Coastal Backpacking Trip for Women and Female-Identified Folx

A 5-day wilderness-based backpacking trip on the Lost Coast of Northern CA
May 10-14, 2022
Sliding Scale $1250-$1550
*Please see a note below (just above the FAQ section) for more info on financial aid/scholarships

5 days. 12 hearts beating in song. Join me in May on the breathtaking “Lost Coast” in Northern California for a wilderness immersion that will breathe life back in and re-member us down to the bone. Let’s get lost on purpose, and find ourselves and the world again. This spacious, stunning land+seascape will shepherd us into a profound encounter with our inner worlds, the wild, our circle of 12 and the astonishing loving wisdom of Life itself. This is a place to bring all of you. A place that can hold all of you.

These are no ordinary wilderness trips. They are a dive into the brave and bountiful work of soul, of cycles, and of wildness – yours and that of the earth. We will let the wild into our skin, let ourselves be touched by her immensity and power and remember to carry her with us everywhere. We return to a more natural state and revive right relationship with our planet, each other, and what is being asked of us in these times. We go to the wilderness not to get out of our lives, but to reconnect with Source so we can step more into them.

We will dive deep, slow down, and become the breathing body that the wild wants to be near. We will remember more that we are part of wise living- system, an intelligent web of life. We will relish in the play of light on water for hours at a time, give space enough for the tender, fierce and soul-soaked parts of us, touch the wildness that we know we are made of but that somehow evades us in the busyness of our lives. We will honor our cycles. Gather the courage to see hard truths, the fire to shift what no longer serves, and the balm to gentle and replenish ourselves. Here lies the support to see, be seen and dive deep. We will raise up as a “sudden village” with the longed-for medicine of face-to-face connection and intimacy.

No matter our ancestry or heritage, across cultures we share ancestry that understood Nature as teacher and elder, as eternal wisdom and love. But many of us have forgotten. It is possible to go into nature and miss it altogether. It happens all the time. We hold on to our “front-country” mindsets and use nature as a backdrop and stomping ground for the drives of our ego. These trips are not that. We will go into the wild with deep intention and listening, to recover and commune with a bone stirring memory of our place in and as the “family of things”. We will find the wilderness and all of her cycles of life and death, and be gifted map, mirror and medicine- trustworthy maps to follow and locate ourselves within. Mirrors in which to see ourselves and lives . And reservoir of medicine to fill our cups until they run over.

Come for adventure, for solitude, for sovereignty and challenge. For refuge and inspiration. To feel your animal body. To wash your mind with beauty, ceilings of stars and the sound of mama ocean rocking us to sleep. Say yes to what’s calling you.

Among whatever arises in the moment, we will explore through primal gesture, archetypal qigong, stillness, silence, voice, creative writing, land-art, play-time, solo time, the mythic world of story in Women Who Run with the Wolves, and the art and simply being.

5 days. 12 hearts beating in song. Join me in May on the breathtaking “Lost Coast” in Northern California for a wilderness immersion that will breathe life back in and re-member us down to the bone. Let’s get lost on purpose, and find ourselves and the world again. This spacious, stunning land+seascape will shepherd us into a profound encounter with our inner worlds, the wild, our circle of 12 and the astonishing loving wisdom of Life itself. This is a place to bring all of you. A place that can hold all of you.

These are no ordinary wilderness trips. They are a dive into the brave and bountiful work of soul, of cycles, and of wildness – yours and that of the earth. We will let the wild into our skin, let ourselves be touched by her immensity and power and remember to carry her with us everywhere. We return to a more natural state and revive right relationship with our planet, each other, and what is being asked of us in these times. We go to the wilderness not to get out of our lives, but to reconnect with Source so we can step more into them.

