Beautiful at any time of year, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) wilderness is exceptional in the Fall, and a place of enormous spiritual potential. And, we’ll be staying in a beautiful and rustic log cabin deep in the woods.

2011 Trips and Newsletter

February 3, 2011

sea kayak group

Dear RITW Alumni and Friends:

Does this photograph fill you with WOW! and a deep breath of peace? Every time I look at it I'm taken back to the serenity of that sunset and the awe it inspired.

Despite the economy, 2010 was a good year for Renewal in the Wilderness. I want to thank all who, despite tight times, still felt it was important to their spiritual lives to join us. On our trips there was a lot of fun, wonderful decompression, connection (and re-connection) and people who found the reset buttons for their lives.

Here are our trips for 2011. We hope you'll join us ... and please forward this to friends who might enjoy some time in nature, intentionally looking for a deeper/different way to connect to their spiritual lives.

Please note that there are scholarships available for UCC clergy.

kayaking Lake Powell Utah

5-8 Day Trips

#1: Kayaking in Lake Powell, Utah

Imagine stars that don't exist in the city. Imagine a painted sky at the end of the day that changes from a breathtaking sunset to that star-filled night so brilliant that it defies description. Imagine sleeping under those stars. And during the day kayaking to petroglyphs and natural land bridges that have been submerged for sixty years. Imagine getting away from all the distractions of your civilized life and returning to a slower pace that allows you to reconnect to yourself and to your spiritual side. All in the desert which, for reasons we'll discover, was the birthing room for many religions. The desert is a magical and seemingly barren place, but rich for our purposes, and gorgeous.

DATES: April 10-April 16, 2011
COST: $1835 for clergy, $2165 for lay people
MINIMUM NEEDED: six (6)
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: March 18, 2011

NOTE: because we're late getting this newsletter out, our delay is your gain. Knowing that the time is short to consider this trip and set aside the time (and register, of course), we'll try to help the process with a 5% discount for those who register by March 2.

Sea kayaking Alaska

#2: Sea Kayaking in Alaska, Kenai Fjords National Park

If you've been to Alaska you know how big, majestic and humbling this place is. We are so tiny compared to its immensity, which makes it perfect for our purposes. Remote, pristine and rarely visited, Northwestern Fjord in Kenai Fjords National Park is one of the world's most remarkable sea kayaking destinations, and embodies all the deep and simple spiritual values that were so eloquently described in the 2010 PBS special on the national parks. We'll paddle amidst small icebergs and seals while watching glaciers calve into protected waters. This stunning location is all the more dramatic and poignant when we realize that the fjords we're paddling in were under a mile of ice just 100 years ago. Join us in one of the world's most gorgeous, wild wilderness places. This is a bucket-list trip!

DATES: July 10-15, 2011
(6 days, but allow extra time to see other parts of this indescribable state)
COST: $2,315 for clergy, $2,730 for lay people (per person)
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: April 1, 2011

#3: Sea Kayaking in Lake Superior: Apostle Islands, Wisconsin

Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world ... so big it seems like an ocean, and it inspires appropriate awe. Rich in sea caves, lighthouses, wind-and-water carved arches and pillars, and sandy shores the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a kayaker's dream. And what an amazing place for a spiritual journey! This pristine collection of islands offer stunning scenery that is uniquely accessible to kayaks. We'll spend six days paddling the deep blue waters of Lake Superior, sleeping each night under the immense inland ocean sky. If we have clear nights we'll see stars that you'll think were invented for our trip; we'll marvel as the Milky Way arcs from one horizon to the other (something you will never see in more populated areas), and with a full moon we can kayak down the reflected moon beams. That is a magical experience! This is also a bucket list spiritual and physical adventure.

DATES: August 26-August 31, 2011 (6 days)
COST: $1170 for clergy, $1395 for non-clergy
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: July 6, 2011
PLEASE NOTE: Prior experience/instruction is highly recommended.

