We have developed some very special trips and classes, featuring experiences we know you’ll love. Or, contact Mimi to create something just for you and/or your group.

Mimitouchtheearth@gmail.com or  (740) 591-9094

CLASSES

Finding Your Way: Basics in Navigation 

Need to find your way in the outdoors? Join us at Touch the Earth Adventures Retreat as we return to the basics of using maps, compasses and combining the two. Ensuring that, no matter where you are, you can find yourself and where you want to go. Course instructors, Vicky Kent and Keaton Welch, are Recreation Studies Graduate Students at Ohio University. Vicky has taught navigation skills internationally. Keaton regularly teaches wilderness navigation at Ohio University, in addition to his years of international and US navigation experience.

Contact Mimi: 740-591-9094 by phone or text or email mimitouchtheearth@gmail.com

Get to Know a Tree

Trees MAKE GREAT FRIENDS AND TEACHERS! Ohio is home to a wide diversity of native trees. Learning to identify them can be challenging and fun. Knowing trees gives us glimpse into the quiet but amazing world that is the mixed mesophytic forests of Ohio. We begin with refreshments and an introduction to tree biology and anatomy. Then we head outside and see how trees work in real life and what they are. We’ll do a fifteen minute wrap up and enjoy some refreshments to conclude. Learn tree identification basics by observing the bark, twigs and buds of the winter landscape. Come to make friends with the trees!

When you walk with a tree you will never walk alone!

Women’s Water Workout Conditioning By Kayak

Imagine a workout on water, fresh air in your lungs, morning light awakening your senses and gliding over glistening water by kayak. Imagine your body becoming firmer and your energy level lifting you into the day. Incorporate a once-a-week kayak fitness workout into your life. Kayaking from the core is the basis for conditioning. Our workout will consists of 30 minutes of body weight exercises and stretching to compliment 30 minutes of kayaking.

Listen to the Bats by Kayak 

Search for our flying mammal friends using ultrasonic bat detectors over the quiet waters of southeast Ohio after the sun sets. You and your fellow kayakers aren’t the only ones gliding over the water in the dark tonight. Listen for the flitter that gives them away! Bats fly overhead almost silently. Perhaps it is a little brown bat seeking its insect prey, or it may be it is an eastern red bat, dipping low for a drink.

Gliding on the Water With Breezes & Birds: A Gentle Kayaking Adventure

Contact Mimi: 

Mimi Morrison

tel: 740-591-9094
email: mimitouchtheearth@gmail.com
website: touchtheearthadventures.com
Facebook: @touchtheearthadventures

Gliding on the Water With Breezes & Birds: An Evening Kayaking Adventure

Enjoy a relaxed paddle late in the day. Picnic before and experience the water at this quiet time.

740-591-9094 by phone or text or email mimitouchtheearth@gmail.com
Facebook: @touchtheearthadventures

SHORTER EXCURSIONS

• First Spring Paddle —See the first redbud in fresh bloom.
• Searching for Birds
• Defrag Your Mind: Spend the day with Touch the Earth Adventure hiking in the forest writing and reflecting. Included is an opportunity to improve your written expression, followed a cookout and a full moon kayaking, beginning at sunset and returning after dark.
• Summer Solstice Kayaking: Awaken to the summer dawn with a two-hour paddle in the morning daybreak mist with coffee and rolls on the water.
• Paddle Into The Wild Watershed: A three-hour paddle into the winding wild country with eagles, egrets, bald cypress and more on Burr Oak Lake. Included is lunch, coffee and tea on a gravel bar.
• Welcome Back Kayaking Day: Celebrate the return of spring with this relaxing afternoon paddle, guaranteed to deliver some of southeastern Ohio’s best wildflower and wildlife viewing. Everyone is invited to bring a lunch for a noon picnic together on the beach before our paddle.
• Earth Day Sunrise Paddle: Start your day with this tribute to Mother Earth. We’ll surround ourselves with her magnificence, then enjoy music, coffee and snacks on the beach after our paddle.
• Friends of Strouds Shoreline Cleanup: Please join us for a volunteer clean up hike along the shore and a special afternoon of giving back to Mother Earth.
• Paddle Extravaganza at Hoover Reservoir: Don’t miss this rare chance to kayak in (well, almost) the Capital City. Join us for a morning or afternoon paddling adventure and explore the inlets and wildlife habitats that aren’t accessible from dry land. There’s also a full moon paddle both nights.
• Summer Solstice Paddle: Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, we’ve got you covered. Join us for one (or two!) of these summer kayak trips celebrating summer’s light. Choose from a sunrise or sunset paddle.
• Birding Hike
• Birding by Kayak: Julie Davis, past president of Columbus Audubon, joins us to share her enthusiasm and knowledge of birds large and small. Trips last three hours. Kayaks, pfds, paddles provided. No experience necessary. Birders of all levels welcome!
• Full Moon Paddles: Sunset’s glowing colors shower onto the water surrounding your kayak as dusk slowly encompasses you. Paddle east quietly until the moon rises on the horizon and transforms into a full moon, sending a stream of light across the water before you. We’ll paddle for two hours, with a stop along the way to have snacks. No experience needed and all equipment, instruction and snacks are provided. Prices vary based on whether you bring your own kayak and includes a guided trip, kayak, paddle, pfd, lights and refreshments served on the water.

SPRING RIVER TRIPS

• Kayak with Ben Wesier: Learn the night sky and see Jupiter, Venus and constellations while kayaking led by our resident astronomer.
• Kayak with Bats: Don’t miss this opportunity to learn all about bats. Kayak and listen for bats echolocation. Get the chance to hear these flying mammals on receivers as we watch them circle around our kayaks overhead.
• Licking River Adventure Through Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve: The Blackhand Gorge area was visited by the mound builders and Middle Woodland Native Americans, and traveling through this serene river gorge evokes a sense of those who quietly tread here thousands of years ago. We’ll paddle through the beautiful gorge of mountain laurel, sandstone cliffs and hillsides of hardwoods, and pass old remains of the more recent history of the Ohio-Erie Canal. Trip includes lunch, shuttle and all equipment. Previous paddling experience required.
• Hocking River Adventure: Wind your way down the Hocking River for a slightly more challenging adventure. Lose yourself in its giant riverbank trees and learn about local history as you paddle the same route the Native Americans once used. Watch for ducks, heron, turtles, deer and osprey. Spot the remains of old mills and stone foundations of railroad bridges, reminding us of the pioneers who settled this valley by way of this river. Restful stops on sandbars to stretch, have lunch and share laughter complete the experience. Trip includes lunch on a sand bar, shuttle and all equipment. Previous paddling experience required.

We can customize unforgettable nature-based tours that are ideal for men, women and children of all ages and abilities, including young children, people in wheelchairs or any group or individual. We are skilled at working with groups, including the following:

• Corporate
• Sports
• Scouts
• School/Youth
• Church
• Women’s and Men’s group