Elements Traverse

11/16/2023

KNOTS 101

The first knot we use often is the Trucker’s Hitch. Outside of the field, this knot is mainly used for securing loads on trucks and trailers. In the field, we use it to set up the ridgelines and corners of our shelters and our big tarp that we put up in camp, specifically when there are trees available for use in the corners. It’s a helpful knot because it is tied in a way that allows you to take out a ton of slack easily.

A second knot we use regularly is the Clove Hitch. We use this knot to tie down the corners of our shelters and our big tarp when there aren’t really any trees around, causing us to tie a clove hitch around a stick and pile rocks on top instead. This knot is also often used to secure our paracord to the bow component of our bowdrilling (fire-making) sets.

A third knot we use in the field is the Bowline. This knot is awesome because it is easy to untie even after being subjected to a heavy load. Some even say that it’s the most useful knot in the world! In the field, we use this to tie paracord onto tarps and to secure our paracord to our bows.

Lastly, we use the Tautline. Some staff and clients really love this knot. It is wonderful to be able to adjust tension, so when used, it is mostly for shelter or tent guy lines.

There are many knot tutorials you can find online if you don’t know how to do these knots already!

What’s your favorite knot to use?

11/03/2023

THE SAN RAFAEL SWELL

In the cooler / winter months, we are in the San Rafael Swell, aka our desert field area. The swell was formed by an orogeny (where a section of the Earth’s crust is folded and deformed by lateral compression to form a mountain range) somewhere between 40 and 70 million years ago. The swell features canyons and cliffs carved by the San Rafael River and its tributaries and is home to panels of pictographs, fossil sites, slot canyons, and more. It’s a beautiful, special, and impactful land that we get to exist in for a time.

10/27/2023

Our October field mentor training was a wonderful time! These folks spent a week outside learning the ropes, practicing making fire by bowdrilling, rappelling with our adventure program team, cooking over the fire, practicing the soft skill tools that we use regularly out there, learning how to play Moon I Win and Dogs, and so much more.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team of field mentors, click the link below to learn more about the position. Our next training is January 18th-25th 2024.

https://www.elementswilderness.com/employment/

10/26/2023

CHARACTER TRAIT PENDANTS

Maize: Citizenship
Pronghorn: Persistence
Turtle: Resilience
Salamanders: Empathy
Shaman: Self Control

🏜️

06/01/2023

It’s almost time to make the change from our cold month field area to our warm month field area! When the red sandy desert gets too warm, Elements heads to the mountains for some green grass, tall trees, and beautiful bodies of water.

Do you prefer the mountains or the desert? Comment the superior field area below!! 🏜️🌲

03/19/2023

In today's world we know relationship is what it is all about, which makes this discussion one that you won't want to miss! In addition to this beard competition... and of course the and the conference too. See you in St. George on Friday!

02/24/2023

•
We aren’t here to brag. And, WOW. Would you just look how beautiful the desert is during a sunset?! Our field area is top notch. This is a B.A.M. moment for sure.. If you know, you know!

🌅

02/16/2023

ADVENTURE PROGRAMMING

Did you know that we have an adventure programming component at Elements? Our clients rock climb and rappel. They fly fish in the summer. Sometimes they stay in camp, making leather pouches or drums or participating in low ropes activities.

We believe that AP provides a unique experience for clients during their wilderness experience. These challenges will accelerate the therapeutic process while building confidence to make healthier overall decisions.

Here’s our favorite photo from a day of rock climbing in the San Rafael Swell. Check out that view!!

02/06/2023

Today, we want to shout out our field mentors! These amazing humans spend the most time with our clients.

They challenge and encourage. They teach coping skills and games. They hike with, camp with, cook with, adventure with. They wear many hats: outdoor educators, advocates, role models, friends, and more. They live outdoors with our clients for eight days at a time, building relationships, talking about hard things, and helping our clients grow. We love our field mentors!

Our next training opportunity to join our team of field mentors is in March. There are more details on our website if you or someone you know if interested!

