In this new book, just published by Empty Bowl Press, long-time wilderness guide and meditation teacher Kurt Hoelting charts the evolution of his path from his early encounters with wildness and risk on commercial fishing vessels in Alaska to his embrace of Zen practice as a gateway to the wild within.
Inspired by the words and friendship of Gary Snyder, Hoelting founded Inside Passages, guiding mindfulness-based kayaking expeditions in Alaska focused on how the “practice of the wild” informs both our inner and outer landscapes. In later essays, he reveals the role of grief as teacher in his own life and discovers what it means to become an elder in turbulent times. With honesty and wisdom, Hoelting offers timely advice: “In a time of profound ecological challenges, reclaiming a felt connection with the wild forces that gave birth to our species has become an essential part of our emerging survival equipment.”
Kurt Hoelting grew up by the shores of Puget Sound, working summers as a commercial fisherman and wilderness guide in Alaska for fifty years. A graduate of the University of Washington and Harvard Divinity School, he is an ordained minister and Zen student, who has blended his love of wilderness exploration with an equal passion for exploring the “wild within.” A mindfulness teacher in a variety of contexts, he served for many years as head guide with Inside Passages, leading mindfulness-based seakayaking expeditions in the Tongass region of Southeast Alaska. Hoelting is the author of The Circumference of Home: One Man's Yearlong Quest for a Radically Local Life. He makes his home on Whidbey Island, Washington.
Join us at 12:35 pm in The Little Theater on the main campus of Peninsula College or join us on Zoom. Meeting ID: 834 3095 5029
For more information, please contact Kate Reavey, Studium Generale Coordinator, at kreavey@pencol.edu.