HIKING TOUR
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Big Bend National Park
February 7-11th, 2024
Terlingua, TX
If you love outdoor adventures and connecting with other therapists, join us for 5 days and 4 nights in the Chisos Mountains!
This is an all-inclusive hiking tour for women. There's no better way to realign and reconnect than in nature. This retreat will focus on self-care for managing compassion fatigue and burnout.
If you enjoy exploring the outdoors, hiking in the desert pines, kayaking, eating, laughing, and the most beautiful sunsets in Texas...this tour has your name all over it!
Take off the many hats you wear and allow someone else to take care of YOU for 5 days.
What's Included
➜ Lodging in a beautiful desert Ranch House on 1,000 acres
➜ Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, and Spirits
➜ Dinner at the Starlight Theatre
➜ Four Spectacular Hikes
➜ Guided Kayak Trip from Big Bend Ranch (Half-Day)
➜ Daily Groups focused on Self-Care: Body, Mind and Mindfulness
➜ Sunset Summit Overlooking the Chisos Mountain range
➜ 8 CEs (NBCC Approved)
You will not want to miss this hiking and kayak adventure!
Limited Availability
Hiking & River Trip
Three days of hiking in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park. You will hike four popular trails, between BBNP and BBSP. The views are spectacular! You will take a half-day guided canoe trip on the river where we will set in at Big Bend State Park.
Beautiful Desert Lodging
You will share accommodations in a beautiful , 4000 sq ft home on the edge of the national park, between Terlingua and Lajitas. This is camp-style lodging with king sized beds accommodating 2 per bed. Come with a buddy or pair with another therapist. There are two sofa beds available and several futons if you do not Cant to share. Check-in at 5pm on April 7th and Check-out at 10am on April 11th.
Food & Spirits
All your meals will be provided by your host, including hiking snacks. We will offer wine and beer selections at dinner and on our sunset summit. One evening we will eat dinner as a group at the famous Starlight Theatre. This cost is covered in your registration. We do our best to accommodate food needs. If you do not like the menu, you will need to bring supplemental food items.
Reflection Groups
We will open each morning with a group session offering strategies for self-care. We will share struggles with care and practice new skills. You will be asked to use trail reflections, which we will process during each evening group. We will offer one another a safe space to be open about fears, insecurities, struggles, and compassion fatigue. You will leave feeling refreshed, heard, seen, and supported! We ask that you follow the group agreement which will be provided.
8 CEU (NBCC Approved)
Other Items Included
Providing a safe and fun adventure in the mountains requires communication and preparation. We want you to feel prepared and not overwhelmed. We will be sending you lots of information!
Private FB Group
You will be added to a private group where you can ask questions and coordinate with us and show your training progress.
Gear List
We will provide you with a list of the essential items you will need for hiking and adventures. You will not be allowed to hike unless you have the proper amount of water.
Travel Plans
We will provide you with options and information for getting to Terlingua, TX. You are welcome to ride in the van with me to Terlingua and back, which departs from Buda, TX.
Fitness
We will send you suggestions and tips for getting fit for the hikes.
Hiking
You will receive information on the trails we plan to hike and hiking etiquette while on the trails.
Transportation
We will transport everyone to the trailheads and back in a 12-passenger van.
Hiking is Healing
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order"- J.B.
➜ Sooth and clear your mind
Submersing yourself in nature allows you to be more mindful. Being active stimulates creativity and thought. Hiking improves mental and physical health, improves self-esteem, and contributes to happiness.
➜ Bilateral stimulation
Walking in the woods activates your brain. You are using repetitive movement and using right and left visual and physical movement. We will offer several EMDR exercises for you to use while hiking.
➜ Doing hard things outside your comfort zone allows for "flow". We know that stretching yourself and being creative produces the most alpha waves found in "flow" state.
Hiking is Connection
""Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Einstein
➜ Going out is going in
We are so busy in our lives that we often need more time stepping away from the noise so we can go inside and heal. Being in nature allows us to process and sort our thoughts, reducing compassion fatigue and burnout.
➜ Support and encouragement
Hiking is a great way to connect to nature and other people. Hiking in a small group allows you to be fully present in conversation. Supporting one another with encouragement while working toward a shared goal is extremely rewarding.
➜ Somatic awareness
Hiking, especially with elevation gains, allows you to focus on your body. You become aware of posture, breathing, etc. Hiking brings somatic awareness.
Home Base on the Summit
We will stay together, as a small group, in this beautiful desert ranch house on 1,000 acres. The ranch house and bunk house comfortably sleeps 12 people. The lodging is shared and not exclusively private. Rooms with king-sized beds will require sharing. You can come with a friend or be paired with another guest. There is a futon in each room if you do not want to share. This is camp-style lodging in a newly renovated house with an open floor plan. We will share meals together and the huge patio is wonderful for star gazing. Big Bend National Park is a dark zone and the town is only allowed to use low lighting, which means you will see millions of stars. This retreat will focus on hiking and supporting one another. There are no spa services included. Plus, my back and foot rubs are awful! Haha! There will be plenty of parking and it is close to both Terlingua and Lajitas. The drive to the summit is gravel and not paved but so worth the views.
Your Host
My name is Dawn and I cannot wait to host this tour for you! I started hiking several years ago as a form of self-care and I LOVE it! While on a hiking trip last year, I dreamed of creating a hiking and adventure retreat just for therapists. What we do is hard and we don't always have avenues for processing all that we hear as healers. This tour gives you the space to just be you! What better place to connect with yourself and others than outside on a trail? Bilateral stimulation, yes please! We will address your struggles, fears, insecurities, frustrations, and desires. We will explore self-care and lifestyle. You will receive strategies to use on each hike to help process and regulate. We will address mind, body, and spirit. This is going to be an awesome getaway and I'm really excited for you. The desert is a great place to relax and get grounded...not even joking about the stars! I look forward to meeting each of you. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Dawn Brunkenhoefer, PhD, LPC-S
NBCC ACEP No. 7235
Limited to 8 Women
Healers Hiking & Canoe Tour
Big Bend National Park
ALL-INCLUSIVE
February 7-11, 2024
➜ Beautiful group lodging 5 days/4 nights
➜ All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, hiking snacks, spirits, dinner reservations at the Starlight Theatre, and a sunset summit toast
➜ 4 planned day hikes, transportation to trail heads, guided half-day river canoe trip in the canyon, tons of resources and information
➜ Daily groups, EMDR and mindfulness strategies for self-care and compassion fatigue, 8 CEUs (TX Approved)
All participants are required to sign a release of liability waiver.
Does not include travel insurance, airfare, or guide gratuities. This tour does not offer individual or group counseling interventions.
There is a 50% non-refundable deposit. If cancelled with less than 90 days' notice, guest is responsible for 75% of total cost.
The Practice Class. LLC
[email protected]
www.thepracticeclass.com
(512) 523-8777
PO Box 331
Buda, TX 78610
