Questions Relating to All Cohorts:
The amount of time you spend on your projects and practices is entirely up to you. Some people just join for the in person and/or online sessions and are thrilled and proud to be able to carve out that much time for nature and community in their lives. Others make this a truly immersive experience by devoting dedicated time to it every day at home. Each month, you’ll be given a list of suggested assignments and at-home work that you can focus on. This list is divided into three levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. If you want to take a deep dive, you can do all of it—but doing none of it is fine, too! Whatever you’re called to do is what is right for you, and we’ll support you!
Our circles and cohorts vary in size! In person cohorts range from 4 – 18 people, online cohorts can grow as large as 30, and our total circle size when we are together can be very large indeed. We have visiting mentors, elders, and society members each month, and it feels like a lovely little village when we are all together.
There is a lot of information to be found here about payment! Logistically, we currently accept payments via cash, check, or PayPal. Some participants are able to pay for the whole journey in a lump sum, while others pay monthly. Please keep in mind that this is a complete program and you are committing to paying the total cost for the year whether or not you attend all of the sessions or choose to leave the program. We can’t take in new students if someone misses a class, so in order to budget and plan we need a long-term commitment from everyone! We understand the challenges of this and apologize for the necessity of it in our current financial reality, which we are also working to shift and make more equitable. Barter and trade are available to offset costs if paying the break even costs is inaccessible for you. And we are happy to offer Indigenous Tuition Waivers and Reparation Awards to qualifying applicants. Please contact us to discuss this more if money is a barrier for you.
The Wildwood Path teaches traditional outdoor skills and wilderness skills, but we are also here to support you to be more comfortable and at home in nature in every way. A good pair of winter boots, a waterproof rain coat, and a warm parka will make a big difference in the quality of your experience, and we have some extras to lend for folks who can’t acquire their own. We suggest “Arctic ” Muck Boots, Sorel winter boots with a 1” wool liner, or traditional “mukluks” made by hand or by an indigenous company like Manitobah for toasty toes in wintertime. Raingear should be rubberized or of a breathable waterproof fabric like Gore-Tex or an equivalent. And a down or puffy jacket will help you stay warm on winter days. For base layers we suggest wool, silk, or synthetics rather than cotton. We do have winter gear to loan out, but it’s of course always easiest for you to have your own, so keep your eyes peeled and start preparing now, and you should be well outfitted by the time the cold weather rolls in. We’ll discuss how to dress as we study shelter in our first months, and will support you to be comfortable and well-prepared!
When you sign up for the Wildwood Path, you sign up for a complete arc of experience. That means that if you have to miss part or all of a weekend, we will support you to remain included and to integrate what you’ve missed. You can participate in online offerings, a buddy from the group can give you a call to share the story of our in person time together, and you can ask for extra support with your at-home nature connection practices from any of our mentors. It often requires a bit of extra dedication on your part to get the most benefit of the teachings that month, but there’s good learning and sometimes great fun in that process, too! It’s not the end of the world, though we know it is a shame to have to miss out on any of our time together! And– We are taking extra care to ensure that folks who can’t attend some of the in person sessions can stay connected as we do our best to accommodate the changing needs of community connection during a pandemic!
Questions Relating to In Person Sessions:
We always share a beautiful potluck feast when we gather on Friday evenings, and people usually bring food to share over the course of the rest of the weekend as well because it builds a sense of abundance and community. The Wildwood Path provides eggs, grains, beverages and sides for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and a hearty pot of stew or other entrée on Saturday night. You will pack your own lunches and snacks for Saturday and Sunday so that you’ll feel nourished and fed whether we’re in the woods, on the shore, or inside! We take into consideration dietary restrictions and do our best to make sure there is something for everyone– sharing food is one of the most fun parts of our gatherings, and one of the best ways to connect to our gratitude and relationship with the world. With the realities of COVID 19 in our world, we have to be extra cautious around sharing of food, so we are implementing strict hygiene and social distancing measures and will have “servers” of community food with face coverings and sanitized hands, so that we can keep track of how many folks are touching utensils. If needed, we will ask folks to bring and attend to their own food for the weekend in order to be extra cautious.
