Our first ever virtual adventure series, Steps, is finished.

Out of 15 aspiring participants, only four were able to complete all four challenges: two women and two men.

And only one came out on top. Her name is Safiyyah.

She’s a sometimes blogger here, and although we knew she was special, the Steps challenges gave us all an opportunity to witness her at her best.

The First Step was a five-mile solo hike, and Safiyyah had this to say about it:

A five-mile hike on a trail would pass too quickly. My feet would fall into rhythm and my mind would begin to wander. I would end up thinking about other things until I might see a brightly colored flower or hear a strange bird. And when that moment passes my feet would just take over again.

            The point is to be challenged so I marked my own way, sometimes forward, sometimes backwards, and sometimes piggybacking off of paths paved by the trickling of water that wandered from the creek, or the flattened grass left by the wild residents whose home I’d let myself into, those animals that lead me toward open fields and fresh water, the ones that entertain me, and the ones that feed me. 

  I can’t find these things on-trail. The trail is for thinking and letting off steam. The wild, untrammeled places are for adventure and growth.

Safiyyah did virtually her entire five miles off-trail and earned some huge bonus points along the way through her identification of plants and animals, her bushcrafting skills, and her general creativity.

The Second Step was to write a letter to a family member, and, for many, this challenge was the most cathartic. Writing a letter to a family member can be frighteningly intimate. Participants were also given a bonus option to write an “undeliverable” letter, perhaps to a deceased relative, or to someone for whom actually receiving the letter would likely cause pain or confusion. Participants shared the immense release that came with a flood of tears while writing these undeliverable letters and the new found peace or understanding that came after.

Safiyyah wrote her letter using wildcrafted inks made from, among other things, hibiscus flowers and gum arabic.

The Third Step was to volunteer for a local cause, preferably a cause outside of one’s faith community, as a way of stepping outside our comfort zone. Safiyyah put in hours at a community garden planted in support of impoverished families and veterans.

She had this to say:

If I’m being completely honest I haven’t legitimately volunteered since high school. Even then it was just something to put on my resume and check off the obligatory thirty-some hours I needed to graduate. I definitely remember having fun with friends and feeling good about some of the things we did, but it’s just been so long.

I guess I did lose my way a little bit in college and then after that I was so focused on getting myself set I kind of just . . . forgot?

I thought my favorite part of this challenge would be the First Step but I think it turned out to be this one. It was pretty challenging to find a place to volunteer during COVID, but, praise God, I found this little community garden. It also didn’t hurt that we could take some goodies home! I will definitely be going back there as much as I can.

Thank you for this Step! It opened a door I forgot I had.

Our Fourth and final Step was to take a vow of silence for 24 hours as a way of intentionally connecting with the Divine.

This required a level of planning and foresight that made it feel impossible for most. Among other things, Safiyyah is a hunter and no stranger to the importance of keeping quiet. She shared her observations on the nature of “silence.”

I often go into the woods seeking silence, not true silence because that’s actually kind of scary, but a form of silence nonetheless. This concept is a little weird for me to think about sometimes because it seems unnatural to have to go somewhere to hear nature, and then to call her sounds “silence.”

The birds still sing, the bugs still buzz, the leaves crunch beneath my feet and the grass brushes against my thighs, but there are no machines, no monotonous hums in the background, no rubber on pavement, no cell phones ringing, and no random humans talking without actually saying anything.

I might be a hypocrite because as often as I seek silence in the woods, I also break it. I say hello to the trees and the butterflies. I apologize to the spiders whose homes I sometimes destroy, and I ooh and aah at the marvels I find. I scold the blackberries for making me bleed and I seek comfort from the hardships of life in the dirt as it listens patiently to my problems.

But at times when I need to keep my mouth shut and my gait quiet, I know how. My brain knows better than to let out a peep whether I get snagged in a bush or smacked in the face with a spider’s web. It knows that I cannot speak and it does not let me. Unfortunately there’s not much I can do about the noise my boots make as I walk through the leaves, so I take a few steps and wait, slowing down my gait until it is unrecognizable as human.

Being silent in the woods is not difficult for me once I get into the mindset of wanting to see animals or simply wanting to “fit in.” On the flip-side, it is very difficult for me to be silent outside of the woods. This is not because I feel the need to talk to other people. Rather it’s because I am constantly mumbling to myself, singing to myself, laughing at my own jokes, and just generally entertaining myself in one way or another.

I’ve learned that it’s a lot harder to stay quiet when everything around you is making noise.

Our other finishers had powerful reflections and remarkable submissions that also showcased their diligence and commitment. This was a truly wonderful eight weeks.

As our top-ranked participant, Safiyyah was awarded a brand-new Big Agnes backpacking tent. She’s also been invited to co-facilitate this year’s spring event, D&T Grrrl!, a three-day island camp-out for women only. If you’re signed up for that you’ll have a chance to meet Safiyyah, God-willing.

We think you’ll like her.

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