We will dive deep, slow down, and become the breathing body that the wild wants to be near. We will remember more that we are part of wise living- system, an intelligent web of life. We will relish in the play of light on water for hours at a time, give space enough for the tender, fierce and soul-soaked parts of us, touch the wildness that we know we are made of but that somehow evades us in the busyness of our lives. We will honor our cycles. Gather the courage to see hard truths, the fire to shift what no longer serves, and the balm to gentle and replenish ourselves. Here lies the support to see, be seen and dive deep. We will raise up as a “sudden village” with the longed-for medicine of face-to-face connection and intimacy.

No matter our ancestry or heritage, across cultures we share ancestry that understood Nature as teacher and elder, as eternal wisdom and love. But many of us have forgotten. It is possible to go into nature and miss it altogether. It happens all the time. We hold on to our “front-country” mindsets and use nature as a backdrop and stomping ground for the drives of our ego. These trips are not that. We will go into the wild with deep intention and listening, to recover and commune with a bone stirring memory of our place in and as the “family of things”. We will find the wilderness and all of her cycles of life and death, and be gifted map, mirror and medicine- trustworthy maps to follow and locate ourselves within. Mirrors in which to see ourselves and lives . And reservoir of medicine to fill our cups until they run over.

Come for adventure, for solitude, for sovereignty and challenge. For refuge and inspiration. To feel your animal body. To wash your mind with beauty, ceilings of stars and the sound of mama ocean rocking us to sleep. Say yes to what’s calling you.

Among whatever arises in the moment, we will explore through primal gesture, archetypal qigong, stillness, silence, voice, creative writing, land-art, play-time, solo time, the mythic world of story in Women Who Run with the Wolves, and the art and simply being.

“Go out in the woods, go out. If you don’t go out in the woods nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.”

— Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Prerequisites

No prior backpacking experience necessary. Participants must be physically able to carry a 35-40lb pack, and to hike up to 8 miles per day with this pack on their back. (You definitely don’t have to think this will be easy, it just needs to be physically possible for you- the rest is a mental dance)
*Participants need to know they have the confidence, physical centering, and psychic anchoring to hold them in time and space. A clear sense of containment is required. This trip is not a fit for those who may be currently feeling destabilized, traumatized, struggling to heal, or in need of reestablishing basic nervous system or life coherency.” We will be moving not only into the vast wilderness of this coastline, but into the wilds of our psyches, hearts and somas. ( *Thank you to Liz Koch for this language). Of course, much healing is available here. And so many of us have been moving through instability…if you’d like to join but are wondering if this may apply to you, please reach out to Sarah. She is happy to get on the phone to see if this trip and timing is a fit for you.

Trip Details

Location: This trip will take place on the southern portion of the extraordinary Lost Coast, in the Sinykone Wilderness.

Meeting Time and Place: We will meet at the Usal Beach Trailhead in Whitehorn, CA at 12 noon on Tuesday May 10. This is a 4.5 hour drive from San Francisco. As soon as we have our circle gathered, we’ll connect you for ride shares and carpools, which we highly recommend.

Travel: Closest airports to our destination are SFO and (San Fransisco) and OAK (Oakland). Please plan to arrive no later than May 9th (it’s an early leave time on the 10th if you’re driving from the city), and please DO NOT BOOK any travel or make any plans prior to May 15th. We will not plan around flight times or other logistics on the 14th. This, our last day, deserves to be spacious, slow and organic. There is no wiggle room around this, as we’ll be in the backcountry as well as 5 hours from an airport.

Pre-Trip ZOOM call: Tuesday April 26th at 7:00 pm MST

Register Now

** If you would like to join this trip but don’t have the financial means to do so, please reach out to Sarah. She’d love to help make this possible for you. These funds are limited, need-based and intended for folks who otherwise would not be able to join. (Please allow these funds to remain available to those who have financial need, rather than financial preference )

FAQ’s

What is different about these backpacking trips?

