Are You Ready...

• For a Break from the Hectic Pace of Life?
• To Reconnect with Your Vitality?
• To Know What is Truly Important to You?
• To Seek Vision or Direction?
• To Mark A Transition in Your Life?

"My quest experience changed my life in profound and lasting ways. Thank you!"
– Jon L., 31, community planner

Join us for an adventure in the highcountry of Sequoia National Park, where crystal creeks flow over sparkling granite and sweet-scented forests reach to the sky. Discover how a voyage into the outer wilderness can help you reap the riches of the wilderness within. We’ll help you slow down from the fast pace of modern life and find again your place within nature’s rhythms and cycles. If you are hungry to understand yourself and your world more clearly or  seek help in navigating life’s changes, this trip can be a powerful ally in your search.

Through storytelling, creative expression, council practice, and living simply on the earth, you’ll reconnect with yourself and with what you’re needing right now in your life. Following this period of preparation, we’ll hike into the gentle wilderness of Sequoia National Park. There, as our ancestors from many cultures have done, you’ll walk alone into the forest and discover the awesome magic and power of turning to the earth with the needs, yearnings, fears and dreams of your life.  After this period of solo time, you’ll return to the sanctuary of our small group where you’ll spend the next few days understanding more deeply the teachings nature has offered you and how they fit into your life.

THE DETAILS

The quest has three phases:

Preparation: A time to become acquainted with your guides and fellow questers as we utilize 3 full days to cover such topics as: No trace camping & natural history of the Sierra; safety and survival procedures; teachings of the four directions; exploration of your reasons for questing; and, creating your own ceremonies for growth, healing and celebration. On the third day we travel to a wilderness base camp that will support you as you find your own special place on the land for the threshold phase of the quest.

Threshold: As you have removed yourself further from your regular, daily life, you are now prepared to step out of your "normal" life and consciousness and into the sacred realm of the quest. You will spend 3 days and nights living alone without contact with other people.  Most questers choose to fast during this time.

Reincorporation: On the fourth morning of your solo you will return to base camp to be greeted by your guides and fellow questers.

After celebrating we will begin the challenging process of gradually returning to  “normal” life – eating, being with others, cars, etc. – and most importantly, we will work together to help you   make meaning of your alone time in the wilderness.Each quester will have a chance to share her/his experiences with the group and will be assisted in a myriad of ways in bringing the many facets of the questback into daily life.

When: Thursday, August 11, 10 am – Sunday, August 21, 2011, 1 pm. *Please Note: Most questers choose to arrive on the night of August 10 so they can acquaint themselves with the area and not rush into the start of the quest the next morning. Camping space will be available on this day.

Where: The trip will begin and end at Stony Creek Campground by the north end of Sequoia NP ( a 6 hour drive from the Bay Area). The campground has pay phones, a restaurant and small store nearby but is otherwise fairly isolated. Some other amenities can be found 8 miles away at Logdepole. All permits and camping fees from 8/11 – 8/21/10 are paid by Wilderness Reflections.

What you need to provide: Personal camping gear; share in carpooling costs/vehicles. Ability to carry a 30-40 lb. pack 2 miles. No prior camping experience needed.

GUIDES FOR THE SEQUOIA WILDERNESS QUEST

Amy Biesemeyer, MFT is a gifted and dynamic quest guide, weaving together her passions for nature, ritual, singing/chanting and personal transformation. As a wilderness guide since 1995, she has learned to gently and skillfully help others navigate the territory between comfort and challenge. Drawing upon mind-body practices, she enriches her work with meditation, expressive arts and movement. She has been trained by the School of Lost Borders, in the therapeutic use of the wilderness. She is also a student of the Diamond Heart Approach, a graduate of CIIS and a Wilderness First Responder. Nature is her teacher and sanctuary, and she is honored to guide others in the magical unfolding of their inner nature.

Will Scott is an inspired teacher and guide whose infectious enthusiasm and creativity can transform any trip into a lively, fun and soulful journey. An experienced wilderness guide both in the U.S. and internationally, Will is a co-founder of The Wilderness Within and teacher of environmental science and ecopsychology. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and has trained in wilderness quest guiding with The School of Lost Borders. A student of permaculture and natural history, Will carries the question of what it means to live on the earth in a deep, meaningful, and regenerative way.