About Us
Our mission is to educate and inspire youth and adults to live in deeper connection with the land, others, and themselves by weaving ancestral wisdom into a regenerative future.
Our Mission
The Way to Belonging
Our approach bridges the “hard” ancestral skills that prepare us for living with the land and “soft” eco-depth psychology practices that connect us to nature and our bodies. We are called to connect with the land by remembering our human ancestors’ practices of tending fire, crafting tools and art from natural resources, and understanding our earthly animal, plant, and fungal co-inhabitants. These skills are then woven into our lives hand-in-hand with personal and community ceremony, rites of passage, dream and grief tending, talking circles, music, and movement. By creating a container for a deeper conversation with the Earth and our own innate knowing, we are rewilded and welcomed home to our most natural state of being.
What WE Do HEre
The way back to our belonging on this Earth and the stories in our bones is the way to Soul. Formed by the interconnectedness of the human and more-than-human world, Rainwalk Rewild creates group containers that open the door to a deeper conversation with the land. We combine practical earth skills and soul-centric, land-based practices as offerings to help others rewild themselves, find community, and connect with nature.
Meet Our Guides
Rainwalk Rewild officially formed in 2023 when two passionate outdoor educators created the vision to open a wilderness-based program for kids and adults to deepen their connection to nature. They provide mentorship with a combined 25 years of experience thriving and guiding in the wild West.
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Co-Founder
Mycologist and feral Washington-native skater turned wilderness survival expert and outdoor educator, Matt prefers to be hunched over tracks in sandy soil under bridges rather than your typical Sunday brunch. Despite his tendency to stealth around in the forest unseen, he’s a really fun-gi.
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Co-Founder
Plant whisperer and adventure-seeker, Ansley hails from the deserts and pine forests of Arizona. At home with a guitar beside the crackling fire and a rolling river, she is equal parts forest fire and raindrops in the desert sand.
We’ve had the great pleasure and honor of teaching, guiding, and directing the following youth programs over the years:
Alderleaf Wilderness College
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Quiet Heart Wilderness School
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Raven's Roots Naturalist School
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New Vision Wilderness Therapy
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Wolf Camp
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Hawthorn Farms
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Greenwood Tree Educational Cooperative
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Trackers Earth Portland
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Alderleaf Wilderness College • Quiet Heart Wilderness School • Raven's Roots Naturalist School • New Vision Wilderness Therapy • Wolf Camp • Hawthorn Farms • Greenwood Tree Educational Cooperative • Trackers Earth Portland •
What is Rewilding?
To us, rewilding education goes beyond bringing people outside. Instead, we strive to strengthen a person’s bond to nature by creating safe, immersive experiences that stimulate resiliency, imagination, and curiosity. It’s about acknowledging the role humans and technology play in our ecosystem and actively choosing to play a different part. The truth of the matter is that we cannot simply continue acting as if we are greater nature rather than born from it. Our rewilding will be a love story for the Earth that follows the footsteps of deer and bends to cedar branches.
