Better late than never! That is how I describe the day I finally registered for The Immersion at Wilderness Awareness School. Occasionally, I think about choices I might have made differently had I graduated from this life-changing program decades earlier, but I heed the advice of Galway Kinnell in his poem, Wait: “Distrust everything if […]
We chose to raise our son Brayden in Duvall specifically so we could make Wilderness Awareness School a significant part of his life. I wanted him to grow up with these beautiful people and with all that the school provides. WAS is an essential part of his education and childhood. Your help through donations builds […]
One of the greatest gifts in life- especially in our increasingly wired society- is to have a deep connection to nature. In a world that’s always changing, nature is our one constant. We can rely on the sense of well-being that comes from basking in the sunshine, the awe that comes from absorbing the sheer […]
I began my journey with Wilderness Awareness School (WAS) by boarding a plane, alone for the first time, to track wolves in the Idaho backcountry. I was a freshman with a fascination for wolves and that first true wilderness experience was transformational. I went from liking nature to considering nature to be an essential part […]
I believe in taking a deep breath of fresh forest air. I believe in feeling free as you romp through the trees. I believe in cooling your feet in a chilly mountain stream and letting your worries wash away with the current. I believe in spending time with nature. My family has lived in a […]
Like most of you, I have spent a lot of time in all types of classrooms. At university, I studied literary theory, plant taxonomy, ethnobotany, and even how to ride a horse. In the Army, I went through jump school, language school, and how-to-soldier school. However, the most significant school for my career as a […]
I am so grateful for the opportunity my son, Finn, has had to spend Fridays in Duvall with the Jackals, learning from his environment and from the strong community of teens and mentors. Last October, shortly after Finn started at a new school that wasn’t a good fit for him, his little fire burned down […]
I’m John Gasparich, a graduate of the 2008-2009 Immersion program, and an apprentice the following year in the Nature Instructor Training program. I also met my wife, Khylynowey, during the program. After my apprenticeship, my wife and I moved to Canada, to the farm where she was raised. In the first year of living on […]
In 2005, I came to The Immersion at Wilderness Awareness School to find an empowered connection to the living world. Over a decade later, I am fortunate to work here helping people as they find that for themselves. It was here that I deepened my love for this part of the world, and made connections […]