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.

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.

Program Tuition

Registration coming soon.

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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