03/07/2026
It has been a busy few weeks for walks over here but before we keep posting upcoming events (we’re budding!), we reminded ourselves to stop and reflect:
On February 20th after rain poured the night prior, we were guided by sunshine and warm winds during our inaugural forest bathing walk at the Cowee Contemplative Trail behind Cowee School. The newly built trail mapped at the thoughtful leadership of Faith Williams of Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy intuitively meanders in such a way that balances connection and respect for our more than human world. Together, we created scent rooms to come home to and embodied, “all flourishing is mutual”. We eagerly await how the story of our little forest roots deeper still.
On February 26th on the Jackson County Greenway, mist met us along the river and we were inspired by the words of Robert McFarlane’s “Is A River Alive?” and Elif Shafak’s “There Are Rivers in the Sky”. This intimate mother and daughter duo were visiting from out of town and were curious to befriend beings as they noticed the interplay of breath and moisture within and around us. A few people appeared and disappeared from our moment in the cloud together.
On March 1st we ventured out again on Jackson County Greenway, this time beneath a blue bird sky and a bustling trail of bikers, walkers, fisherman, and anyone eager to bask in the sun. Our handful of participants co-created with the light and leap frogged the fisherman until our final tea share. “So not all of your walks end like this?” a participant sweetly asked at the end. Another returning participant knowingly giggled before I answered, “Actually no, they are all different.”
As a guide, I arrive to these spaces early to sit and receive. To trust and accept, the forest knows and I simply open the doors. And as a result, each walk is a unique pocket of time. That to me, captures the intimacy of shared space in a way hard to emulate and invites us to accept the impermanence of it all.
”Service Berry” by Robin Wall Kimmerer can be purchased in the Cowee School Mercantile, shelves stocked by City Lights Bookstore.
Forest Bathing Tea Blend can be found at Snake Song.
Self Guided forest bathing brochures for our local certified trail are at the entrance to the Jackson County Greenway (Friends of the Jackson County Greenways).
