Being outdoors provides many healing benefits: it allows us to breathe, reflect and connect with our natural surroundings. While we may not even be aware of it in the moment, the benefits are there. In fact, research has shown significant healing benefits of nature for people experiencing significant loss or transitions in life.
To support people on this journey, the Friends of Fish Creek have partnered with Mount Royal University Professor Sonya Jakubec and Alberta Parks and created Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss. Good Grief is an eight-week series of gentle walks that brings together people moving through the shared experience of loss with the intent that they will find support from each other, their community and their time in nature.
All walks are between 1.5 to 2 km round trip on relatively flat, paved pathways in Fish Creek Provincial Park, offering time to connect with nature and experience its healing power, with the support of Friends of Fish Creek Volunteer Companions who guide the group. All sessions start and end at the Bow Valley Ranch Day Use Area off Bow Bottom Trail SE.
The Winter 2024 edition of Good Grief will take place in two sessions: on Wednesdays and on Sundays:
- Wednesday afternoons - 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, January 8 through February 26, 2025
- Sunday afternoons - 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, January 12 through March 2, 2025
Feel free to choose the session that works best for you.
Friends' Member price: $20 (8 weeks)
Non-Member price: $30 (8 weeks)
Space is limited to 15 people per session.
Please note that we may cancel the session if registrations are less than 7 people.
If you would like to become a member or to learn more, please visit our website: Friends of Fish Creek Annual Memberships
If you have mobility or financial restrictions that could impede your participation in this program, don't hesitate to contact Kumiko Kamiike, Visitor Services Coordinator, at kumiko@friendsoffishcreek.org before you register.
This program is not intended to be a counselling session or therapy experience, but simply a time to walk in nature with others experiencing a shared transition path.
Regardless of the transition you are experiencing — be it the loss of a loved one, job or relationship, a significant change in health or mobility, or other deep changes in your life —spending time in nature with people who are on a similar journey can be just the support you need.
Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society
Photo taken by Stan Kwasniowski