Camping on the grounds at Paridae Grove is an option year round — we have access to hundreds of acres of wild Maine forests just outside our back door, and most people camp in our “village” area, with access to running water (from natural springs or a hose, depending on the season). There are several “debris huts” that you’re welcome to use, one large community shelter with a balsam fir floor and a tarp roof, and limitless options for setting up tents, building your own shelters, or camping under the stars! Some participants want to challenge themselves to practice winter camping and sleep out every month, while others want to sleep indoors. There is an indoor sleeping option onsite for emergencies only, but if you need to sleep indoors, there are local “Air BnB” options in Unity, a nearby bunkhouse which is sometimes available for a small fee, and some of our participants have opened up their homes for out of town guests out of generosity. We can help you figure out which option is best for your needs. When we meet off site, camping is always an option, and there is also always some form of shelter available so that folks can stay warm and dry… varying from simple handmade structures to fancy hotel-style houses. By joining the Wildwood Path, you’re joining a community of nature connected people who balance rugged outdoor skills with taking care of one another and supporting each other and ourselves to be comfortable. There’s something for everyone! As we navigate keeping one another safe along with the reality of living with a powerful virus in our midst, we may have to limit time indoors, and indoor sleeping options may not be available. Please keep this in mind as you consider your ability to participate!
Tephra, our beloved wilderness therapy dog, sometimes attends Wildwood Path gatherings, but she has been trained specifically to fit in with nature connection programming and mentoring. Other animals are wonderful companions and we fully support bringing nature connection into relationship with your pets, but if other animals attend our gatherings, it quickly stops feeling wild and starts detracting and distracting from our ability to engage with the land around us as naturalists. We’ll have occasional community gatherings when pets are welcome, but as a rule, we ask you to leave your pets at home!
Mae - Boston, MA
I had the good fortune to work with Trevanna at Camp Forest last summer, where she was the Assistant Director. Trevanna harmonizes the essences of a true naturalist and a true teacher. She is knowledgeable about the natural world in general and the local, specific, raw natural world around us with its flora, fauna, and their properties, interrelationships and practical applications. Trevanna personifies the openness, curiosity, intimate receptiveness to and responsibility for the natural world which make for a genuine, not just academic, seeker of knowledge. And if that wasn’t enough, she shares her knowledge with such humility, compassion and enthusiasm that those around her are naturally inspired to want to learn, and participate.
Read More
Trevanna has been a source of inspiration and direction for my primitive skills learning journey. Her events have brought members of the community together to work on those skills . She lives what she teaches and is a great role model.
Read MoreGabby - Canaan, ME
Trevanna is one of the most passionate, motivated, loving, and deeply rooted people I know. I am always incredibly inspired after spending time with her, and she has a way of reaching every person individually on some level. She mentors with profound grace and it is truly an art to witness!
Read MoreDarilynn - Boulder, CO
Trevanna has a deep and true respect for the extensive diversity of learning styles that exist among students. She adds wit and humor to her teachings while upholding the integrity and significance of the skills.
Read MoreSable - Portland, Maine
Trevanna is a powerful leader, in the most authentic meaning of the term. She holds holistic awareness for groups with love, compassion, curiosity, and passion. She leads by creating space for others, and expects and seeks wisdom in each group.
Read MoreRocky - Whitefield, ME
My experience with the Wildwood Path community left an indelible impression on me– as a guest, I felt honored, respected, welcomed, and ultimately embraced by a group of inclusive souls whose eagerness to learn and connect to the land and each other felt deeply rooted. Meals were lovingly cooked and shared, songs were ample, and a general sense of common heart-centered intention infused the space. I left knowing that Trevanna, Kyla, and the various guest teachers’ combined earth wisdom is supporting each of the participants through their journey of deepening into ritual and earth based skills. I can’t wait to return!
Read MoreWendy - Boulder, CO
Trevanna has a beautiful gift for mentoring Earth connection. Her gift for mentoring arises from her genuine and passion filled relationship to the Earth. She has this incredible ability, in which she is able to bring her community together and get them excited about being in relationship with the Earth; along with the practical/spiritual tools to help them deepen this relationship.
Read MoreJahan - Bridgton, ME
Trevanna’s daily work and teaching is infused with appropriate, healthy mega-doses of singing, movement arts, silent reflection and prayer. While working with her, one often feels like every step and word contributes to a deeper eco-cultural relationship and community- building, an evolving process of becoming part of a world beyond and greater than ourselves. Trevanna is a friend to birds, mushrooms, and children. She has a gift for making fascinating and deep nature lore, cultural artifacts and practical wilderness skills accessible and fun to people of all ages. She can communicate and successfully resolve the struggles of individual children as well as more complex social dynamics. Trevanna manages learning, teaching, and collaborating with students, colleagues and parents with immaculate tact and grace.
Read MoreMaria - Washington, Maine