Grounding Truth, as a name for a guiding business is intentionally vague and up for interpretation. These two words together, in their particular forms, can be applied to so many levels of the human experience, especially when in the context of the outdoors. And I encourage you to allow the name to take on a meaning that is of your own experience.

The reason for writing this piece is to shed some light on the foundational moments that birthed “Grounding Truth” and to offer a bit more insight into the intention behind every detail of the name and aesthetic— that may or may not be apparent.

It was the summer of 2021, my feet were rubbed raw after several days of climbing some 60,000’ and navigating the trailless wilderness that is the Picket Range of the North Cascades. At the time, I was leading a course with another guide and two students who were on a trajectory to become expedition leaders in this type of technical terrain… however, the terrain posed many more challenges than were anticipated in our lengthy and thorough planning session.

In a way, isn’t that part of the beauty of the mountains? —That they are as dynamic as we are? —Ever-changing? That they encourage us to dance with them, rather than follow some prescribed plan to achieve whatever it is we have in our heads as “the goal.”

Over the years, I’ve found this way of mountain travel (or rather “mountain dancing”) to feel most aligned with the natural rhythm of things. I’ve learned that expectations and goals serve a purpose of getting us to the trailhead, with gear in our packs, and a frontier of time on our hands… yet, once we set out, I prefer to be in conversation with place; open to what comes.

A quick aside about conversation…

We all know that in order to have a conversation, one must offer ideas and also be open to listening. If we show up with ideas that have no space for outside input, we are not allowing ourselves to be in “conversation.” There is an element of letting go of our plan going exactly as we imagined — allowing the conversation to move in an organic way. There must be a willingness to surrender to whatever medicine is moving through — releasing any hopes for certain outcomes. The world has a beautiful way of giving us the lessons we need. And even if we choose not to listen, I guarantee that lesson will find us — it just may take on a louder or more impeding form.

…And so, the miles carried on, the soles of my feet shredded and worn, the mountain’s song offered a dance and we decided we’d rather play to our own music. The culture of our group was such that my voice was not respected in quite the same way as my co-guide’s. Any offerings of “a different approach” were ignored or brushed to the side — for the most part. At one point, as the sky was nearing dusk, after hours of attempting to exit the range via a route that felt entirely forced, the group was at a standstill. The gully we had tried to descend, cliffed out into a mess of icefall. With tired eyes, and an aura of defeat, the others in the group reluctantly looked towards me, their female mountain guide… in question of what to do next.

With my voice now able to be heard, I sprung into action. “First, we climb back up to the ridge, then, we find our way around from there.” I was the first to the ridge top. Studying the map, I could see a vague low angle ramp wrapping around the rocky ridgeline towards the pass we were aiming for. Before setting off, I showed my teammates the route I intended to take and they nodded in agreement and consent. As we set off, I realized this intended route was broken up with rock slabs amidst patches of snow. I stopped…It’s always better to Go Slow to Go Fast. With minimal time before sundown, there was likely a better way about this. Remembering that earlier in the day, I had taken a photo from across the drainage, I scanned the image and could see that there was a connecting snow patch that would allow us to travel mostly on snow in the direction we were hoping to go. Within one hour, in the last glimmers of light, we had descended on relatively easy snow slopes all the way to the pass, where we were able to pick up a trail and find flat camping for the night!

Connecting snow route visible here on the lookers right side of Whatcom Peak.

I tell this story to bring to mind how our expectations differ from the “dance”. We may draw out a route on a map and then put our head down, only to follow it to a cliff’s edge, or into a jumble of boulders or bushwhack. Ground Truth-ing is the practice of putting preconceptions to the ground — finding for ourselves what is real.

The map is not the territory. You must go there— you must find what you find; you must listen and be open to changing if you are to learn more of what is true— what is the way— what flows like water— what feels aligned.

With this idea of Ground Truth-ing, also comes this active practice of Grounding our Truths. What we believe is true, what we know to be real — is all in flux; dynamic; ever-changing. We can learn what our truth is, when we constantly live it; when we seek to learn more of what it is; when we put it to the ground and see what takes root.

As a grass-roots guiding business, Grounding Truth does not aim to be anything it is not. The goal is to offer a different way, a more feminine, yin, watery way of being a human of place. We aren’t soft, we aren’t weak, we aren’t all women. We are strong yet able to sway, empowered, humble and competent, raw and real, and open to unfiltered experience.

If you were wondering about our aesthetic… the Grounding Truth logo is purposefully imperfect —just like each of us— and in that way, it is unimaginably perfect. The name is purposefully vague. A straightforward SEO would pollute the population of people this business aims to cater to. The website is intentionally not worth thousands of dollars. This is a guiding operation that is real, transparent, and honest. We care about being stewards of the environment, both in and out of the field, and doing all we can to make the world a better place, in any given moment.

If you somehow find yourself reading this, I’m sure it is no accident. If you feel like any of this resonates with you, reach out, tell me what kind of adventures you’d like to see offered. I’m over here dreaming of the ways I can share all my mountain experiences and skillsets and love of the world, and it’s all for you. So get involved and let’s dream together!

So what’s in a name? Quite a lot.

What does Grounding Truth mean to you? What has this piece stirred in you?

Please please share your thoughts and comment below, if you feel called.

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