We aren’t just going into the backcountry to cover miles and bag peaks. Though we will cover miles and find ourselves on the top of majestic cliffs and outlooks, my trips are about giving ourselves to nature, so that we can remember ourselves as nature. It is all too common in the “outdoor industry” to head into nature for an adventure, and miss her altogether. To stay in frontcountry conversations, mindsets and ways of engaging, without ever slowing down enough and allowing the wilderness to enter our bodies, psyches and hearts. I often say that we are walking our way into these places, and once we are there, slowing down and attuning enough to let ourselves be worked by the wilderness…to allow ourselves to move into “deep time” and the rhythm of the land and water, to find an intimate mirror in nature, rather than using her as a backdrop of our experience. These trips are profoundly nourishing, deep and rich. Through doorways of fairytale and myth, primal movement, embodied meditation, creative writing, land-art, archetypal qigong, and learning how to simply “be”, these trips reach into deeper meaning, insight and healing than the average backpacking trip. Oh, and also, the most extraordinary humans are drawn to my trips, and every group ends up with just the exact right people in the circle.

Do I need prior backpacking experience?

Not at all! All of my trips include at least a few folks who have never backpacked before. This is a perfect maiden voyage if you are able to carry a 35-40lb backpack. You don’t have to think that is easy, you just need to be confident that you can do it. The trip is not a fit for folks who have injuries or physical limitations that would disallow them from the daily tasks of carrying a pack, setting up tents, day hiking, sitting on the ground etc. These trips are, admittedly, not available for those with certain physical disabilities. I hope to create more spaces for us to gather in nature, regardless of physical limitation.

What about transportation to and from the trailhead?

Myself and our co-guide will meet you at the trailhead. Once everyone signs up for the trip, I will start a group thread so ya’ll can link up for carpools and ride-shares.

What if I’m having trouble getting everything on the packing list?

Please don’t think that you need to spend a bunch of extra money on gear for this trip. Much of it can be borrowed and rented. The most important thing to make sure you have of your own is a pair of well-fitting and broken-in boots. It would be no fun to head out in borrowed shoes unless they fit like a glove. As for the rest of the gear, REI rents tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads. You also may be surprised how many friends and neighbors might have things you can borrow. Thrift stores are excellent places to find long underwear, jackets, and other pieces of clothing. If you are still coming up short, please email me and I will try to find specific gear items for you.

Will I be able to call my family?

In short, no. And I invite you to enjoy and savor this fact! It is all too uncommon for us to be unreachable these days, and to let go of our constant need to stay in touch. We will carry a satellite texting device for emergencies so that we can reach help if we need it. This device won’t be available to be used for incoming or outgoing check ins. On a case by case basis, we can discuss whether it seems appropriate for someone at home to have this number in case of an emergency. However, very few (almost none) emergencies would cause us to evacuate you from the trip before the trip’s end. That situation would most likely necessitate bringing the trip to an end for everyone. Basically, even if someone can get ahold of you, the chances of that speeding up your ability to be home are slim. So again, enjoy the prospect of being unreachable! Arrange all details for your loved ones at home before you come on the trip.

How much hiking do we do?

Covering miles is never the focus of my trips, although, most days we will spend at least a few hours, if not most of the day on the trail. We will hike anywhere from 2-10 miles/day on our hiking days (anywhere from 2-8 hours). On a 5 day backpacking trip, the general flow is to hike on days 4 of the 5 days, and to take one “layover day”. We may day-hike on this day, but we won’t carry packs on this day.

Will this be hard?

Yes. In all the right ways. These trips are be physically challenging for sure and that is so much of what is unique, rewarding and empowering about them. You will experience the strength and resilience of your body, carrying everything you need to live on your back, for days on end. Living outside and being so consistently physically engaged is a rare medicine in our world and this way of life is in our blood. The physical challenges will be real, and so will the celebrations. These trips will also ask of you mentally, emotionally and in terms of your presence. I create trips that bring us into the Self and our inner world. That said, for all of the challenge, there is an incredible amount of support coming from nature and the shared group-field and human-connection fostered here.

