Wilderness Heals

Thank you for visiting the Wilderness Heals blog. Wilderness Heals is an all-women, three-day annual pledge hike that benefits the Elizabeth Stone House (ESH), a Boston-based emergency shelter, transitional housing program, and therapeutic community that provides services to women and children who are escaping violence and overcoming trauma. By encouraging hikers to set challenging physical, emotional, and financial goals, Wilderness Heals mirrors the experiences of hundreds of women who have sought help from the Stone House. Committing to hike is a way to grow personally while simultaneously standing in solidarity with women of the Stone House and women everywhere who are working to overcome the effects of violence in their lives.
Wilderness Heals 2011 will take place July 15-17, 2011. Registration materials may be downloaded here.
Go here to view the 2011 routes, and visit our Who's Who page to meet this year's team leaders and Recruitment Committee members.
Want to learn more? Visit our list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Still have questions? Contact Erika Whyte, Wilderness Heals event coordinator, at 781-726-0551 or ewhyte@elizabethstone.org.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Choose Your Own Adventure on Mounts Morgan and Percival

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s is likely familiar with Choose Your Own Adventure, a series of children's books that allows the reader to make choices that determine the main character's actions. After the reader makes a choice, the plot branches out and unfolds, leading to more decisions and multiple endings. And so it was on the five-mile loop over Mounts Morgan and Percival: hikers could chose to summit via scenic cliffs or through caves. They decided to scramble through the caves, which required passing their packs through the extremely narrow openings before wedging themselves through. On their way down from Mount Morgan, they climbed through a second set of caves and discovered a ledge with a 40-foot drop. The only way to get down was via three wooden ladders that were bolted to the side of the cliffs. Everyone agreed that the ladders and caves were their favorite part of the day because, although they were the most challenging, they allowed for the most teamwork. Above: Ginevra, Vicky, Kathleen, Michaela, Jo-Ann, and Keri on the summit of Mount Morgan.

Keri takes a brief break as she climbs Mount Percival.

Kathleen wiggles through the narrow opening of the cave on Mount Percival.

Vicky squeezes her way through a cave.

The sun shines through an opening in the cave.

Michaela and Kathleen climb to the summit of Mount Percival.

Sisters Michaela and Ginevra summit their first mountain together.

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