Connect to Wilderness

04/18/2026

Navia, our senior dog enjoying the Preumpscot.

04/12/2026

I am adding some new activities this year including an art walk. It's a forest therapy guided walk centered on art: seeing, creating, experiencing. You can find more information about it at: https://www.connecttowilderness.com/art-as-a-focus-for-a-forest-therapy-walk

04/12/2026

01/24/2026

It was -1 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up this morning and I went for a run in the snow along the Presumpscot River; bundled up and enjoying the beauty and the solitude. It is possible to have a great time outside in the cold; dressing warmly and in layers is essential and time outside in nature is always uplifting for me. I know this without reading all the studies; but also enjoy knowing that what my heart already knows is supported by science.

Winter’s shorter daylight hours can negatively affect mental health, with many experiencing fatigue, mood changes, and in some cases, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a more severe depressive condition. Reduced sunlight impacts serotonin levels and disrupts circadian rhythms, but spending time o...

09/30/2025

I have been going out every morning to see where the bumblebees are sleeping. These are the drones that can't go back to the nest. They sleep on flowers at night. And get a snack first thing when they wake up!

08/18/2025

Understanding ourselves as part of nature--i.e. the more than human world, and creating deep relationships with it, is essential to living the richness of human experience and for supporting the world around us. Use your imagination! Lean in!

Blending the insights of Carl Jung, Iain McGilchrist, and indigenous knowledge systems, the piece articulates a path forward that honors both the analytical mind and the symbolic heart. Ecological mentalizing is framed not as regression to a past worldview, but as the integration of ancient intuitio