Applications are now live for Reconnect Earth’s Summer 2019 trips, an unforgettable eight-day experience backpacking and camping in Washington’s North Cascades, while learning about ecology, human and natural history, and grassroots social change. On a summer trip you’ll hike through ancient forests, climb to alpine lakes, or look down onto glaciers during one of our trips focused on harnessing your potential as an agent of positive social and environmental change.

Apply to join a trip here!

Washington’s North Cascades mountains are home to a National Park, multiple federally-designated Wilderness Areas, and some of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. The region’s towering old-growth forests, alpine meadows, and rushing rivers are also sites of ongoing struggles over colonialism, Indigenous sovereignty, and resource extraction. On each Reconnect Earth trip we’ll explore what it means to work for social justice and environmental sustainability on contested land, while experiencing some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. 

Reconnect Earth is offering trips during two sets of dates in Summer 2019:

• June 24th – July 1st (trip full)
• August 19th – August 26th (space still available!) 

Because of our low overhead we are able to offer trips at a significantly lower cost than comparable backpacking experiences. Tuition for an eight-day Reconnect Earth trip is $450, with scholarships available for those for whom this is a genuine financial hardship (you’ll have the chance to submit a scholarship request as part of the application process). The first step to joining a trip is to fill out our application form. Apply now.

Reconnect Earth’s summer trips are open to college students and other self-identified young adults ages 18 and up. Our trips will engage your mind as much as your body as we travel up steep mountains and down into glacial valleys while re-conceptualizing our relationships with the land in ways you may never have imagined. No prior hiking or backpacking experience is needed to participate and we are committed to supporting participants with special needs.

Sound like your kind of adventure? Apply here and we’ll follow up with you soon. If you have questions about trip logistics or requirements, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Hope to see you this summer!

Reconnect Earth visited Bellingham’s Boulevard Park this Saturday for a walk following the edge of Bellingham Bay, during which we searched for marine invertebrates, birds, and other sea life. Seven of us explored the water’s edge and followed the over-water walkway to Fairhaven, stopping to observe any organisms we found along the way.

Bellingham Bay supports a variety of marine ecosystems including sandy beaches, rocking shores, and eel grass beds. When exploring the beaches we admired oysters and discussed the effects of ocean acidification; picked up clam, mussel, limpet, and crab shells; and examined washed-up kelp and eel grass. An examination of some submerged boulders revealed a small chiton–an ancient type of mollusk–clinging to a rock face just beneath the water’s surface.

Farther out from shore a harbor seal poked its head above the waves, while a variety of birds hunted for food. With the help of a spotting scope we were able to identify surf scoters–a very distinctive-looking type of duck (pictured below) that uses its powerful beak to crack open marine mussel shells–far out on the bay. Slightly closer in a loon surfaced holding a small fish that it quickly swallowed. Common and Barrow’s goldeneye ducks came near enough to identify even with the naked eye. However, it took binoculars to make out the beautiful golden eyes that give these birds their name.

At the end of our walk we took time to write letters to our Washington state legislators, urging them to support proposed bills that would help protect the Salish Sea and the creatures who call it home from toxic pollutants, catastrophic oil spills, and other threats. By advancing important pieces of legislation this year, Washington’s lawmakers have a crucial opportunity to protect the Salish Sea ecosystem that includes Bellingham Bay.

Saturday’s visit to the bay was Reconnect Earth’s first weekend trip in 2019, but it won’t be the last time we get outside this winter. See the full list of trips coming up here.

Reconnect Earth is excited to announce our schedule of winter and spring trips for students is now available online! Sign up here to join us for a hike or other excursion focused on deepening our relationship with the landscape of Northwest Washington.

This winter and spring Reconnect Earth will be leading hikes through the forests and mountains around Bellingham; exploring the history of colonialism, immigration, and Indigenous sovereignty that has shaped the landscape we now live in; and traveling to Olympia to participate in the 2019 Environmental Lobby Day at the State Capitol.

