We’ll start our journey together in Jackson, WY on the evening of Sunday, September 14 with a pre-trip orientation session and meet-and-greet at 6pm local time. We’ll do some introductions, have a safety briefing from our wilderness guide Dave, hand out gear/food bags, and provide an overall snapshot of the backpacking route. This is a perfect time to express any last second questions and concerns.

We have a partner hotel in Jackson that will give discounted rates for our group members, and they will also store baggage for the week while we’re in the woods (you can also leave your car in their overflow parking lot if you are traveling to Jackson by car).

Our journey to reconnect with the wild nature (inner and outer) begins as we head into the Southern boundary of Yellowstone and to the South Boundary Trailhead. Right out of the trailhead we will encounter our first adventure when we ford the Snake River! After crossing the river, we will venture through the Snake River Valley looking out for Elk, Grizzly Bear, Wolf and Osprey. Our first day on the trail will end at our campsite sitting right along the Snake River.

We’ll start the spiritual part of our journey by working with the element of EARTH - grounding in and finding our sense of security and stability even as plunge into the unknown. We’ll explore our own unique sense of soul nourishment, and how we each feel most connected to the natural world around us.

After rinsing the day off in the “Snake,” we’ll share a meal and hot tea as we listen for wolves and coyote howl. The day ends with you drifting to sleep while listening to the frogs along the river.

Day Mileage: 5.6 miles

Our first full day in the Yellowstone backcountry begins with a hot breakfast and coffee/tea before we pack up camp and strap the packs on once again to continue further away from the front country! We leave the Snake River and start our hike through the Basin Creek Valley to make our way to Heart Lake. Deer, Osprey, Eagles and Cranes are found in the Basin Creek Valley open areas. Deer and Bear populate the more wooded areas we pass through as we get closer to the lake.

Our afternoon session connects us with the element of AIR. This is where we learn the art of conversation, of deep listening - to our soul’s inner pulls, to the animals and elements of nature who speak in different languages than the conscious mind can comprehend - and of speaking our heart’s truth. Nature is always speaking to us, if we can only take the time to re-orient our inner landscape enough to be able to hear it and value its wisdom.

The day will end at our lakeside campsite for the night where we can swim or relax before sharing another hot meal prepared by our guide. Hot tea is best enjoyed down on the lake shore as the sun sets and the Loons start come out. With the sundown it is time to get off to bed in the cool Yellowstone night.

Day Mileage: 8.3 miles

The mist and the early morning sun is a perfect complement to the morning caffeine and hot breakfast before we once again break camp and strap on the big packs and continue around Heart Lake. Do not worry! After our longer second day, today we have a short day with the heavy packs on before an afternoon reward. Our morning hike will be along the north shore of the lake with beautiful views, and with the opportunity to spot Moose, Deer, Eagles and Marmot.

Spiritually, we’ll be connecting with the element of WATER today. We’ll create space for emotions to flow within and through us, giving ourselves permission to let years’ - or decades’ - worth of pent-up grief, joy, rage, longing, fear, and excitement pour out of our bodies and back into the Earth.

We will then have a short afternoon hike to take us to Witch Creek inside the Witch Creek Hot Springs area. Bring your bathing suit because we will wash off two and a half days of backpacking - and any lingering energetic residue from all of that emotional processing - in the warm waters of Witch Creek. There is no such thing as coincidence in my book, and the name of Witch Creek feels especially aligned to help us release emotional energy and wounding, from this lifetime or past lives, and reclaim our feminine wisdom, power, and intuition that we have been persecuted and ostracized for having in the past.

After our warm bath, we will head back to our campsite for a cool swim or nap before our nightly hot meal and hot tea before bed.

Day Mileage: 2 backpage miles; 3.5 miles optional afternoon hike

Take an extra moment by the fire this morning as you sip your coffee/tea because it is day hiking day and you do not have to pack up camp! After hot breakfast and caffeine, we will pack our day packs for the day and begin our hike up 1,000-foot Mt. Sheridan. We will gain almost 3,000 feet as we climb the mountain, taking in the views back down to Heart Lake. Deer and Marmot can be seen on the climb to the top of the summit. Lunch and pictures will be the order of the day as we enjoy the spectacular views of Heart Lake and back to the Snake River Valley.

Today we work with the sacred element of FIRE - allowing the sweat from an uphill climb and the crackling of the campfire burn away what is no longer needed on our journey. When connecting with the fire element, we learn how to commune with and nurture energies of motivation, desire, passion, and transformation.

After enjoying all the big views of Yellowstone we can, our descent will have us back at camp in time for a late afternoon swim/nap before our nightly gathering for dinner and tea by the Lake. Together, we’ll take part in a Fire Transformation ceremony on our last night together in the wild nature of Yellowstone.

Day Mileage: 6 miles

Savor the last morning of lakeside coffee/tea and hot breakfast prepared by somebody else! We still have plenty to see on the way out as we work our way through Witch Creek Hot Springs and enjoy the famous Yellowstone geysers. This is also a place we have seen Grizzly Bears in the past. The climb out of Witch Creek will seem easy since you have your trail legs and your reward will be a final few miles through a cool shaded forest where Deer and Moose call home.

On our last day together, we work with the fifth element of SPIRIT. This is the intangible element that animates everyone and everything and makes each creature and being uniquely distinct. We’ll wrap up our journey coming to a deeper understanding of who we are at our core essence, and how this innate spirit within is deeply connected to and affected by every other spirit it comes into contact with in the web of life.

We will arrive back at the front country Heart Lake Trailhead, where we’ll have transportation back to Jackson.

Day Mileage: 7.5 miles