Growing together: Being locally rooted
Wild Grief is deeply rooted in the South Puget Sound soil. We provide a stable footing for those pathfinding their uncharted territory of grief, fostering a lasting bond with the raw beauty of this place. Wild Grief’s firm grounding in our community is our foundation that makes a lasting impact, reminding us all that from the smallest seed, something extraordinary can flourish.
In 2015, our founders were facilitating traditional grief support groups and observed how much more progress and healing occurred through movement, leaving daily routines and just being outside in nature. They saw and felt wild spaces can hold the raw emotions and grief journeys of diverse youth and families. In the landscape of grief support, our founders built something unique and planted a seed that grew into a sturdy tree known as Wild Grief. Our organization is now, in 2023, a flourishing perennial, and is gathering an abundant harvest of community and healing to those dealing with the anguish and mystery of grief.
Exploring our local region: Stories from Our Backpacking trips
At Wild Grief, we are grateful to be rooted in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Western Washington is a perfect landscape for the work we do. Our backpacking trips have taken us to some rugged, wild and breathtaking places. As we explore the theme of “Being Locally Rooted” we take a moment to reflect on the way the different landscapes can create a unique backdrop for our grief journey.
Exploring our local region: The Alpine Mountains
When we take our teens to one of our favorite hike locations in the alpine mountains of the Goat Rocks Wilderness, we are surrounded by craggy peaks and heart-racing vistas. Together, we traverse our grief as we traverse the slopes: finding our way while walking together, all the time in our senses. Lying out under the Milky Way galaxy after dinner, staring through the deep dark, conversation, insights and connections emerge in ways not possible under streetlights. We adapt to terrain and weather as we feel the metaphors to our own grief journeys. At Goat Lake, we often get to play in the snow in t-shirts under the midsummer sun. The Pacific Crest of the Cascade Mountains takes us out of our minds, into our hearts and the vast world of possibility and change. We remember each moment is all we ever have, and we live it on this journey with people who know something of what we feel and experience. We are not alone.
“You should definitely go out of your comfort zone and do this. It will help to talk to others who have been through the same stuff.” - 2023 Teen backpack participant
Exploring our local region: The Beach
Make it stand out
On our backpacking trips to beaches of the Washington coast, the ocean is our constant companion and becomes a metaphor for our grief. The grief can rise up and soak us, we can be discouraged and exhausted climbing over headlands and back to sea, and the waves roar, but then become calm. The journey for a moment can seem endless. And then we find camp, make shelter, start a fire and share the awe. We trade our protective hiking boots for bare feet and the sand between our toes. We navigate the tangle of driftwood logs that were once alive and towering – and, transformed, are still so beautiful. The Washington coast’s essence is a vital, wild freedom that makes us feel we can release our grief and the warm wind might carry it away.
“I learned how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.”
- 2023 Teen Backpack Participant
Exploring our local region: The Rainforest
Make it stand out
This year was Wild Grief’s first backpacking trip to the Quinault Rainforest. We were embraced by endless hues of green as we trekked into the towering cedar forest never cut by a steel saw. The flow of the Quinault River in torrents and eddies changed on our journey upriver, reminding us of our own changes in our grief. The shifting river had cleared flats large enough to watch streaks of meteors in the starry night. Venturing deeper into the Olympic National Park on our day hikes away from camp, we encountered toppled trees with saplings growing on their downed trunks. We sat and rested together for an hour, examined a twelve-foot root ball, and spoke of things we can change and things we cannot. We all felt renewed and we laughed around suppers and shared what we are grateful for.
“A helpful part was knowing that other people grieve the same way I do.”
- 2023 Teen Backpack Participant
Our partnership with The Washington Trails Association (WTA) and its Outdoor Leadership Training program.
Wild Grief has partnered with the Washington Trails Association (WTA) from our start. WTA is crucial to accomplishing our mission by providing high quality camping equipment and outdoor clothing to loan to all participants that helps us provide safe access to the outdoors. Without the WTA, we would have difficulty providing all of our services without charge to our participants. Moreover, the WTA Outdoor Leadership Training program helps us in designing custom workshops for our guides. They teach some of the essential skills and knowledge required for our guides to lead safe and effective outdoor programs. With many of our guides coming from a background in grief support, it is vital that they also learn how to lead groups in nature. This covers everything from emergency planning and meal prep to how to properly set up a tent to protect from rain.
This year the Outdoor Leadership Program is celebrating its 10th anniversary and they featured Wild Grief in their video reviewing the program's success!
Here is a video that was just released