What's Going On?  

Reading the Wild in Tracks, Trees, and Time

Introduction by Terry Hunefeld:  Three different workshops. Three radically different locations. While these sessions all share the same name, each one is entirely distinct from the others. They unfold in markedly different habitats, with unique animals, vegetation, and natural stories waiting to be uncovered. Each day carries its own emphasis and discoveries. With more than 40 acres of riverfront and redwood forest at Camp Ravencliff, along with a dozen other of Kim Cabrera's favorite tracking spots across Humboldt County, no two days will remotely resemble each other. 

Sam Describes His Workshops Like This: 

During our workshops together, we’ll engage all of our senses and move through the landscape to explore the simple question of “What is going on?” Nothing will escape our attention. We will examine every obscure mark in the earth to parse out the clues for who was there and what they were doing.  Faint scratches on bark?  Who?  Subtle marks in the mud?  We’ll figure it out together. 

 Tracking, birding, botanizing, philosophizing, and storytelling happen together, building a full picture of time, space, and context. We’ll share stories—yours and mine—and spend the time on what matters most: dirt time, simply being present on the land. There is a particular satisfaction in walking a riverbank as the sun moves overhead, attuned to everything that surrounds you.

By the end of our time together, the way you read the natural world will have changed. These “exploratory outings” into the wild invite a steady attention to details most people walk past, revealing connections and insights that feel both grounded and expansive.  Many participants leave with a clearer sense of how much is happening all the time in the wild and a stronger desire to keep learning.  I would love to have you with me, exploring new ground together.