by Karen Kirsch I remember when my children’s father, Mark, died. We had a big snow storm, unusual for the land around the Salish Sea. Everyone was staying home; the world had stopped. I was grateful that the usual demands had been dropped. It felt so right. I was stilling on the couch staring out at the snow and beauty of the trees and deep muffled quiet. Grief demands this of us, stop, be with what is, and feel. It is then, when we are most vulnerable, that it can be hard to set a boundary, to scream to the world it’s time to stop. And it’s when we need it most. Grief revisits us again and a ..read more

In the 2023 season, Wild Grief spread our branches wide. Today, we share a remarkable harvest from our many successful programs that help people navigate the turmoil of loss and grief. We are no longer in the early growth stages, we are an established and trusted sanctuary offering a unique form of support. A longtime supporter of ours wrote, “Grief is part of living, but we don’t always like to acknowledge that.” As uncomfortable as it may be to think about, we are all going to experience loss and we are all going to die one day. We all want and deserve sturdy support systems, not only for ou ..read more

Since our humble beginnings, we have tailored our programs to meet the needs of our community, slowly growing year by year. Last year, we introduced our Family Journey Campout program, led more teen backpacking trips than ever before and led our first young adult backpacking trip. We added more day hikes and collaborated with the Seattle Children's Hospital Journey program to host our first hike in Spanish.  This year, after hiring an additional staff member, we were able to serve 60% more people all while maintaining the same number of programs as last year. We are thrilled to wrap up th ..read more

Our central values of nature, exploration and connection guide us in  crafting all our programs. These core values are deeply rooted in everything we do, ensuring that we not only provide guidance for people's grief journey, but also instill a sense of wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the world around us. Everything we do, we do outdoors; fresh air allows us to breathe deep. We learn to explore our emotional landscape as well as the physical terrain. We do it all  together - we believe in the power of peer support. We can go through anything if we don’t have to do it alone ..read more

Growing together: Being locally rooted  Wild Grief is deeply rooted in the South Puget Sound soil. We provide a stable footing for those pathfinding their uncharted territory of grief, fostering a lasting bond with the raw beauty of this place. Wild Grief’s firm grounding in our community is our foundation that makes a lasting impact, reminding us all that from the smallest seed, something extraordinary can flourish. In 2015, our founders were facilitating traditional grief support groups and observed how much more progress and healing occurred through movement, leaving daily routines and ..read more

JESSICA NEAL Age: 18 Hometown: Winlock, WA 2018 teen hike participant and Wild Grief board member, shares her journey of hope and healing through grief support groups.  Favorite quote: “If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will go through life believing it is stupid.” What is your experience with grief? My mother died when I was 15 from ovarian cancer at the age of 52, in 2016. I recently left my house because of family issues as well. How did you hear about Wild Grief, and why did you decide to go on the trip last year? I heard about it through Sound Care Kids. One of ..read more

by Julia Clevinger, Wild Grief Young Adult Program Participant Growing up, I had a tendency to view my mom as the sun. Warm and bright, she sustained my life. Her blond hair emulated the brightness she gave the world around her, her kindness and generosity knew no boundaries. And, if I was around her too much, especially as a teenager, I would feel burned out. Tired, argumentative, and wishing that I could recharge in the shade for a day away from her.  Julia & her mom On the day that she died, I believed that the sun left the Earth. The world looked and felt dark, I didn’t believe t ..read more

Self-Led Grief Walks Grabación para Caminar con su Duelo en Español (Spanish Self-Guided Grief Walk) Guided Grief Walk: Belonging Take Yourself on a Grief Walk Guided Grief Walk ..read more

At Wild Grief we try to hold life in all its complexity, and Thanksgiving is a holiday that is rich with complexity. For some, gathering together with family on Thanksgiving may be a tradition we grew up with. The focus on gratitude, family, and togetherness may bring warm feelings of love and gratitude. For those of us who have lost a loved one, Thanksgiving may be a time of grieving as we feel our losses more acutely, and are forced to adapt and make new traditions without our loved ones present. This year, as the pandemic makes it unsafe to gather in groups, even those who haven’t lost a l ..read more

Wild Grief was born and lives to support people in their loss and mourning. Through the events of the last weeks, we are once again witnessing the grief and pain experienced by communities of color, especially Black and Indigenous communities, both historically and today. We join in mourning the recent deaths of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery and the many whose names we do not know. This is not only about speaking up right now; the work to change the harms of systemic racism is in many actions over time, at the personal and organizational levels. There is much to ..read more