Dust and Tribe has never done the same trip twice.

We take pride in creating novel experiences. Llama treks, jeep caravans, kayak camping, trail ultras– we do it once and move on. Part of the beauty is in experiencing something new. Together.

When the women gathered on Santa Cruz island in 2016, I knew it would be the last time. There would be other gatherings, but we would find different venues. Different activities. We would find something fresh and invigorating.

Like maybe we could arrange for an all-female sheep shearing event!

Knit some sweaters to take home. That would be awesome.

I was also thinking about getting all the girls together to ride ostriches.

That’s a good time somebody needs to have.

But not you ladies. Not this time.

You’re going back to the island because that’s what your amira wants.

I think you know Sister Sama. If you don’t, allow me to introduce her.

She’s wonderful. Artist, naturalist, and all-round brilliant human being, she is the director of the Art and Wilderness Institute. Sister Sama will be your point person on the ground. She will make every effort to facilitate an illuminating experience for all of you.

And because I know that, I decided to let her have her way. She wanted to go back to Santa Cruz Island.

But what about you? Why do you want to go to the island?

I asked that question, and the first of you to respond was Sister Sarah:

This year I’ll be 40. As I was reflecting on all my past achievements and even more failures, I one day opened my email and saw this email from D&T. I stared hard, something spoke to my heart. I joined. I’m looking for inner peace. And I don’t know if a trip into a remote place will give me peace… but I’ll search till the end of the earth to find it.

She stared hard at my email. My email stared back. They took it outside and settled it like besotted cowpokes. And now Sister Sarah is getting on a boat.

Sister Mariam was the next to reply:

I decided to sign up for this trip in order to run away from my busy routine and get a chance to connect to Allah through nature and reflect upon His creation. And of course enjoy the company of my sisters and feel the excitement of adventure and experiencing something totally new in my life.

She wants something new in her life and she could have had ostriches. But no.

Sister Randa had a lot to say:

I decided to join this trip only after participating in the last D&T coed trip in the Santa Cruz mountains last month. It was a trip that I did not sign up for willingly (my husband signed me up as a “surprise”), but which has changed my life in some ways. Confronting my fears has always been something I struggle with, and that trip was a perfect real life test lab for me. I learned a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses during that short three-day trip, and benefited greatly from the companionship of fifteen other amazing men and women (including Syma and Sama who will be on this trip!), who are each so rich and beautiful in their own unique ways. I returned from that trip on a “high” of sorts, and jumped on the opportunity to do something similar again, so I signed up for this island adventure.

Sister Randa went backpacking in Santa Cruz, got high, came home and signed up. Her words, not mine

Sister Yafa, who I understand lives life both clean and sober, offered her reasons for coming along:

Whether I’m stressed and need to take a break or I’m just in the mood to have some fun, one of my absolute favorite things to do is to be in nature, hike, and discover amazing places in the company of amazing people. It never fails to bring me closer to Allah and remind me of my purpose.

I’m still figuring out my purpose. I hear that’s easier with good posture and a nice sunset.

Sister Siham had what might be the most cryptic response:

I’ve decided to join this sister’s trip because I know it will be adventurous and insha Allah a beneficial learning experience. I am anticipating it will either be fun or funny. I am naturally a planner but I appreciate spontaneity and this is definitely a spontaneous trip for me.

Sister Siham anticipates that the trip will be a good time or a total joke. I’m just not sure how to take that, although I’ve been called both.

Sister Sandra strikes me as a no-nonsense woman who gets straight to the point:

I decided to join this trip because I am adventurous and have never been to this place. I plan to escape from every day and learn and bond with the new for a few days. Let’s do it.

Sister Mona sees a learning opportunity here:

I am so excited to see people that I know (and dearly love) and that I don’t (but look forward to dearly loving). I have never been on a backpacking trip or the the Chanel Islands, both of which are things I really wanted to do. I was looking at Sierra Club’s Wilderness Travel Course for learning to backpack but then chickened out. I am beyond grateful that Sama will be leading this and I hope she doesn’t hold back on teaching us anything as all us city dwellers are badly deprived of a student relationship with nature.

The good news is yes, you are all going to the Channel Islands. But you won’t be backpacking. You’ll be setting up camp and enjoying day hikes around the island.

But if you really want to, I’m sure Sister Sama can arrange for you to carry everybody else’s stuff. Kind of like a backpacking simulation but in a way that works for the whole group.

Um Rami, our regal matriarch, offers this for our consideration:

All praises are for our Creator who has given this team and this island to us. I am so excited to be going and looking forward to meeting all who have introduced yourselves so far and everyone else of course. I have always loved learning about the original settlers of this part of the world.

We need to pick this apart.

She starts with praise for the One who makes it all possible. And the entirety of her desire is to learn more about the first people who were originally favored with the island. She opens with gratitude and closes with respect.

Can we just take a minute?

Sister Syma is a lioness. She’s been to the island. She just wrapped more than 30 miles of winter backpacking a few weeks ago and she’s ready for more:

I was blessed to be able to participate in a previous trip to the island and found so much benefit and peace from my trip that I have been hoping for another opportunity since.

Here’s the really incredible thing. The island is anticipating the blessing of you. The island yearns for your prayers and your remembrance. And a day will come when the island will tell the story of all your blessed deeds upon her.

Sister Dijana has the absolute best spelling of this name ever. It’s positively elven! As are her sentiments:

Nature, sleeping under the sky, the smell of the ocean and earth, sharing with new friends and learning- that is how I charge my heart, my soul, and my mental battery. I have made a couple of scuba diving trips near Santa Cruz, but I never had a chance to camp on the island. Grateful for being part of this fantastic experience and looking forward to meeting you all.

That intrigued me and it all made sense when I found a picture of Sister Dijana online:

We haven’t heard from Sister Aurelia, but she’s a nice woman, friend to llamas and half-pipes.

Sister Cindy speaks French. And Sister Samiah makes her friends wear capes and top hats. Sister Mediha reads woke literature with her children.

A pretty awesome bunch, I think.

Your reasons for coming are the bases of your intention. Ours is a way predicated on intention, and so we offer this:

We wish to gather together, in the Name of our Creator, our Provider, and our Sustainer, in gratitude to Him, in reverence for Him, and in pursuit of Him. We wish to acquire all knowledge that will make firm our gratitude, reverence, and patient seeking. We wish to deepen our relationship with all of creation, God’s plants, animals, and heavenly ornaments, that we may be drawn into a realized understanding of His Might and His Mercy. We wish to be transformed by this experience, entirely for the better. We further ask that God Most High expand us, that we might graciously accept all that He desires for us.

In the next post, I think we’ll talk a little about the history of Santa Cruz.