Dust and Tribe
the wilderness teaches
- This event has passed.
D&T Steps: The Connecting Path (Rajab 1442)
February 13, 2021 - April 9, 2021
$40 – $160
Men and women ages 18 and up.
All creeds welcome.
Eight week Virtual Adventure Series
Participants must reside in the US or Canada.
Previous winners are excluded from competition.
20/20 Clan Card discount only applies to the Go Big! option (see below).
Completing one Step will earn you two (2) D&T stickers.
Completing two Steps will earn you two (2) D&T stickers and one (1) D&T copper-insulated water bottle.
Completing three Steps will earn you two (2) D&T stickers, one (1) D&T copper-insulated water bottle, and one (1) D&T tech-shirt.
Completion of all four Steps will earn you all of the above, in addition to the coveted D&T Adventurer’s Patch (not for sale) and qualify you to win a Nemo Dragonfly 2 backpacking tent:
The tent will be awarded to the individual who accumulates the most points over the eight-week Virtual Adventure Series.
Your First Step
You are born alone. You will die alone. And you will take this First Step alone.
Khalwa, or spiritual seclusion, is an established principle in the Islamic faith tradition with a number of prophets, messengers, and saints having taken to the wilderness alone. But rather than talk about it, we want you to experience it.
Prepare yourself (and only yourself) for a day on the trail. Just you and the wilderness.
You are going on a 5-mile solo hike and the rules are simple: hike the entirety of the route alone.
This is your opportunity to step away from the chatter and distractions of family and society and to reconnect with the throbbing rhythm at the center of it all: the beating of your own heart.
Adventure validation requires that you submit via email or post:
- A map of your route, a (minimum) 5-mile solo hike* where the entirety of the distance is without pavement of any sort
- A written reflection of no less than 100 words
1 and 2 received between 2/13/2021 and 2/26/2021 will earn you one point in the Steps Virtual Adventure Series.
A bonus-point matrix will be sent to participants on Saturday, February 13th. The matrix will reveal several opportunities to enhance your hiking experience and earn the extra points you need to put you ahead of the competition. Some bonus points will be easy to earn. Others may be near-impossible, but those are the points that will separate the wheat from the chaff.
With more than twenty possible bonus points, here’s a small preview of the matrix:
First Step validation submissions received before 2/13/2021 and after 2/26/2021 will not be considered.
And here are two ways to pull ahead of the pack right now:
- The first five people to register will earn one bonus point.
- Earn another bonus point for each person you refer that completes all or any part of the D&T Steps Virtual Adventure Series.
*participating women may be accompanied by a mahram.
Your participation fee of $40 gets you access to the First Step only.
Your Second Step
You are linked to others through ties of blood, marriage, and guardianship. It’s time to honor those links.
Whoever would like his provision in this world to be increased and his life span to be extended let him uphold the ties of kinship.
Bukhari /Muslim
You’re going to write a letter, and the rules are simple: send a message to someone in your family.
Write to someone you love. Write to someone you loathe. Offer an apology. Communicate your gratitude. Call someone out.
It’s your letter, and it’s going to be around for a long time. Make the effort count.
Adventure validation requires that you submit via email or post:
- A photograph of your letter that does not reveal intimate or private details
- A written reflection of no less than 100 words
1 and 2 received between 2/27/2021 and 3/12/2021 will earn you one point in the Steps Virtual Adventure Series.A bonus-point matrix will be sent to participants on Saturday, February 27th. The matrix will reveal several opportunities to enhance your writing experience and earn the extra points you need to put you ahead of the competition. Some bonus points will be easy to earn. Others may be near-impossible, but those are the points that will separate the wheat from the chaff.
With more than twenty possible bonus points, here’s a small preview of the matrix:
Second Step validation submissions received before 2/27/2021 and after 3/12/2021 will not be considered.
Your non-refundable participation fee of $40 gets you access to the Second Step only.
Your Third Step
We are all linked to one another through communal bonds that we often find convenient to ignore. Our adopted identities ground us in an individual narrative that, while giving us personal meaning, may also serve to cut us off from our other brothers and sisters in humanity. It’s time to get to know one another.
The best of people are those who bring the most benefit to mankind.
Daraqutni
You’re going to offer a community service for a minimum of four hours over a two week period, and the rules are simple: donate your time to an established volunteer organization.
Find something that you’re passionate about. Find something that makes you curious. Find an opportunity that is totally outside your experience and open yourself to that while simultaneously blessing others with the gift of your essential self.
Adventure validation requires that you submit via email or post:
- A log of where and when you volunteered
- A written reflection of no less than 100 words
1 and 2 received between 3/13/2021 and 3/26/2021 will earn you one point in the Steps Virtual Adventure Series.A bonus-point matrix will be sent to participants on Saturday, March 13th. The matrix will reveal several opportunities to enhance your volunteer experience and earn the extra points you need to put you ahead of the competition. Some bonus points will be easy to earn. Others may be near-impossible, but those are the points that will separate the wheat from the chaff.
With more than twenty possible bonus points, here’s a small preview of the matrix:
Third Step validation submissions received before 3/13/2021 and after 3/26/2021 will not be considered.
Your non-refundable participation fee of $40 gets you access to the Third Step only.
Your Fourth Step
We are from God, and to Him we shall return. This is your opportunity to contemplate where we came from and where we’re heading.
Verily, you will continue to be safe as long as you remain silent.
al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr
You’re going to take a 24-hour vow of silence, and the rules are simple: keep quiet.
Prepare your friends and family. Tell your co-workers. Set a date and zip your lip. Any intentional sounds you make with your mouth or nose will disqualify you.
But this is no mere exercise in willpower. What will you do while silent? How will you use your time? How will you use the energy you’ll recover from not talking? What will you hear? What will you notice when you are no longer preoccupied with formulating a response?
Adventure validation requires that you submit via email or post:
- Your word that you kept silent
- A written reflection of no less than 100 words
1 and 2 received between 3/27/2021 and 4/9/2021 will earn you one point in the Steps Virtual Adventure Series.A bonus-point matrix will be sent to participants on Saturday, March 27th. The matrix will reveal several opportunities to enhance your vow of silence and earn the extra points you need to put you ahead of the competition. Some bonus points will be easy to earn. Others may be near-impossible, but those are the points that will separate the wheat from the chaff.
With more than twenty possible bonus points, here’s a small preview of the matrix:
Fourth Step validation submissions received before 3/27/2021 and after 4/9/2021 will not be considered.
Your non-refundable participation fee of $40 gets you access to the Fourth Step only.
Wanna commit to the all four Steps and save $10 in the process? Go ahead and impress us!
Adventure Score (completing all Steps): 2
Not ready to sign up? Get on the interest list to stay on top of developments!
Questions? Send us a message through our Contact Page
