At Wild Solitude Guiding, our purpose is teaching people how to reconnect with nature. Therefore, we have designed a selection of offerings with two goals in mind: building practical skills to keep us safe, found, and having fun in the outdoors, and learning to hone our intuition, awareness and attunement to the world around us.
There are three skills we need to build as outdoors-people, both in order to be safe as well as build a sense of connection with the land.
Awareness– Without the capacity to truly take in what is happening around us, we are at risk of getting lost, failing to notice object hazards, and are unable to build a sense of attunement with the land.
Discernment– Lack of discernment will lead you to ruin. Making egoic, hasty or irrational decisions is a major factor in preventable accidents. Honing your discernment will protect you in both the outdoors and your every day life.
Problem Solving– Sometimes, things still happen that are outside of our control, and it’s up to us to find our way out of an unfavorable situation. Learn how to evaluate the circumstances, take advantage of the resources you have available to you, and problem solve your way through any crisis, big or small.
Edible Plant Walk
If you’re looking to dip your toes in to the world of foraging and edible plants, this quick, fun 90 minute walk is the best way to maximize your time.
A one mile loop at a popular local hiking spot near Multnomah Falls introduces you to 25+ edible plants and the foundational concepts of foraging in a beautiful setting.
Near Multnomah Falls
$95/person, 90 minutes duration
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
Wilderness Competency Skills
Learn how to evaluate risks in the outdoors, practice discernment, make evidence-based decisions, attune to your surroundings, and problem solve your way out of any situation.
Most wilderness safety classes focus on what to do IN an emergency. This classes focuses on prevention, through building your capacity for discernment, awareness & problem solving as well as effective risk management strategies.
Near Multnomah Falls
$185/person, 3 hours duration
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
Foraged Winter Tea Tasting Experience
Dive deeper into wild edible plant education with this fun, accessible class.
Enjoy a one mile educational plant walk experience that includes a visit to a waterfall. Along the way, we gather ingredients as we learn about edible plants growing beside the trail.
Class finishes with a tea tasting experience using whatever we foraged, plus a selection of other teas brewed from ingredients I’ve gathered in my recent travels across the Pacific Northwest.
Near Multnomah Falls
$185/person, 3 hours duration
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
Understanding Landscapes of the Pacific Northwest
Take your love of nature one step further and learn how to read the stories written into the landscape by the presence and absence of plants.
This class is part nature connection practice, part ecology lesson and evolves with the seasons. Whether you are new to the outdoors or a seasoned outdoor professional, the land always has more to teach you.
Near Multnomah Falls
$185/person, 3 hours duration
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
Adventure Camp Weekend
Join the Wild Solitude crew in the magical landscape called The Criterion, where we will hike, camp, explore, and learn new wilderness skills together in a safe, supportive environment.
Expect off trail hiking, route-finding, map reading, charismatic megafauna, sweeping views, and fascinating landscapes as we traverse the sagebrush steppe together.
If you want to become a more independent outdoors person, this is your fast track to understanding essential skills, learning to read stories written into the landscape & finding your connection with place.
2 Days, One Night near Maupin, Oregon
January 16th & 17th
February 20th & 21st
March 13th & 14th
May 15th & 16th
June 19th & 20th
$600/person
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
Attention Span Bootcamp: A Supported Contemplative Experience
What would the land reveal to you if you took the time to sit and experience the passing of an entire day without distractions?
Join us on the Criterion Tract this spring & fall for a supported, solitary, contemplative “sit spot” practice that invites you to slow down, pay attention, and remember why you’re here.
Maupin, OR
March 21st 7am-3pm
April 17th 7am-3pm
May 9th 7am-3pm
June 13th 7am-3pm
$250/person
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
Seasonal Forest Foraging Class
A two-hour edible plant walk held at my personal favorite foraging spot in the Columbia Gorge.
Meet 25+ common edible plants and learn how to build your own holistic & sustainable foraging practice.
In this class you will learn how to:
– Identify and work with 25+ wild edible plants
– Avoid common pitfalls like poisonous lookalikes
– Expand your palate to include a wider range of flavors
– Understand seasonality and how to time your harvests
– Practical ways to build reciprocity & practice stewardship with the land
– Use your foraging practice to create community, connect with others & build a relationship with the more-than-human world.
$100/person
Saturday, October 24th 2026, 10am-12pm
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation.
How To Plan Adventures
The secret to success in any wilderness endeavor lies in the planning stage.
In this class, we teach you how to find new places to hike, camp and explore using digital resources, maps, books and more.
You’ll learn our best strategies for planning everything from road trips to a casual day hike, what to pack and how to develop your own packing strategy.
We’ll talk about reading maps, finding cool secret spots everywhere you go, and how to best utilize the wealth of public lands we have to enjoy here in the Pacific Northwest.
If you love our mini guides and trip planning services, this is the class that teaches you how to do it for yourself.
Held in the City of Portland
$185/person, 3 hours duration
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation. This is a private 1:1 class scheduled at your convenience.
Overcoming Fear & Mindset Blocks
We live in a society that overemphasizes the risks of time spent outdoors while downplaying the risks of modern life.
If you are ready to begin a new chapter in your life…
One that centers competency and connection with wild places….
brings you closer to your ambitions of confident solo travel…
Supports you in engaging all your senses to navigate the natural world…
And leads you home to yourself…
For some of us, the challenge does not lie in overcoming physical obstacles, but in facing and embracing our internal ones.
Learn to separate your anxiety from your intuition, and take some time to pick apart the fears you have around time spent outdoors.
$250/person, 3 hours duration
Ready to sign up? Fill out this form to request a reservation. This is a private 1:1 class scheduled at your convenience.
Questions? Suggestions? Crazy Ideas? Drop it in the comment box below and we will get right back to you!
Ready to learn more? Follow us on instagram!
- TOPOPHILIA: Surviving a Near Fatal Accident & Celebrating Irrational Optimism with Aaron Smith
- TOPOPHILIA: Transforming Climbing Culture and Listening to Indigenous Voices with Climbing Guide Bennett Rahn
- TOPOPHILIA: Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail, Becoming a Whitewater Guide and Protecting Their Peace, with Ash Manning
- TOPOPHILIA: Overcoming Fears, Writing Guidebooks & Finding Friendly Forests with Hike Oregon’s Franziska Weinheimer
- TOPOPHILIA: Relationship With Place and the Humbling Unpredictability of Elk with Hunting Guide Tyler Houck
Posts of Interest
There is No Moon, There Are No Stars
June 10, 2020
Lest You Forget Why We Came
June 22, 2020
