Full Circle Adventures has been connecting people to nature for over 25 years. Our wild, edible plant walks, hikes, and wild food cooking workshops, offer you a window into the intelligence of nature. We have learned from Hank Snow of the Nakoda Sioux, Tim Patterson of the Interior Salish, Alvin Manychiefs of the Blackfoot and Canadian authors, such as Linda Kershaw and Terry Willard, as well as our own outdoor guiding and foraging experiences, regarding local edible plants.
We bring a depth of caring and years of experience to our edible wild plant cooking programs. We hope to inspire your journey of connection with our natural world, where we live.
When we discover the intelligence of nature, we deepen our own roots. Think of any herb or spice, once it grew wild in a European or Eurasian country.
A Full Circle Adventure, is about getting to know a plant in its habitat, the animals that feed on and fertilize it and how nature's intelligence works with all life!
I invite you to re-wild yourself, to reunite with Nature's wisdom, on one of our Edible Plant outings and begin your journey of rediscovering your sacred nature!
Full Circle Adventures is insured to guide people outdoors and to cook with wild foods.
Meet our team below...
"I see the edible plants of the forest floor as an expression of the intelligence of the creator. Through seeing and understanding this intelligence, we can restore our awe and appreciation for the creator's brilliance, The intact native landscapes for me, are the purest canvas of the beauty and intelligence of creation.
I have a strong conservation ethic, which plays out in my gardening, foraging and in encouraging people to re-wild your garden with native plants. My own garden is a great example of that, and I could feed four people throughout the year, quite easily with native plants!” – Julie Walker
Julie Walker is the owner and program director for Full Circle Adventures. She has a Bachelor degree in Physical Education (BPE), with a major in Outdoor Pursuits, from the University of Calgary.
Since 1987, Julie has hiked extensively in Kananaskis Country, the Whaleback (Bob Creek Heritage rangeland), the Sheep and Highwood river valleys and Banff National Park.
Her focus is to build a deeper connection with our world, by understanding wild food harvesting. The plant and animal communities can teach us so much about living in community. This knowledge helps develop 'best practices', to reduce the human acts that compromise our natural world and food eco-systems therein.
Julie's vision; is to engage and educate landowners, gardeners, foragers and the outdoor recreation community, about the value of preserving intact wildlands and growing native foods.
In the Winter, Julie teaches entry level cross country skiing.
Member of:
- Interpretive Guides Association (IGA) 21 years
- Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors (CANSI) 26 years
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) 9 years
- Millarville Horticultural Society 2 years
Certifications:
- Wilderness First Aid (80 hr)
- IGA Professional Guide (4 season)
- CANSI Instructor - Level 1
- U of C Degree BPE - major in Outdoor Pursuits
Tim Patterson has been an outdoor professional for over 12 years, and has hiked and explored both the western parts of Canada and the United States. Originally from the Lower Nicola Indian Band that belongs to the Scw̓éxmx (“People of the Creeks”) a branch of the Nlaka’pamux (Thompson) Nation of the Interior Salish peoples of British Columbia Canada. Tim spent his youth camping, hiking and backpacking in the West Kootenay’s.
Tim holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Lethbridge, where he did research on Indigenous identity and ways of knowing.
He is a recognized Indigenous Interpretive Guide and Educator teaching Indigenous ways of knowing and practices in mountainous environments with: the Interpretive Guides Association (IGA), ACMG and is a special guest instructor with Full Circle Adventures.
Certifications:
- ACMG Apprentice Hiking Guide
- IGA Professional Interpreter
- Wilderness Guides Association
- BSA
- LNT Master Educator.
Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed is a botanist, herbalist, wild forager and educator. She is currently based in Calgary Treaty 7 Territory where she is focusing on growing and supplying native plants. She is the co-owner of ALCLA Native Plants.
Latifa has been working with plants for 15 years including research and field work. She is most familiar with plants in Northern and Southern Alberta, Coastal British Columbia, and Northwestern Europe. She is a former faculty member at Pacific Rim College in the Coast Salish territory of Victoria B.C. where she taught botany and horticulture for 2 years, and introduced the first course on the nutritional value of wild food plants.
She runs workshops across Western Canada focusing on plant identification, botany, wild edible plants, sustainable wild harvesting, and herbal medicine. She also runs a sliding-scale herbal medicine practice. Latifa is also the co-owner of ALCLA native plant nursery.
Latifa is pleased to be part of the Full Circle Adventure team, which recognizes the fragility of out native plant ecosystems. Knowledge of plant usage must be combined with stewardship, respect and humility. Let's re-wild our gardens and urban spaces!
Certifications:
- Master’s of Science in Herbal Medicine from London, UK
- Bachelor of Science in Botany from the University of Calgary.
- Standard First Aid and Level C CPR/AED
Julie,
I had the pleasure of joining you for your March 26th, Sunday Edible Plant Walk. I was most impressed! You have an obvious passion for plants, speaking about them with obvious fondness and awe, and a deep respect for First Nations culture. As well, you convey information about trees, shrubs, and flowers in an engaging way. Thank you for using your time and energy on behalf of the natural world.
– Janice Rider
Your class will become immersed in a local landscape to discover the knowledge of First Nations and the early Europeans. Our inter-disciplinary approach teaches:
- The human history of the land and early uses of plants.
- Inquiry-based learning about plant identification and uses.
- Exploratory learning about the relationships between trees, plants, sunlight and the animal interactions within the eco-systems.
- The human impact on the landscape over time. How different world views create very different outcomes for a landscape.
Honoring the teachers and knowledge keepers
We honor and recognize the importance and generosity of the teachings of the First Nations and Metis people who have and continue to, live in the southern Alberta area. We are very grateful for the exchange of knowledge that has been shared between our cultures.
The Elders of the Woodland and Plains Cree, the Blackfoot Nation, the Nakoda Sioux, Interior Salish and the Multi-cultured Metis people have shared with many authors over the decades, Nancy Turner, Robert Rogers and Terry Willard, to name our contemporaries.
We have been blessed with opportunities of sharing stories of the land with individuals from the Nations of the Nakoda Sioux, (the Wesley, Bearspaw and Goodstoney bands), the Kainai, Pikani, and Siksika tribes of the Blackfoot Nation, as well as the Interior Salish, who have historic trade routes here.
We are grateful that this land is still somewhat intact and that this wisdom is still with the people. They have been generous in their sharing and no one would know as much as we all do about the plant wisdom and Indigenous ways of knowing, if members of these Nations had not willing to share over the years.
It is with much gratitude and respect that we continue to share in the plant knowledge and build relationships with the people and the plant kingdom. Many Blessings. All my relations.