02/02/2023

Skill of the week:
MINDFULNESS via the FIVE SENSES

If you didn’t know, here at Elements, we teach and practice Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. For something to be dialectical, it means that two different or sometimes opposite things can exist simultaneously. We can be joyful AND overwhelmed. Clients can accept they are at Elements AND miss their friends from home. At the same time! DBT helps us accept the realities of our lives — our behaviors, actions, and emotions — and identify skills and strategies to cope with it all.

DBT has four pillars, with the foundation of it all being MINDFULNESS: the ability to be focused on the present moment and to accept our feelings and thoughts without judging them.

In the field, clients and staff alike will run mindfulness groups throughout the week.

Here’s one you can try, focused on the five senses:

After you take a moment to get comfortable and to slow down your breathing, look around you. Focus on the details of the place you are at. Identify five things you can SEE.

Next, close your eyes and tune into your sense of touch. Describe the texture of objects around you. Identify four things you can FEEL.

Listen carefully. Do you hear the wind? Your own breathing? A bird somewhere? Identify three things you can HEAR.

Inhale deeply through your nose. Do you recognize any scents around you? Identify two things you can SMELL.

Lastly, is there anything you can taste? Maybe you just had gatorade; maybe you are close to the campfire and its smoke. Identify one thing you can TASTE.

Continue to focus on your breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Do you feel more connected to the present moment and to your current surroundings?

🧘

6 Likes, 0 Comments - Elements Wilderness Program () on Instagram: "• skill of the week: MINDFULNESS via the FIVE SENSES If you didn’t know, here at Elements, we teach and practice Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. For something to be dialectical, it means that two different or ...

01/31/2023

Our January training for field mentors is over, and with it, we have several new staff joining us! They spent a week outside learning the ropes, practicing making fire by bowdrilling, rappelling with our adventure program team, cooking over the fire, practicing the soft skill tools that we use regularly out there, and more. We are excited for these folk to join the team!!

01/27/2023

INTRODUCING: QUOTES FROM THE FIELD

Do you ever wonder what kinds of conversations we are having in the field? Is it always therapy? Or is it always out of pocket? At Elements, there is usually a healthy balance between insightful + vulnerable topics and ridiculously goofy + insanely random ones.

Soon, we will start sharing quotes from the previous week in the wildy! Until then, here’s some previous crowd favorites:

Honestly, this is the first time I haven’t felt alone

How did I go from getting high and having s*x to starting a stick and rock collection in the Utah desert?

I’m pretty sensitive, which makes the world beautiful and also hard

When I become president, I’m banning hummus

I made w**d my entire personality

I heard that if we have a fig newton wrapper in our pocket at night, we get to cuddle with a black bear

I figured I would be dead before I was 20, so I decided I might as well have fun while I could

If I had Hermione’s magic bag, I’d just want it filled with infinite bags of GORP

Bullsh*tting isn’t going to get me anywhere! I’m just going to keep ending up in the same spot if I don’t start trying

That petroglyph looks like they are playing frisbee with a t-rex

🏜

01/25/2023

14 Likes, 0 Comments - Elements Wilderness Program () on Instagram: "The sunrises and the sunsets in our field areas are really something else! Maybe we wake the group up for a sunrise hike, or maybe we play a hacky sack game of dogs right before sunset. Maybe we run a mindfulness...

01/16/2023

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Junior. Grateful for all that he gave.

01/13/2023

We are proud to share this recent episode of Hopestream, as Elements own Eric Fawson, LCSW talks about one his specialties, adoption and attachment.

https://bit.ly/hopestream148

Numerous studies show that adopted children are significantly more likely to develop substance use disorders. Is this true? If so, why? And how can parents of adopted children support and guide them through those tendencies? My guest, Eric Fawson has been practicing therapy for more than 15 years, f

01/01/2023

Roll Call for 2023: Elements friends and families, what do you want to attract in this new year?

12/24/2022

Sending heartfelt wishes to all for a wonderful Holiday.

11/30/2022

Speaking of the vastness of outer space, there's plenty of vastness in the desert and lots for us to explore.

On top of Cedar Mountain, you can see out into the entire field area, climb down, and explore the infinite canyons and washes and sagebrush fields. And if you're lucky enough, you get to climb back up again 😉