You may have noticed we were a little quiet in August.
No newsletter. No long list of updates landing in your inbox. We were in full summer mode — beaches, vacations, lounging, unplugging, and hopefully a little more time outside doing absolutely nothing productive. Sometimes stepping away is exactly what we need.
But September is here, and with it comes that familiar shift.
Back to school. Back to work. Back to routines and fuller calendars. Back to the grind.
Or, perhaps, back to what grounds us.
For me, September is always a special month because it's my birthday month, and this year I'm entering it thinking quite a bit about people, place, and belonging.
First, I'll be heading back to my old liberal arts college for a reunion — returning to a familiar place and cozy catch-ups with people who share pieces of my history.
Then I'll trade familiarity for something very different: Morocco, where I'll be hiking Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest mountain, alongside a group of people I don't yet know.
And I love the contrast of that.
From people I know in a place that holds old memories, to strangers on a high mountain in a foreign land — connected, at first, by little more than a shared love of nature, adventure, and being outside together.
Because community can look like both.
Sometimes it's the people who've known you for decades. Sometimes it's the person you met an hour ago who's panting up the same mountain beside you. Sometimes we return to our roots, and sometimes we put ourselves somewhere entirely new and discover that we can grow roots there, too.
That's what I'm carrying into September, and it feels especially fitting for everything happening at We Hike to Heal this month.
We're coming together for our first-ever WH2H Day of Giving. We're celebrating one of our original co-founders as she grows a new idea rooted in getting people outside in the easiest ways possible. And we're looking ahead to a fall adventure that will take our community off the trail and onto the Chattahoochee River for something new!
So while September may be telling all of us it's time to get back to the grind, we'd like to offer another invitation:
Find what grounds you. Find your people - new or old. And keep making room to grow. 🌱
We've got some pretty wonderful things to share with you this month.
Circle Thursday, September 10th on your calendar because we're doing something we've never done before: bringing our entire community together for the first-ever We Hike to Heal Day of Giving!
For one day, we're asking the people who have hiked with us, healed with us, followed our journey, cheered us on, or simply believe that women deserve welcoming spaces to connect and heal outdoors to show up together.
And we really do mean together.
You don't need to make a huge gift to make a difference.
Start thinking about whether you might be able to give $5, $10 or $25 on September 10.
🌿 $5 matters. 🌿 $10 matters. 🌿 $25 can put journals into the hands of five women, giving them space to pause, reflect, and engage more deeply during a WH2H experience.
Because $25 isn't really about five journals.
It's five women being invited to stop and ask themselves a question they may not have had the space to consider.
And when hundreds of people who believe in this work each give a little? Those small acts become something much bigger: free hikes, supported volunteer Ambassadors, stronger programs, and more opportunities for women to find connection and healing in nature.
You don't have to "save the date," you can donate today!
Give a little. Share with a friend. Help us keep creating spaces where women can feel nurtured, safe and seen.
From Our Roots: Kenya's Next Adventure — Project 120
Many of you know Kenya Jackson-Saulters* as one of the original co-founders of We Hike to Heal, and we're excited to share what she's growing next!
Kenya has launched Project 120, a new initiative built around a wonderfully simple idea: aim to spend at least 120 minutes outside each week in support of your mental well-being.
Visit Kenya's new site to see all the magic she's created. (*And see the call back photo to Campout & Retreat 2022 with Kenya featured in the newsletter's header photo.)
And here's the best part: outside is outside.
Hiking counts. Gardening counts. Walking the dog counts. Paddling counts (see below). Sitting on your porch counts. Playing outside with your kids counts.
Project 120 offers research-backed outdoor inspiration, personalized activity ideas, and a growing community designed to help people create an outdoor habit that actually fits into their lives.
They're also asking a fun question right now on Instagram:
🌱 “Project 120, does this count?”
Share a photo or video of yourself doing anything outside, ask “Project 120, does this count?”, and tag Project 120 on IG.
Chances are, the answer is going to be: “It sure does.” 😉
We love seeing Kenya continue to build on the work and ideas that helped plant the earliest seeds of our own WH2H community — and we hope you'll join us in cheering her on.
We're usually inviting you to lace up your hiking shoes — but this fall, we're trading the trail for a paddle!
We Hike to Heal has been invited to join the Chattahoochee Nature Center + Wilderness Inquiry's Canoemobile for a special afternoon together on the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, Georgia.
And yes... it's FREE! 🙌
Several dates will be available between October 27 and November 6 for the WH2H community to gather at the Nature Center from 1-4pm. We'll spend about an hour paddling the Chattahoochee together in large group canoes, with additional time to explore CNC's beautiful trails, forests, wetlands, and river habitats with a WH2H Ambassador. Bring your journals and water bottles!
Never paddled before? Perfectly fine. This is a beginner-friendly experience with trained guides, and no previous canoeing experience is necessary. All canoeing equipment will be provided.
We're still working out our WH2H date and details, but for now we want to know:
🌊 Would you paddle with us?
Keep an eye on your inbox and our socials — we'll share the date and registration information on Eventbrite and our website's Calendar as soon as it's confirmed.
Let's Hike to Heal... and maybe Paddle to Heal, too. 😉
View of Atlanta from Kennesaw Mountain. (Photo: D. J.-A.)
🥾 Atlanta Friends — Come Find Us at REI!
If you're in the Atlanta area, come say hello to WH2H at Get Outside & Hike at REI Kennesaw on Saturday, September 19, from 11 AM–2 PM!
Our wonderful Board Member Leigh Hall will be representing We Hike to Heal with a table and special WH2H activation alongside other local outdoor organizations and enthusiasts.
🌿 Stop by to learn more about our work 🌿 Take part in our activation 🌿 Meet Leigh and connect with the outdoor community 🌿 And snag one of our brand-new WH2H stickers!
There's also a free guided hike at Kennesaw Mountain earlier that morning for anyone who wants to get some trail time in before heading to REI.
Come find us — we'd love to see some familiar WH2H faces! 💚
🕯️As I journey on into this birthday month of mine...
I keep thinking about how lucky we are that community can find us in so many places — around old tables with people who knew us when, on familiar trails close to home, or halfway up a mountain with someone whose name we only learned that morning.
Maybe that's part of what being grounded means: not always staying in one place, but knowing what helps us feel at home wherever we land.
And WH2H has become one of those places for me.
So before I sign off, I'll make one last little ask: if this community has meant something to you, please consider giving $5, $10, $25 — whatever feels right — toward our first-ever WH2H Day of Giving. Small gifts, gathered together from people who care about this work, can help us keep creating the kind of community I've been talking about throughout this newsletter.
I hope September brings you good people, fresh air, unexpected connection, and at least one moment that makes you stop and think, I'm really glad I'm here.
I'll be thinking of you from the trail.
See you outside, Deva + the We Hike to Heal Team 🌿
We Hike to Heal encourages women all over the world the world to tap into the healing and empowering influences within ourselves, our communities and the Great Outdoors.
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