Wild grief programs
At Wild Grief, we offer a variety of programs to help you connect with the natural world and with others who are on similar grief journeys.
Explore our programs below to find a hike or overnight trip that’s right for you.
Teen Backpacking trips
Wild Grief offers a transformative teen backpacking program, where teens have a chance process their complex feelings of grief in the wilderness with peers who get it. Being a teenager is hard enough, and youth who lose someone close to them can often feel alone in their experience. Peer support is central to Wild Grief’s approach: we can go through anything if we don't have to go through it alone. With four trips held each year, these backpacking experiences provide a unique opportunity to make a lasting connection with nature as a source of healing, and build resilience as they navigate their grief journey.
family journey campout
Twice a year we offer weekend campouts with families of all shapes and sizes who have experienced a significant death. Surrounded by majestic old growth trees at Lewis & Clark State Park, children and teens explore the gorgeous park during the day with our guides. They learn tools to help navigate their inner grief landscape with peers their age who have been through a similar experience. Meanwhile back at camp their guardians learn skills on how to raise children while navigating a loss. We come together for s’mores and connection around the campfire at night.
Young Adult backpacking trip
Wild Grief's young adult backpacking program fills a crucial gap in the grief support landscape. Young adults can often feel isolated in their grief without peers who understand the difficulties of navigating the challenges of young adulthood while grieving a significant loss. By putting one foot in front of the other out on the trail, they are able to move through their emotions as they arise.
Day Hikes
Wild Grief offers day-long hikes throughout the year- an opportunity for participants to connect with their grief among peers while exploring the beauty of the natural world. We provide transportation and can travel to trailheads that are slightly farther away, allowing us to visit beautiful corners of our local region. Taking the whole day, we have a chance to do deeper as a group, and the healing that comes from nature has a chance to work its magic. We have these both for families and teens.
Hike Habit
Consistent self-care is so important on our grief journeys. Wild Grief's monthly all-ages Hike Habit program is a valuable opportunity to carve out regular time for tending to grief. In just two and a half hours, participants can engage in a guided hike that provides a gentle, drop-in space for ongoing healing and support. These hikes are often an intergenerational experience with small kids to elders getting a chance to share where they are on their healing journey.
Virtual Hike Habit
Wild Grief’s Virtual Hike Habit is an online program that meets once per month. We facilitate a safe space to explore grief among peers, from anywhere in the world. After an opening circle and sharing together, we separately spend time outdoors, perhaps on a short walk or a sit under a tree, then return to the virtual room to share again. Nature reveals endless metaphors for grief and transformation. When we pause our day and connect with what is here, our time together brings insight and renewal.
Spanish language hikes
Wild Grief's Spanish language day hikes, in partnership with Seattle Children's Journey program, grew from a desire to create more equity in grief support spaces. These hikes aim to include people from different linguistic backgrounds, providing a safe and inclusive environment for individuals to explore their grief journey. By offering culturally responsive support in Spanish, Wild Grief ensures that language is not a barrier to accessing essential grief support resources and fostering a sense of belonging for all. This program is currently only open to participants in Seattle Children’s Journey Program. We hope to open up this program to the public in the future.
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