Desperately need some "me time" in nature where there's no pressure to perform, achieve any goals, meet any expectations, or do any mental work? Join me for a guided forest therapy walk!
For those of you new to guided forest therapy, you may be familiar with the term “forest bathing” or Shinrin-yoku, as it is called in Japan, which is a practice that started developing in the 1980s as response to a decline in public health. It’s good to know that while guided forest therapy practice through ANFT (Association of Nature and Forest Therapy) is inspired by Shinrin-yoku, it isn’t exactly the same. While forest bathing focuses on sensory immersion and well-being, in our walk we will focus on a relational experience with invitations to help you deepen your embodied connection with the nature around you. This is not a naturalist walk in the classic sense, in that we won't be focusing on plant and animal ID or classification during our time together. However, after the walk is completed you are more than welcome to nerd out on all the nature you made connections with during out walk.
WHERE WE MEET: We'll meet in front of the Nature Center at the Tyron Creek State Nature Area adjacent to the parking lot and start on the Maple Ridge Trail, then depending on conditions or business of the trail head over to the North Horse Loop and see where our walk takes us into nature. We'll end our walk by sharing some herbal tea and light snack that I will bring along. There is no goal for distance, pace, or exercise level, as this is not a "hike". We'll be take a very slow pace for a short distance, and we are not seeking challenging terrain. You can research the trail and download a pdf map HERE, as well as on All Trails.
Our walk will start promptly at 1pm so plan on extra time to find parking! If you arrive a little late take a wander down the Maple Ridge Trail to find us.
WHAT TO BRING
Registration is FREE and there is a limit of 12 PARTICIPANTS. Once the limit has been reached registration will close. If you want to be added to a wait list, in case there are cancellations/openings, just email me via my CONTACT form. Once the group is full, I will send you all a follow up email closer to the event with additional contact info, and feel free to contact me directly with any questions.
WAIVER FORM
After you check-out, you will receive both a cart prompt and an email confirmation with a link to a simple PDF download for a Waiver Form you must print, sign, and bring with you for the walk. I'll have some blank extras with me in case you forget yours! OR click HERE to preview and download directly now.
THE LOCATION
ADDRESS
11321 S Terwilliger Blvd Portland OR 97219
PARKING & ENTRANCE FEE
There is a parking lot at the Nature Center. If you have an annual Oregon State Park Pass entrance is free. If not, you'll need to pay $10. Be sure to arrive a bit early to have time to park and pay entrance if you don't have a pass.
Trail Amenities: Restroom and fountains near the nature center parking area at the start of the trail.
WEATHER
If weather turns inhospitable for our scheduled walk -i.e. heavy rain or very cold temperatures-we will cancel and email you to notify you as soon as we can before the schedule time, and will reschedule the walk. If you need to cancel please notify me in advance in case there is a waitlist for others to join.
Leslie Halleck is an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide, in training. This is a practice walk for me, so let's experiment together!