Hike + Heal Grand Staircase Escalante
May 2-4, 2024
Hike + Heal Grand Staircase Escalante is a Wilderness Wellness retreat facilitated by Hiking My Feelings, in collaboration with Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, the official non-profit partner of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
Healing with the land through environmental stewardship.
Mindful hiking through a diverse and breathtaking landscape.
Guided self-discovery activities to help you reconnect with yourself.
Adventures to help you remember what you’re capable of.
Making memories with friends who feel like family.
📍We acknowledge that the area known as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and its surrounding areas are the ancestral land and historical territory of the Hopi, Zuni, Dine/Navajo, San Juan Southern Paiute, Kaibab Paiute, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Jemez Pueblo, and Acoma nations. Curious about the history of the land where you work, live, and play? Native Land is a great starting point for additional research.
Grand Staircase
Escalante Partners
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) founded in 2004 to protect and preserve Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
They are committed to:
Promoting science, conservation, and education on the Monument.
Increasing public awareness and understanding of the Monument.
Providing resources to support the Monument’s scientific, interpretive and educational programs.
Expanding our membership so we represent a diverse constituency that supports the Monument.
Welcome to Hike + Heal Grand Staircase Escalante, an immersive experience designed to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit amidst the breathtaking landscapes of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. This unique retreat seamlessly combines environmental stewardship, self-discovery, and the serenity of nature to create an unforgettable journey.
Grounded In Time: The retreat's opening experience will transport participants to the ancient landscapes of Dinosaur Tracks in Grand Staircase Escalante, a site rich in geological history. As you stand amidst the well-preserved tracks of dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth during the Cretaceous period, the magnitude of time becomes palpable. The connection to Earth's deep past serves as a powerful reminder of our place in the intricate tapestry of time, grounding participants in the realization that the planet has existed for millions of years.
Healing With The Land: On the second day of the retreat, participants will be introduced to our environmental stewardship project focused on the preservation of the iconic slot canyons in the area. Led by experienced guides and environmental experts from Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, participants will engage in a hands-on graffiti remediation project, working together to restore the natural beauty of these stunning canyons. This impactful endeavor not only contributes to the conservation of the environment but also fosters a sense of responsibility and connection to the land.
Meals Included: Throughout the retreat, guests can look forward to delicious and nourishing meals. Our partners at GSEP have created a menu that not only satisfies the taste buds but also supports the principles of sustainable and mindful eating. Meals will be enjoyed in a communal setting, fostering a sense of community and shared appreciation for wholesome, healthful food.
Self-Discovery Workshops: The retreat will offer a series of self-discovery workshops designed to enhance personal growth and well-being. Sydney and Barry Williams will guide participants through activities such as meditation, journaling, and group discussions. These workshops will encourage self-reflection, mindfulness, and the development of strategies for achieving balance and harmony in daily life.
Camping Under the Starry Night Sky: As the day's activities wind down, participants will have the opportunity to camp under the vast and mesmerizing night sky of Grand Staircase Escalante. The tranquil surroundings and the brilliance of the stars overhead will create a magical atmosphere, allowing guests to connect with nature on a deeper level.
Hike + Heal Grand Staircase Escalante Wilderness Wellness Retreat aims to leave participants with a sense of rejuvenation, a deeper connection to the environment, and newfound insights into their own well-being. It's a holistic journey that combines the beauty of nature, the joy of community, and the fulfillment that comes from contributing to the preservation of our natural wonders.
Grand Staircase is a VIBE.
Try #vanlife!
If sleeping on the ground isn’t your jam or you’re ready for the roadtrip of a lifetime, try vanlife for the weekend with Escape Campervans!
Save 10% on your booking when you use our code: HIKINGMYFEELINGS
What’s Included?
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Since everyone has different needs when in the field, you are encouraged to bring your own snacks. We’ll take care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the following schedule:
THURSDAY: Dinner
FRIDAY: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
SATURDAY: Breakfast + Lunch -
We’ll be enjoying different trails in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument each day of this event, starting with a walk around the Dinosaur Rocks area (1 hour), Spooky + Peekaboo Canyon (5 miles roundtrip as part of our stewardship project), and Devil’s Garden (1 hour).
PLEASE NOTE: We are going to be hiking at/around 4,000 feet above sea level. If you are from a lower elevation or different, we encourage you to drink plenty of water to help acclimatize to the dry desert climate and elevation.
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Your retreat registration includes two nights at the hottest billion-star hotel in the area - a remote corner within Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
PLEASE NOTE: There are no formal facilities where we are camping for this event. We will be packing in all of the water needed for the weekend as well as our backcountry kitchen, handwashing station, and groover toilet systems. There are no showers or running water on site, and in case you aren’t familiar with a groover system - it’s basically a bucket with a bag in it. While that might not be your first choice, the views from our backcountry bathrooms are unbeatable!
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The research is clear, spending time in nature is beneficial for the body, mind, and spirit. On our guided hikes, you will learn techniques to turn any outdoor activity into a mindful experience. Experience the healing power of nature via guided self-discovery activities all weekend long on and off the trail. Participants will be provided with a small journal to take notes in as they hike, and we infuse self-reflection into all aspects of the event.
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Through guided self-discovery workshops, participants can look forward to a weekend of disconnection from every day life to facilitate a deep reconnection with themselves and each other.
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While our healing journeys are deeply personal and unique to our lived experiences, we all have at least one thing in common: we’ve survived everything life has dealt our way so far. Healing in community reminds us that we are never alone in what we’ve experienced and that together, we rise.
