Backpacking Made Easy

Backpacking Made Easy
Saturdays, March 19 – April 2

Santa Barbara and Ojai are home to a variety of incredible backpacking destinations, and yet, often the biggest obstacle is simply having the knowledge and skills to get started.

Through this immersive workshop, you will learn the basic skills needed to comfortably explore and enjoy our local trails.

Hot springs, waterfalls, epic views, and unspoiled wilderness are just some of the rewards for those who are willing to make the journey.

Each class takes place outside, on one of our local trails, and provides a mix of hands-on instruction, immersive exercises, and sharing circles that allows for learning on many levels.

Lay of the Land
March 19th, 9 AM-3 PM

Learn how to orient yourself to the landscape and topography, and begin learning the skills and awareness that will help you remove the word lost from your vocabulary. Become familiar with maps and create your own mental maps of the backcountry.

Working with habitats and being able to recognize them is another key skill to further orienting to the landscape.

Nature Connection
March 26th, 9 AM-3 PM

Venturing out onto the land is even more enjoyable when we take time to develop a meaningful connection with nature.

Learning about the different plants, and plant communities along our trails, as well as some of their edible and medicinal properties help deepen our connection with the natural environment. This in turn makes us more aware of the landscape around us.

We will also cover the different gear options and how to choose equipment that suits you, as well as menu planning ideas.

Listening to Nature
April 2nd, 9 AM-3 PM

By learning how to read the landscape and develop a sense of place, we can begin to feel more at home in the woods and start to see nature as an ally. By tuning into our senses and being in a relationship with nature, we lay the foundation for being able to know the backcountry like the back of our hand.

We will also cover the essentials of self-care on the trails, preventive first aid skills, and successful trip planning, as well as some local plants that can be used for everyday ailments.

Optional Free
Overnight Backpacking Trip
April 9-10

For those who are interested, we will help organize a free, optional backpacking trip. Here’s a chance to put all these great skills to use, and build on the material covered so far.

The length of the hike and destination for the overnight trip is to be determined according to current conditions and the capabilities and interests of the participants.

Guides:

James Wapotich is a Volunteer Wilderness Ranger with Los Padres National Forest, a UC Certified California Naturalist, and author of the Santa Barbara News-Press hiking column, Trail Quest. He is a trail guide and has hiked many of the trails in our local backcountry, and has been backpacking here for over 35 years.

Sierra Boatwright, LMFT, is the founder of Santa Barbara Ecotherapy, where she weaves together naturalist skills and psychotherapy to help people gain more support through their time in the outdoors. Sierra has been hiking and backpacking for over 25 years and is an alumna of the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School. www.sbecotherapy.com

Emily Sanders* is the Director & Founder of the Artemisia Academy, and has been studying holistic health for over 15 years. She is a Certified Clinical Herbalist and Clinical Nutritionist from the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism. She teaches classes on herbal medicine, nutrition, and plant identification. www.artemisiaacademy.com

*Because of Emily’s full schedule, she’ll be joining us on just the first day. A backpacking enthusiast, Emily is also available for the optional overnight backpacking trip.

The workshop is $245 per person, or bring a friend and both 15% off.
Limit 12 students. Must be able to comfortably hike 3-4 miles.

To sign up or for more information please contact:

James (805) 729-4250 jwapotich@yahoo.com
Sierra (805) 335-1915 sierra@sbecotherapy.com

www.songsofthewilderness.com