What kind of foods do we eat?

Food has never tasted so good as it does in the backcountry! We eat well and we carry all that we eat! Granola and oats with yummy toppings, coffee, tea, energy bars, trail mix, string cheese, nut-butter and jam, pasta, rice and beans, Thai curry, soup, meats, veggies, chocolate! These are some things we eat. But I assure you we eat well and that hunger is the best sauce. Trips can accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets. Any food needs beyond that, we will ask that you bring and carry your own supplemental foods.

Who should not come on this trip?

These trips are not a fit for anyone who isn’t physically able (you don’t have to have ever done this before, just feel that you could) to carry a 35-40 lb pack while walking 2-7 miles per day, or for folks who are feeling particularly and currently unstable emotionally or psychologically or in the acute phase of processing trauma. If you have a question about whether this applies to you, please reach out to me directly and we can chat.

PACKING LIST

REI rents some gear. Lots of your friends have gear and would be happy to lend it to you to support your journey! Thrift stores are a score for outdoor gear. The more ridiculous looking the better! (Function over fashion for sure) Remember, it’s going to get burnt, dirty, ripped, and loved in the best of ways…so no need for shiny Backpacker Magazine gear. This list doesn’t need to break the bank.

A few rules backcountry gear thumb:
Cotton kills! It doesn’t dry quickly or keep you warm if its wet, and this can create serious safety hazards and threats of hypothermia. Warmer is the way to go- you can always de-layer. You know your own body best…so tend it well based on your own idiosyncrasies. It’s ok if you bring more than you’ll need. On the first day, when we will dump out our packs at the trailhead and go through gear, so we can help you decide between jackets, how many pairs of long underwear etc. So, if you need to bring it to feel better, bring it and we can check it out with you. Don’t bring full gallons of milk for your morning Chai (no joke…and she carried these for 5 days on one coast trip, and smiled all the way- one of my favorite memories for sure).

Backpack (50-65 liter size). Internal Frame recommended. Please go to REI or another outdoor store to make sure you have the right pack size. Packs are not one-size-fits-all, and if you have a pack that is too big or small for you, it can be extremely uncomfortable. By size I mean S, M, L. Make sure whatever it is that it is 50-65liters in capacity.
Sleeping pad- full length recommended, inflatable and insulated to some degree. Small enough that it will roll up and fit inside or on the side of your pack.
Sleeping bag (<20 degree). This can be synthetic or down, whichever you prefer.
Sleeping Bag compression sack
Headlamp with extra batteries
Metal or plastic Bowl, mug, spoon/fork
Water bottles or camelback (or similar) bladder. Big enough to carry at least 2.5 liters( do not bring insulated hydroflasks- these are way too heavy)
3-4 Underwear
1 pair shorts
2 pair hiking Pants (no jeans)
2-3 T-Shirts
1-2 Mid-weight layers, top and bottom (like fleece or wool)
1 Warm outer layer (like a puffy/down jacket). If you run cold, bring 2 of these style jacks or add in a vest
1 Rain Jacket
1 Beanie (warm hat)
1 pair warm gloves
1 Sun hat
3-4 Pairs of hiking Socks (not cotton)
1 Hiking shoes or boots. Go for boots if you have weaker ankles. Make sure these fit well, are comfortable and are broken in
1 pair Sandals/slippers/Crocs for camp
1 Sunglasses
1 Bandana
1 Swimsuit
Toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, facial moisturizer, comb/brush if needed)
Chapstick with SPF
Personal Medication
Camp Chair – crazy creek style or one that is light and can fit in your pack. This is optional but everyone I’ve ever led has always wished they brought one.
Camera or phone for pics (optional- you are free to leave your phone in the car)
Sunscreen
Hiking poles (optional but highly recommended)
Journal and 2 pens
A small and personally meaningful gift that will be given away to someone in the group. You’ll be carrying this so make sure its small and light. Trust your gut on this one.