#4: Canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota

Early Fall in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. In the Lower 48, for me, the Boundary Waters defines the spiritually of the wilderness. The leaves will be changing, the tourists and mosquitoes will be gone, and for the most part we'll have this extraordinary pristine and intimate area to ourselves. On past trips we have seen or heard wolves, beaver, otter, loons, ducks, geese, eagles, muskrat, moose, etc. Beautiful at any time of year, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) wilderness is exceptional in the Fall, and a place of enormous spiritual potential. And, we’ll be staying in a beautiful and rustic log cabin deep in the woods. We’ll sleep on beds, take saunas each evening, and enjoy sit-down toilets. This is for all those who said they’d like to do a trip with RITW if they could just sleep in a bed, etc. We’re calling your bluff!

DATES: September 3-10, 2011 (8 days)
COST: $1,530 for clergy, $1,800 for lay people (per person)
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: June 3, 2011

sea kayak trip crete greece

#5: Sea Kayaking in Crete, Greece

Imagine the history and antiquity of where we'll be. It staggers the mind! We'll spend our days kayaking in the blue, blue Libyan Sea on the south coast of Crete, and spend each night in an intimate seaside inn. We’ll also do a day hike in the Samarian Gorge (for those who are able and willing); visit Minoan ruins (home of the mythical Minotaur); visit an 11th century chapel dedicated to St. Paul and walk where Paul walked. We'll eat delicious, healthy Mediterranean food every day. We’ll practice yoga and meditate on the beach. Simply being in Crete, doing what we’ll do is a spiritual experience in itself, and when we add the intentional spiritual component, in this place, with its history … wow! There is nothing wrong with this picture! Valid passports, of course, required.

DATES: September 26-October 3, 2011 (8 days)
COST: $3,865 for clergy, $4,340 for lay people (per person)
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: July 26, 2011

Three day canoe trips Wisconsin River

Three Day Trips on the Utterly Beautiful Wisconsin River

The Wisconsin River is a midwestern gem. It's broad—about 1/4 mile—and it flows at an easy 3 mph. It's dotted with beautiful, wooded sand islands where we camp and take rest breaks. We'll see bald eagles, blue herons, kingfishers, sand hill cranes, sometimes muskrat and beaver, and more. These shorter Wisconsin canoe trips are an easy way to get the Renewal in the Wilderness experience. Although not as "deep wilderness" as some of our other trips, this gentle river is a wonderful place to renew, or find, your relationship with God.

DATES (and deadlines for registration): 6/17-19 (5/29), 7/23-25 (6/19), 8/12-14 (7/12), 10/21-23 (for Fall foliage) (10/2)
COST: $450

One Day Trips: on the Kishwaukee River near Rockford, IL

The Kishwaukee is one of the two cleanest rivers in Illinois, and is home to osprey, blue heron, kingfishers, geese, ducks and many other feathered and furred animals. This is an eight-hour trip by canoe or kayak, and is a wonderful "taste" of what's possible on longer trips into the wilderness.

DATES (and deadlines for registration): 5/21 (5/11), 6/4 (5/25), 7/30 (7/20), 10/15 (foliage trip) (10/05)
COST: $165

PLEASE NOTE: Renewal in the Wilderness also runs many custom trips for groups. How may we help you?

OTHER THINGS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

In the near future we'll:

Offer on-line sign up for our trips.
Offer a "donate" button on our website. RITW is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), and now we'll make it possible to support RITW, should you so desire, on-line.

Other things of interest:

We were featured three times on PBS and once on ABC in the past year. Please see In the News to view them.
An international magazine, Presence, ran a ten page article about our trips. Click on this link if you'd like to get a really good idea of what happens on our trips and the fun we have.
My book, Renewal in the Wilderness: A Spiritual Guide to Connecting With God in the Natural World, continues to sell well, and continues to lead people into wilderness spiritual adventures of their own. It's available through the publisher (SkyLight Paths Publishing), through Amazon (15 5-star ratings; also available on Amazon's Kindle), and in bookstores across the world.
Please become a Facebook fan of Renewal in the Wilderness. Easy to do. And if you're on LinkedIn and have taken a trip with us (and assuming you had a meaningful time on your trip), please write a recommendation; it helps. Thank you.

Many blessings to each of you. I hope to see you on a wilderness trip soon.

John Lionberger for Renewal in the Wilderness

RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY: John Lionberger's Renewal in the Wilderness book now available. > BUY NOW