Meet your guide…

     I am a certified Forest Therapy Guide for groups and individuals, adults and children, on unhurried meditative forest walks where they connect with the forest, others in their company, and themselves.  I have always found peace and joy within the woods where I played, camped, and hiked.  Shortly after retiring from a long career in education, I had taken a guided forest walk/forest bath and was hooked! It was very different from the usual hikes and environmental activities I had engaged in.  I noticed that I, as well as the other participants, had slowed from our usual frenzied pace and deeply relaxed into sensory beauty the forest offered.  Because of this experience, I knew I wanted to provide this opportunity for others.      During the secluded, restless days of the following year, I completed the Forest Therapy Guide training and earned my certification through the Association of Forest and Nature Therapy.  Since then, I have guided walks in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Colorado.  Every walk is different, as the natural world is ever-changing, and each person receives what they need from the gifts of the woods. I am the guide, and the forest is the therapist!      A good depth of research indicates that Forest Bathing regulates our heart rates, eases stress, and bolsters our immune systems.  I am always delighted when research verifies what our experience knows!  Being in the forest is good for us; taking the time slow down and open our senses to this part of the world from which we can become alienated, is a gift to each of us.  It is an honor to share this through guiding you!       In addition to my Forest Therapy Guide certification, I am certified in Wilderness First Aid.  I have extensive experience with children in environmental education.  Also, I completed a B.S. in education, an M.S. in Counseling, and graduate programs in School Counseling and K-12 Principal Certification and enjoyed a long career as a teacher, counselor and principal.   Forest Guiding is my Act 2!