From hiking to wild places like Lost Lake in the Chuckanut Mountains and the Chanterelle Trail overlooking Lake Whatcom, to visiting sites in downtown Bellingham that have born witness to struggles over Indigenous and immigrant rights, Reconnect Earth’s winter and spring 2019 trips are opportunities to see Northwest landscapes in an eye-opening new way. See the full list of trips and sign up here!

This past Saturday, Reconnect Earth led a group of eight Western Washington University students on a hike at Hovander Homestead Park just west of Ferndale, WA, to experience and learn about life on the Nooksack River. Originating from snowpack high on the slopes of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan in the North Cascades, the Nooksack flows all the way to the Salish Sea and is the northernmost major river in Washington. Hovander Park lies on the southern bank of the river and is a great place to see some of the animal and plant life this waterway supports.

We began by discussing the long human history of the Nooksack River, which since time immemorial has been an important fishing ground for Indigenous peoples including the Lummi, Nooksack, and Semiahmoo. Our group then followed a trail which followed the wall of vegetation growing along the riverbank. Huge cottonwood trees rose above the smaller alders, willows, and red osier dogwoods. We also paused to examine and talk about many of the introduced (and in some cases, invasive) species–including Himalayan blackberry, English holly, and fox squirrels–that now call this area home.

Photo credit: Emma Bjornsrud

Our exploration eventually took us to an access point where we could get down to the edge of the river itself. Swollen with fall rain, the Nooksack rushed by as we watched from the muddy bank. The view of the river was impressive–but nearby was a reminder of threats to this important waterway. A post in the riverbank marked the site of the Puget Sound Pipeline, a branch of the larger Trans Mountain Pipeline which crosses into Washington State from Canada. Much of the oil transported in these two pipelines comes from the Alberta tar sands, one of the most environmentally destructive projects on the planet.

We discussed the controversy over plans made by Kinder Morgan, the Trans Mountain Pipeline’s former owner, to more than double the capacity of that line and perhaps expand the Puget Sound Pipeline as well. In Canada, public opposition led by Indigenous First Nations eventually convinced Kinder Morgan this year to drop its expansion plans–but in August the Canadian government announced it would buy the pipeline and attempt to build the expansion with taxpayer dollars. In this way, Canada’s government became the sole owner of the pipeline which we stood above on the Nooksack’s banks.

Photo credit: Emma Bjornsrud

Any further expansion of the Puget Sound Pipeline poses a threat to wildlife–like the great blue heron at left–and people along the Nooksack who would be devastated in the event of a pipeline rupture and oil spill. Fortunately, Trans Mountain’s expansion was at least temporarily halted by a Canadian court ruling which found the government had not adequately consulted First Nations before issuing a project permit. However, the Canadian government still hopes to move forward with the expansion and export even more tar sands oil into the U.S. Washington can play a vital role in defeating this plan for good by denying any proposal to enlarge the Puget Sound Pipeline and by reducing oil consumption here in one of Canada’s largest oil export markets.

After discussing the pipeline we continued following the Nooksack until reaching our turnaround point, after which we partially retraced our steps then took a side trail that led to a sheltered picnic area. There, members of our group wrote letters to Bellingham’s Climate Action Taskforce expressing support for moving the city to 100% renewable energy as swiftly as possible. This is one of many ways Washington can reduce demand for tar sands oil and render projects like the Trans Mountain expansion obsolete. We also talked about the importance of engaging in the upcoming state legislative session, which presents an opportunity to pass climate and clean energy policies at the statewide level.

After leaving the shelter we stopped in a patch of marshland to admire some mallard ducks and a heron. Our group’s last stop was at one of Hovander Park’s most distinctive landmarks: a wildlife viewing tower that offers a birds-eye view of Tennant Lake. As we watched, a swan flew into view and coasted to a landing on the water’s surface right beside another of the great white birds at rest on the lake. Like the Nooksack River itself, Tennant Lake is an important habitat for countless migrating birds.

We concluded our trip to Hovander Park having witnessed the area’s beautiful plant and animal life, discussed some of our region’s most pressing environmental issues, and taken concrete action to push Bellingham in the direction of a clean energy future. It was a good way to finish Reconnect Earth’s last Fall 2018 trip. Stay tuned, as we’ll soon be announcing more trips for Winter and Spring 2019!