Name: The REAL Men's Walk
Start: 2026-01-17T08:00:00-08:00
End: 2026-01-17T12:00:00-08:00
Location: The Camp Transformation Center - Pasadena

🌿 REAL Men’s Walk — Men’s Mental Health Walks in Nature (SGV)
Date: Saturday, January 17th, 2026
Presented by: Compassionate Transformation Community (CTC)
Contact: Jay Dubois, PhD | Executive Director | [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) | (213)280-5206
***
This is a walk for your nervous system. And for your life.
Not therapy. Not a lecture. Not a place to perform healing.
Just men walking together in nature — making room for what’s real.
The REAL Men’s Walk is the inaugural gathering in CTC’s monthly men’s mental-health walk series. These walks are also the community foundation for Roots of Renewal, CTC’s upcoming bilingual, intergenerational nature-based healing research initiative in the San Gabriel Valley.
The walk stands on its own.
And at the same time, your presence helps us learn what kind of care actually works in the real world — for men, for families, for our community.
***
## What to Expect
A grounding, guided hike in the Angeles National Forest
Light prompts for reflection (always optional)
Space for honest conversation — no fixing, no pressure, no advice-dumping
Moments of quiet, breath, and presence
A closing circle to integrate and leave resourced
You can share a lot, a little, or nothing at all.
Your pace is honored. Your story is yours.
***
## Schedule + Trail Details
8:00 AM — Meet at Camp Transformation Center (Monrovia, CA)
We’ll begin with a short welcome and simple baseline measurements (for those who opt in), then organize carpools.
Carpool to Chantry Flats
We’ll head up together and start the hike as a group.
Hike to Sturtevant Falls
3.3 miles round trip
~600 feet elevation gain
Moderate pace with plenty of time to pause, breathe, and connect
This is not a race. It’s a reset.
***
## Who This Is For
Men of all ages who want:
- stress relief without stigma
- real conversation without judgment
- community that doesn’t require a mask
- movement that supports mental health
- practice returning to presence with other men
If you’ve been carrying a lot — silently, steadily, or on the edge — you belong here.
***
## About the Research / Learning Piece (Optional)
CTC is preparing an IRB-approved research study called Roots of Renewal (launching 2026), designed to understand how nature-based community healing supports stress reduction, connection, and wellbeing in SGV families.
These men’s walks help us learn what this kind of space feels like in practice and how to shape culturally grounded nature-therapy programs for our region.
We may invite participants to complete optional, confidential questionnaires about stress, mood, and social connection.
You are welcome whether or not you participate in any surveys.
There is no pressure to report improvement — we value what’s honest and real.
***
## What to Bring
comfortable hiking shoes
water (at least 1 liter)
snacks if you want
sun protection / layers
a willingness to be yourself
***
Come as you are.
Walk with us.
Let the land do what it does.
Let brotherhood do what it does.
RSVP to save your spot and receive any last-minute updates.