Path.
      • This is the beginning of the Return Home. The fourth and final path, it is perhaps the most critical and certainly the most overlooked. Paths 1-3 are revelatory, but it’s the 4th Path that puts that revelation into practice. When we recognize that our fulfillment lies in the giving away of our gift, rather than in the attaining of our treasure, then we are set free to love without fear. We return home, not to conquer, but to serve.
      • Fire Council
    • Day 8: Crossing the Return Threshold
      • Cross the river back out of Liminal Space, back into the Everyday World.
      • Fire Council
    • Day 9: Return to Base Camp (Trailhead or near to trailhead)
      • Return group gear.
      • Dinner.
      • Fire council reflecting on the journey. (Return ritual)
    • Day 10: Return Home.
    • 6 monthly, virtual fire councils to follow.
    • 07:00 - Wake
    • 07:30 - Personal time/Journaling
    • 08:00 - Breakfast
    • 09:00 - Hike 3-5 miles
    • 12:00 - Lunch
    • 12:30 - Personal time/Journaling
    • 13:00 - Hike 3-5 miles
    • 15:30 - Set camp, gather wood, learn skills
    • 16:00 - Personal time/Journaling
    • 18:00 - Dinner
    • 19:00 - Personal time/Journaling
    • 20:00 - Fire Council
    • 22:00 - Bed

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

- Sir Edmund Hillary