Mountains & Waters Pilgrimage

“The world around you is sacred. Its appearance is miraculous, as is yours. Though this is clear everywhere, it's clearest in the mountains. It's clearest in the waters.”
– Dogen (13th century Zen philosopher)

Following the course of an ancient river, whose primordial gestures have carved a 3,000 foot deep canyon between even more ancient mountains, we will walk with wonder and intention to remember our own timeless kinship within the more-than-human-world. Immersed in the fields, forests, ravines, lakes, passes and peaks of the “Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne” (ancestral lands of the Miwok Peoples), in the heart of Yosemite, we will backpack in beauty for five days with an intimate group (up to nine participants + three guides).

This pilgrimage will be devoted to reweaving our pan-ancestral threads of kinship and belonging to the Earth and our relations. Present-centered, spacious, silent hiking will be our primary practice as we journey thirty miles through this sacred and majestic landscape.

First called Ahwahnee (“the Creator’s Mouth”), Yosemite Valley was sculpted over eons by the births and deaths of glaciers, and tended for millennia by human hands. It is a place outside of modern time, shaped by deep time. It has been homeland and habitat for countless generations of human and other-than-human folk. And it is an expressive and expansive place to practice clearing away the dust from our senses, cultivating qualities of peace and presence, and feeling our way back into an embodied awareness of the animacy that surrounds us everywhere in this living, breathing world.

Two different groups will make this pilgrimage, following the same itinerary, offset by one day – group 1 (September 16-21) is currently full; group 2 (September 17-22) is open for registration.

Gallery of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne

Program Itinerary

This point-to-point journey covers ~30 miles, with overall elevation gains of +6,600 feet and losses of 7,400 feet. We will stay within an elevation range of 4,200-8,700 feet during the journey. The details of our itinerary are still taking shape, and will be shared closer to the program start date. The broad strokes are below.

• Day 1| Meet at 3pm in Yosemite National Park to camp one night at a “backpackers campground” to adjust to elevation and begin to connect as a cohort. After setting up camp, we will share a dinner by campfire with orientation and introductions.

• Day 2 | Drop some vehicles at our end point (White Wolf) and shuttle back to the trailhead. Begin our hike from Toulumne Meadows, reaching the banks of the Toulumne River and enjoying swimming holes and waterfalls as we descend into the Grand Canyon of the Toulumne.

• Day 3 & 4 | Backpacking and immersing in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, we’ll have abundant waterfall and river time, and space to connect with ourselves, each other and the landscape.

• Day 5 | Beginning the ascent out of the Canyon, camp in the forest with expansive views of the Canyon and Hetch Hetchy valley.

• Day 6 | Completing a steep hike out of the Canyon, we will conclude our pilgrimage with a closing circle and integration practices. We will hike out at White Wolf Campground, and will retrieve any remaining vehicles at Toulumne Meadows by 4pm. Please note that if you want to enjoy one more night in Yosemite National Park, you are entitled to camp in one of the “backpackers campgrounds” the night of September 21st as part of our wilderness permit.

Meet your guides
Group 1 (Sept. 16-21)

FLETCHER TUCKER

Wildtender Co-founder Fletcher was raised by the foggy redwood ravines and fragrant chaparral bluffs of the Esselen tribal territory now known as Big Sur, California. Fletcher is a lifelong student of natural history, an ancestral skills practitioner, and an experienced teacher of adults and children. Fletcher is a writer, multidisciplinary artist and musician whose practice and work engages deeply with place.

Fletcher’s inner work includes ongoing exploration in Zen and Taoist practices/philosophy; over a decade of study in the Gestalt lineage of Esalen Institute co-founder Dick Price; and engagement with the Earth-reverent, spiritual practices of his own Nordic and Celtic ancestors.

Fletcher is a NOLS certified Wilderness First Responder.

IAN MOMSEN

Ian is a creative director, professional photographer, avid adventurer, and Rinzai Zen monk. His journey began in the Green Mountains of Vermont, interpreting the change of seasons through paintings of the natural world, moved overseas where he trained at the Zuigan Sodo in Matsushima, Japan, and continues today in San Francisco, where he works as an outdoor and adventure photographer, and creative director. He has traveled and camped extensively throughout the U.S. and spent countless hours shooting photos in the backcountry. 

Ariel Johnson

Ariel grew up in Japan, Washington and California where her father instilled in her a deep love and awe of the natural world through camping and hiking.

Currently living in Monterey, CA with her family, Ariel has served her community for over twelve years offering various movement, breathwork and meditation practices. Her personal studies and passions include natural history, literature, Gestalt practice, grief and ancestor work, and Japanese tea ceremony. Ariel continues to nourish her relationship with land, place, and the greater web of kinfolk through her work with Wildtender.

Ariel is certified in Wilderness First Aid.

Group 2 (Sept. 17-22)

BRYAN GOLDBERGER

A lifelong wilderness seeker, Bryan has worked as a professional hiking guide in Big Sur since 2018, honing his passion for reconnecting people with the wild. With a background in Biology, Bryan combines scientifically-based thinking with barely-constrained awe at the wonders of the natural world. Believing that the land is our greatest teacher, Bryan is an avid naturalist and student of the ecology & natural history of California’s Central Coast. He works within his community to advocate for environmental stewardship, maintain trails, and increase wildfire mitigation awareness. Bryan is an Eagle Scout, a Wilderness First Responder, and an enthusiastic nerd about minimalist backpacking skills and philosophy.

Mike Smith

Mike is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. He lived in the Ventana Wilderness as a monk at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery and served as the Director of San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center temple. He’s a devout backpacker and brings to these pilgrimages a love of the untamed that stretches back to his time as a young waterman growing up in coastal Connecticut. He’s been lucky enough to explore on foot the islands of Hawai’i, the Inca Trail, the Cascades and the Oregon coast, and many National Parks. You can find him walking about Big Sur, the Sierras, and as part of an intentional living community in San Francisco called Agape House.

Program Tuition

This program is full

Other Information

• Essential Eligibility Criteria for Backpacking Programs

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Previous Pilgrimage Testimonials

• Terms & Conditions (including registration and cancellation terms, and program requirements)

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