Explore the Coast: Community Healing Hike with Little Manila Rising
Staff writer and photographer Julian Leal captures an exercise of reflection in nature.
On March 9, 2024, I went on my first “community healing hike” in Oakley, California. It occurred at the Big Break Regional Shoreline, a natural park on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This coastal area is located 40 miles away from the University of the Pacific, about a 50-minute drive.
Little Manila Rising (LMR) hosted the hike. Based in South Stockton, this nonprofit organization commits to educating local students on historical, environmental and social justice issues through its youth programs. One of the domains their work addresses is the lack of natural, green spaces throughout Stockton because of historical disinvestment and its highways. Recognizing this, LMR provided this opportunity to myself and about twenty others, free of charge, to immerse us in landscapes we do not typically see at home. Other opportunities for natural exploration that Little Manila Rising has provided are camping and kayaking trips, including a journey to the Point Reyes cape in 2023!
Raynelle Rino, the creator of Rino Consulting Solutions, guided my group through the hike. She created the firm to provide nature-based coaching services in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her website described “healing hikes” as “an opportunity to pause, slow down the mind and spirit, and create an open space for rest and reflection” (Rino Consulting Solutions Website).
The Hike
Rino began the experience with a recollection of the events that inspired her to become a nature-based consultant, including a spontaneous hike she planned to manage stress after the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. She explained how these events drove her to reconnect clients with nature and help them set intentions for their time outside.
We initiated the hike with a ceremony where Raynelle presented crystals, a container of water, and other objects embodying the natural elements. She then encouraged us to begin walking the trail in silence. The path passed through a marshy plain, embracing the aquatic sustenance of the Delta. Tightly packed willows formed canopies that obscured distant construction. I greeted birds, bugs and cats as the nearby Mount Diablo watched over.
At the end of the hike, we discussed our feelings about the hike and expressed our gratitude to the group. We then shared lunch at the community park, enabling us to explore the area beyond the path. Although I struggled to clear my head of my obligations and deadlines, I appreciated the chance to quietly enjoy a new environment at my own pace.
Works Cited
https://www.rinoconsultingsolutions.com/healinghikes