Jeanne Christie Claimed

Explore and Learn;

Relax and Unwind;

Experience the More Than Human World. 

Connect to Wilderness provides Immersive relaxing experiences in nature encouraging connection and deep understanding of the more than human world.  Activities include Forest Bathing/Shinrin Yoku / Guided Experiences, and other immersive activities for individuals, families and groups.  No experience, special clothing or physical conditioning needed to enjoy time in nature.

The forests, mountains, lakes and oceans are our ancestral homes regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or culture. My heart tells me this: and I am absolutely certain nature agrees/  If you are interested in coming on a walk; I would be delighted to be your guide.

Hello! My Name is Jeanne Christie.

I am a Registered Maine Guide and a Certified Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.

I lead my first back country trip at the age of 17--just me, no co-leader.  It was a two-week canoe trip leading seven Girl Scouts into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota and the adjoining Quetico Provincial Park in Canada.  It was June.  It was cold.  It rained every day, sometimes all day. There were bugs, numerous portages, and an encounter with a black bear. It was an amazing trip.

I've had many other wonderful and meaningful experiences in the outdoors since then. Some of them have been straightforward outdoor adventures; others have taken on a certain mystical quality. 

Through it all, I've learned it's not necessary to journey into the outback to be deeply connected with the natural world because 'wilderness' is everywhere.  It's nearby in a local park, in a back yard.  The 'more than human world' has an infinite capacity to connect with people in a way that is meaningful to each individual.  My role as a guide is to encourage that connection.  I don't know what form it will take and it doesn't matter that I don't.  I couldn't possibly be that wise.  But the forest is.  Peace, insight, grounding, connection, wonder, gratitude--these are some of the words people share with me at the end of a walk.

Other Outdoor experiential qualifications include:    Maine Master Naturalist, Certified Interpretive Guide, Volunteer leader Maine Chapter Appalachian Mountain Club for over a decade. Current in Advanced Wilderness First Aid Certification. Wilderness Education Association Graduate.  Vice-president of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization.  In addition, I've pursued a decades long professional career supporting protection of our nation's natural resources and I am just as comfortable discussing hard science and national natural resources policy as guiding an immersive, often imaginative experience in the forest.