The Power of Nature

In these unique times Sacred Rok has found ways to continue to support youth in nature. For example, over the last ten years in Tuolumne Meadows where we host all of our camping trips, we made friends with other campers. There was a young boy and his mother, Fionn and Tracey, who camped near us for many summers. Fionn would see Ron splitting fire wood at camp and he took interest in learning how to do that which started a friendship. Ron taught him how to chop and stack wood and they spent many hours together over the years this way.  With much needed nature time after following shelter in place orders for months, we had a unique opportunity to invite them to stay with us this summer.

Here are some thoughts Tracey shared about what it meant to them.

“With lock down and city life I was beginning to think I was broken. Thankfully from the moment we got to Sacred Rok, the layers started to peel off; Watching my son's bright smile when he saw Ron for the first time this summer, swimming laps in the valley river, falling off of the paddle board, Katie's nutritious/delicious meals, the trip to the lake. Nature combined with words from Ron and Katie on life, routine and nature will get us through this strange time.”

"My depression/fog has lifted. Returning to the small spot in SF is challenging but we have new tools and memories of the mini adventures, words of wisdom, ingrained images of the beauty, mountains and water. These have the ability to strip away the sadness like nothing else can. I am so grateful that I was able to get my son into nature, spending time with such amazing role models.”  - Tracey

Its just keeps becoming more and more obvious to us the importance of nature for health and wellbeing; As Tracey and her son were coming from such an intense situation of “shelter in place for months” and the relief they felt once in the presence of Yosemite.

Sacred Rok is and will always be committed to the reality of higher education nature’s way.

Ron Kauk - Executive Director

Katie Lambert - Chief Operating Officer

Sacred Rok Bandana

We’re honored to share our Sacred Rok bandana with the three images of Half Dome, the black bear and the lightning bolt; All symbolic of a connection to our climbing roots and a lifetime of experiences in such profound beauty and wisdom that Yosemite shares. 

 Our commitment is to helping youth connect to this wisdom that is in all of us and waiting to come out through Education Natures Way. 

 For a $50 donation we are happy to send you this limited-edition gift as an appreciation of your support. 

All Life is Sacred

We at Sacred Rok are happy to share what has proven to be true about nurturing relationships over time.

 As a nonprofit the question we always get is “are we seeing results?” We have felt that each time we have gathered together with all of our different groups, it’s like planting seeds that will grow in their own time. 

 Here’s an example of our relationship with Uplift Family Services, a foster care agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2013 we held our first trip with them, one of the participants was a youth named Nia Johnson. 

From Nia’s first trip in 2013 she also joined us for two more trips over the years and had turned 18. This was a crucial juncture; she was soon to be aging out of the foster care system. 

In July 2020 we reunited with her as we walked along the river appreciating the waterfalls and all the beauty of Yosemite that had brought us together in the first place. 

 In Sacred Rok’s commitment to facilitate the ceremony of nature Nia was able to develop her relationship to nature.

In her own words here are some of the things she shared with us: 

   “If you don’t know your history you tend to think you don’t have a story so it seems as though you have no control over your life. Having a relationship with nature can bring you alive in many ways and we see that all the time when we see kids open up and have fun and discover themselves in these spaces.” NJ

“There is a peace and a calm that comes with the outside world and that only makes sense because this is where we are from.”NJ 

“Nature or “places like Yosemite '' inspire so much vulnerability because you’re sitting in these natural places where everything just IS. In these spaces you see earth at its most raw state and something about that makes me want to reflect that.” NJ

For all of us a shared memory of a past trip was when we spent one evening out at Lembert Dome looking at the stars. All of our imaginations were opened up to the possibilities before us. 

“My thoughts that night were more existential than anything else. I wondered what brought us to that moment, how life aligns different people and brings them together. I felt gratitude for everything, and it gave me the opportunity to contextualize my life and realize that I can do and be anything I want as long as I am in the moment. That space inspired gratitude which inspired a love and willingness to live up to my own standards and beliefs.” NJ

 To have had this shared experience together through a sense of communing with the natural world and the entire universe it evoked the spirit in us all to the reality that life is sacred. 

We humbly thank you for your support and our commitment to Education Natures Way.

With Respect,

Ron Kauk - Executive Director

Katie Lambert - Chief Operating Officer

Keeping it Sacred

After two months of being locked out of Yosemite and living at the portal of the Valley the door opened to local residents. Reentering into the sacred world of waterfalls, dogwood blooming, springs that we drink from, no cars, no people to speak of – the feeling is overwhelming beauty as my senses are opening to commune in a way that feels the past, present, and future. 

 The potential of Sacred Rok feels stronger than ever to interpret this kind of experience that the natural world is expressing.  It’s as if you can hear nature think. Or maybe it’s the spirit of nature and your spirit connecting. 

 For me this feels like an evoking of memory and reality that we are all from the earth and this is the relationship that needs rejuvenation from the human heart to find the respect and compassion to protect all life. This can only come through the higher education nature’s way. 

 Sacred Rok will always support the authentic self and promote the gifts that our kids have come into this world with. We are committed more than ever to facilitate this opportunity that Yosemite is expressing to the entire world as a world heritage site and we at Sacred Rok are dedicated to this responsibility to help, heal and mend a world out of balance. 

 Respectfully, 

Ron Kauk - Executive Director