autumn alchemy
Day Hikes
A Three-Part Hiking & Reflection Series
All Ages | Choose one, two, or all three hikes | Saturdays: Sept. 26, Oct. 24 & Nov. 21, 2026
Suggested Donation: $20–$50 per hike
As the seasons shift, so do we.
Autumn Alchemy is a series of three guided hikes that invite you to step into nature and reflect on the beauty of the changing landscape.
Together, we'll journey through hikes where we Gather, Remember, and Release - celebrating the harvest, honoring where we've come from, and embracing the quiet invitation to let go as winter approaches. While these hikes are designed to be experienced as a series, each one can also be enjoyed as a standalone experience.
Open to all ages, these gentle, family-friendly hikes welcome anyone looking to get outside in community.
This series is offered on a sliding scale of $20-50 per session. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Journeys will provide a shuttle from our basecamp in Bothell, WA, to the trailhead for up to 14 people on a first come/first serve basis. We will meet at Basecamp at 9:00am (if taking the shuttle) or at the trailhead at 10:15am.
Autumn Alchemy Hike #1 -
Gathering Our Gifts
Saturday, Sept. 26th
Tentative Location: Lodge Lake
As the Autumn Equinox approaches and the Harvest Moon takes shape, September invites us into a season of balance and gratitude. The mornings grow cooler and the air crisper, yet the landscape remains rich with the abundance cultivated under the warmth of the summer sun.
This hike is an invitation to slow down, connect with nature, and reflect on what has grown - both within the landscape and ourselves. Through guided reflection, nature-based contemplative practices, ecological learning, and moments of community connection, we’ll gather the abundance of autumn and honor those gifts before the leaves begin to fall.
Autumn Alchemy Hike #2 -
Remembering Our Ancestral Path
Saturday, Oct. 24th
Tentative Location: Barclay Lake
As the forest begins returning its gifts to the earth, October invites us into a season of remembrance. We watch the leaves fall, lending their nutrients to the soil and creating a foundation from which new life can grow. In the same way, we are reminded that we are part of a larger story - one shaped by those who came before and carried on through the lives we live today.
This hike is an invitation to walk with awareness of the roots that support us and gratitude for the people, places, stories, and experiences that shape us. Through guided reflection, nature-based contemplative practices and moments of connection, we’ll explore ancestry, belonging, and ongoing cycles of giving, receiving, and renewal.
Autumn Alchemy Hike #3 -
Releasing Into The Dark
Saturday, Nov. 21st
Tentative Location: Wallace Falls
As autumn fades and the forest settles into winter’s quiet, November invites us into stillness, surrender, and deep listening. The landscape reminds us that letting go is not an ending - it is an essential part of every living cycle.
This hike is an invitation to slow down, release what no longer needs to be carried, and create space for rest and renewal. Through guided reflection, nature-based contemplative practices, ecological learning, and moments of community connection, we’ll explore the wisdom of the darker season and the quiet transformations that happen beneath the surface.
PROGRAM DETAILS
In-Person Course
All Ages
Three Saturdays:
Sept 26 - Gathering Our Gifts @ Lodge Lake
Oct 24 - Remembering Our Ancestral Path @ Barclay Lake
Nov 21 - Releasing Into the Dark @ Wallace Falls
Journeys will provide an optional shuttle to the trailhead from our Basecamp in Bothell, WA (see address below).
If you are taking the shuttle: Meet at Basecamp at 9:00am.
If you are driving yourself: Meet at the trailhead (location TBA) at 10:15am.
Rite of Passage Journeys Basecamp:
22401 39th Ave SE, Bothell, WA 98021
See Directions & Accessibility Information Here
Suggested Donation: $20-$50 per hike
No one turned away for lack of funds
Questions?
Check out our FAQ page or send us a message!
Facilitated By
christopher criqui
Criqui is a white, genderqueerdo born and raised in rural Pennsylvania on unceded Susquehannock territory. Their journey as an environmental educator began after moving to the Pacific Northwest and developing relationships with the humans and more-than-humans who inhabit this place. Through their work with IslandWood and the YMCA’s BOLD & GOLD, Criqui sees teaching as a means of facilitating societal reconstruction and is deeply committed to justice-oriented and culturally sustaining education. Criqui is especially interested in the queerness found in the natural world and what humans might learn about their own identities from it. Outside of teaching, they like to play silly games, do silly dances, and ask silly questions. Their boyfriend describes their personality as “being born out of a mechanical bull.” Criqui is good at hearing hummingbirds, getting distracted by plants, and appearing confident even when they aren’t all the way there.
