The river is white and frothing as it tumbles down the mountain, splashing over rocks and fallen trees until its banks find room to spread out and the waters slow down. They quit frothing and become clear and welcoming.
The river has shed all of its heavy burdens until all that’s left is the fine, white sand now lining its banks. Here is where we seek the clear water.
At the end of June, The Clearwater Trekkers will spend 3 days along the Selway River seeking the clear waters within and without. Most of us can attest to experiencing a kind of harmonizing that happens within us when we spend an extended amount of time in nature, like the stilling of turbulent waters. Known as the 3-Day Effect, the benefit we get from spending at least 72 hours in nature is described by neuroscientist, David Strayer, as “a kind of neural reboot that might boost creativity.”
Harmony and stillness sound like good medicine in these turbulent times.
Discovery Treks first appeared on Clearwater Trekker back in 2018 and they took shape as I gained experience as a wilderness therapy field guide. The 3-Day Effect seemed like the perfect bridge between the work I did with Rites of Passage Wilderness Therapy and the programs I hope to offer through Clearwater Trekker.
With no agenda beyond sharing the routines of hiking, cooking, and camping, this Discovery Trek is all about finding our own natural rhythms by giving space for the turbulent waters within to grow calm and clear. That’s why we’re calling it, Seek the Clearwater.
This is the first of many Discovery Treks I hope to offer through Clearwater Trekker. Modeled closely after my boots-on-the-ground experience with wilderness therapy field guiding, these Treks are designed to give us the opportunity to Answer the Call of the mountains and step out on our own Hero’s Journey. They are an opportunity to reach the edge of our maps and go just a little bit farther.
Seek the Clearwater
A 3-day immersion into nature to regain our mental, emotional, and spiritual balance.
Fire Council
A 5-day backpacking trip in which we seek the sacred spaces in our lives by sharing the trail, journal topics, and an open council around the fire each night.
Pathfinder
A 7-day backpacking trip in which we use journaling and Fire Councils to reveal our core values, root out limiting beliefs, and discover a clear path toward our goals.
Explorer
A collaboration with other adventurers and guides discovering new trails, learning new skills, and exploring new ideas.
I am excited to see how these ideas develop on the trail and how my fellow Clearwater Trekkers will help shape them. Your participation and input are more than helpful, they are instrumental.
This journey began in prison, with a vision to create a re-entry rite of passage for returning citizens. My hope is to partner with the Idaho Department of Corrections and Free2Succeed to offer Seek the Clearwater to returning citizens within the first 30 days of their release. I would like to follow that up with Pathfinder within the first 3 months of release. And finally, I would like to invite them on A Hero’s Journey, a Go Journey I’ll share more about soon, within the first year of release.
My Call to Adventure came in the basement office of a prison chapel. It took me across the prairie and over the mountains and deep into the woods. I can’t wait to see where it will lead me next, and I am eternally grateful to those who have supported me along the way.
Check out our Calendar Page if you’d like to join us for our first-ever Discovery Trek at the end of June 2020. Sign up for our newsletter and join our Facebook Group if you’d like to be part of our community and engage in this ongoing conversation. I can’t say thank you enough for being here. See you on the trail!
#SeektheClearwater
