Wilderness Journeys

Wilderness Journeys and EarthQuests

Wilderness Journeys

The changes brought about in an individual by experiencing one of our Wilderness Journeys are always profound.

Clients have used words like 'inspiring!', 'Life changing!' and 'The best thing I ever did for myself!' to describe their experiences of this professionally designed and led method for experiencing nature at its very best and for transforming your views of the world and your place in it

One these pages we will be bringing you a regularly-updated variety of descriptions of journeys already undertaken, of proposed journeys to come, stories and comments from those who have been there...and discussing just what wilderness really is and why it's good for us.

We'll also be looking at how the current global environmental crisis may be affecting us psychologically in a far deeper way than we might imagine, and how to use experiences of the outdoors and the natural world to help us - and our children and grandchildren - reconnect with our inner wild space.

All images ©Hilary Parke 2010

The John Muir Trust

Until a few years ago the John Muir Award, the educational arm of the John Muir Trust, used to run many excellent residential trips every year. Most of these were for 14 - 18 year olds and those of us who were lucky enough to be volunteer leaders of the 'rezzies', as they were called, still cherish many wonderful memories. There's no doubt that many lives were changed by these trips. Some were to the northern and western extremes of the UK, places like Orkney, Rum and Eigg, while others took young explorers to the Picos de Europa, the USA, Finland and Russia.

Following the amazing Karelian adventure I wrote the following article for the JMT Journal.

The Voyage of the Dawntreader: Clip from a Diary

"For those of us who had never sailed before, setting off from Arisaig in a 42 foot yacht was a little daunting but nevertheless exciting. The wind rose as we skimmed across to the island of Canna to find our first night's anchorage.

The next day, as a Hebridean heatwave began to build, in blissful warmth we sailed past cliffs resounding with the cries of nesting seabirds and explored tiny coves with exquisite white sand beaches.

Life on board soon became familiar and everyone relaxed visibly. We swam and chatted, shared life stories and jokes, visited tiny, isolated communities and ate the finest seafood whilst we watched otters playing beside the boat or scanned the waves for a glimpse of a Minke whale.

In the space of a week, every one of us felt we had found personal strengths and skills that were useful and we had all left our cares well and truly behind us.

This is one of several journeys I have been on in my life. Each one has had a lasting effect on me, making me more self-confident, more contented with life and definitely much better able to field the inevitable trials and heartaches that afflict us all at times. It's not so much what happens to you but how you deal with it that can make your life heaven or hell. Without the strength I gained from my experiences of the wonders of the natural world on these amazing quests, I doubt I would have coped with some of the events that life has thrown at me since.

I thoroughly recommend a wilderness journey to anyone who wants to take a big step forward in their life."
(From a Converted Journeyer)

Join the EarthQuesters Forum. Originally formed to follow up on one of our Earthquests (to the Isle of Eigg), this Yahoo Group is being revivied to provide a place to share information about forthcoming activities, to discuss the value of wilderness and share thoughts and images relating to ecotherapy and ecopsychology. By clicking on the link above you can send an email to the moderator and join the group.

To find out more about bespoke Wilderness Journeys, please use our Contact Page.

The John Muir Award

To find out more about the current work of the John Muir Award, please follow this link...