by Kristine Hansen ON MY MOST RECENT TRIP TO SONOMA COUNTY,California, fresh out of extended quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I vowed to thrust myself into a new adventure. On this trip, I’d do something that didn’t involve umpteen pours of sultry Russian River Valley pinot noir or crisp Alexander Valley chardonnay, but was still linked to the region’s terroir. So I laced up my hiking shoes, put on a ballcap, and set off into the woods on a late-June afternoon with Re

by Teresa Bitler Forest bathing isn't what the name implies. Rather, it's a new way to slow down and experience the natural world around you. The first time I heard about forest bathing, I imagined a claw foot bathtub, dappled by light, under a canopy of gently blowing trees. Dozens of questions filled my head. How would the water get into the tub? Where would you hang your clothes? Would other people be around? But, most importantly, why? Why would anyone take a bath in a fo