Soaring Hawks: Wilderness Adventure

Calling all nature enthusiasts! Soaring Hawks wilderness adventure program is for anyone curious to get outside, explore Toronto’s local environment, and learn some really cool skills and knowledge. One day each month, we’ll gather in Toronto’s city parks, meet like minded folks, learn about local plants and animals, and explore how we fit into our broader community. Join us as we: 

• Learn wild plants: discover what’s edible, medicinal, and toxic
• Wildlife tracking and naturalist studies: learn about the wildlife and living systems all around you
• Handcraft: use your hands to carve, weave, and create beautiful, functional crafts and art
• Wilderness skill building: explore fire making and use, and shelter building
• Sensory awareness: engage your senses in new ways, build routines of connection, and support your mental and physical wellness

You’ll never walk through a local park (or any other natural space) the same way again! 

This wilderness adventure program in Toronto is perfect if you’re just beginning your nature connection journey, or if you’re farther down your path and keen to join monthly outdoor adventures with other nature-loving folks. All skill levels are welcome and encouraged.

Soaring Hawks is offered in spring and fall sessions, with each focusing on seasonally available learning opportunities. Participants taking both will learn a different curriculum in each season, due to the variability of nature at these times of year.

Spring themes:

• Carving and making beautiful, useful crafts such as spoons, bowls and other tools
• Staying dry and comfortable in Spring weather – tarp, ropes and basic shelter practice
• Plant, bud and flower emergence
• Make medicines from plants at hand – treat bites, stings, and other maladies from the amazing plants that grow in your neighborhood
• Learn what’s edible, and what’s really not!
• Bird migration, nesting and behaviour 
• Wildlife tracking and awareness: The next generation and raising young
• Nature and wellness – learn practices to improve mental and physical health

Fall themes:

• Make plant dyes, sew leather, and learn wildcrafted food recipes from tree nuts like walnut and acorns
• Practice making fire with all different methods (Bic to friction), and cook using simple techniques over an open fire, coal bed and other approaches
• Learn about wildlife strategies as the colder season sets in, gain a deeper understanding of what’s happening in the natural world around you all the time
• Processing plants to make fibre arts, cord, baskets, and other super useful, and artistically beautiful projects
• Leaves, warmth and shelter – Know what to do if you got stuck in the outdoors with no shelter, and practice knots and tarp set up to improve camping skills