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We’re providing everything you need to help us remediate the graffiti in Peekaboo and Spooky Canyon!
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In addition to supporting a mission-critical stewardship project with the experts at Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, you can feel good knowing your registration makes an impact! In addition to supporting Hiking My Feelings and our mission to introduce people to the healing power of nature, a portion of your registration fees goes directly to Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, ensuring that the National Monument can be enjoyed for generations to come!
What to Bring
Trip Itinerary
Thursday, May 2
Check In
We start our adventure by meeting at the Grand Staircase Escalante Partners office in Escalante, Utah. We depart the office at 1:00pm for Dinosaur Tracks.
Grounded in Time
On our way to our basecamp, we’ll make a pitstop at the Dinosaur Tracks. Standing in the same place where dinosaurs once roamed freely grounds us in the present moment and puts life into perspective.
Dinner + Fireside Workshop
Our pals from GSEP are cooking up an epic feast for us to fuel our adventures, and after dinner, we’ll circle up around the campfire for our first workshop and a briefing about our environmental stewardship project.
Friday, May 3
Healing with the Land
After you enjoy breakfast and pack your lunch for the day, we’ll caravan over to the site of our environmental stewardship project. We’ll be remediating graffiti in Spooky and Peekaboo Canyon, ensuring the enjoyment of the Monument for generations to come.
You Time
After our stewardship project, we’ll return to our basecamp where you can enjoy some time to yourself before gathering for dinner + discussion!
Dinner + Fireside Chats
GSEP is at it again, cooking up an epic feast for us to refuel after our adventures in the canyons, and after dinner, we’ll circle up around the campfire for group reflections and conversation.
Saturday, May 4
Slow and Steady
On Saturday morning, we’re taking it easy. Enjoy breakfast, pack a lunch, and break down camp. After we ensure we leave our camping area better than we found it, we’ll head to Devil’s Garden on our way back to the town of Escalante.
Closing Ceremony
At Devil’s Garden, we’ll conclude the retreat with a grounding meditation, self-reflection journaling, and our closing circle. If you’re hungry on your way out, don’t miss the pizza at Escalante Outfitters, right down the street from where we started!
Retreat Facilitators
We’re here for you.
Hike & Heal Grand Staircase Escalante is a Wilderness Wellness retreat facilitated by Sydney + Barry Williams of Hiking My Feelings in partnership with Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, the official non-profit partner of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Together, we bring decades of experience in community building and facilitation, outdoor education, and guiding experience.
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ABOUT SYDNEY
When former collegiate athlete and competitive skydiver, Sydney Williams, unexpectedly found herself on the receiving end of a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, while grappling with unresolved trauma from a decades-old sexual assault, she set out on a mission: turn her pain into power. Two hikes across Catalina Island and 80 miles later, she founded Hiking My Feelings® to help others tap into the mind-body connection and healing power of nature that helped kick her self-limiting beliefs and disease into remission.Having more than 15 years of communications experience with Fortune 500 companies and emerging brands, Sydney serves up her “truth juice” style of storytelling to break wide open tough conversations with practical, powerful content and experiences. Over the years, she’s been featured on the SXSW stage, as well as in Health Magazine, Diabetic Living Magazine, San Diego Union-Tribune, Huffington Post, Psychology Today, US News & World Report, and numerous other publications. Today, she is the author of Hiking My Feelings: Stepping Into to the Healing Power of Nature (2019) and Hiking Your Feelings: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love (2024), and she travels across the country empowering others to summit their personal mountains on their way to becoming Well Beings.
Sydney is a certified Wilderness First Responder, an instructor at the Desert Institute at Joshua Tree National Park, and the Field Institute at Sequoia National Park. Sydney facilitates guided self-discovery exercises, and is here to help you blaze your own trail to self-love.
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ABOUT BARRY
Barry was living in the Upper East Side of Manhattan selling technology to banks and working with Fortune 100 companies when he had the opportunity to skydive the first time. That first jumped changed his life, and within 18 months, he went from living in the same building as Derek Jeter to living in a trailer in the backwoods of Maine, pursuing his instructor ratings in the skydiving industry. After a 16-year career as a professional skydiver, Barry was all-in on Hiking My Feelings.Hailing from New Hampshire, he spent his life hiking and backpacking in the White Mountains, where he also earned his Wilderness EMT certification. Barry lives by Bruce Lee’s recommendation; “be like water” and finds inspiration in the works of Alan Watts and Jiddu Krishnamurti. When he’s not leading hikes for Hiking My Feelings, producing content for our weekly videos, or driving the van, you can find him on his paddleboard, at a local reggae show, or cooking up an incredible meal.
Register Here:
$399
Bring Your Own Van, RV, or Tent
Please note: our basecamp for the weekend is 25 miles down a bumpy dirt road with no services or facilities and very limited cell phone reception (if any). While just about any car can make it down this road, high clearance is recommended, but not required. If your car is electric, be sure to come to the event fully charged, as there are no charging stations available once we leave the town of Escalante.
Flying in from out of town? If you prefer to leave your gear at home, we have rental equipment available for the event for an additional fee. You will have an opportunity to request rental gear in the form below:
This event is sold out, fill the form above to be added to the waitlist in case of a cancellation.
Contact Us
Contact Us
Have questions about the event? Interested in sponsoring a spot for someone on the scholarship waitlist? We’re here to help!