A lone figure stands at the edge of a vast canyon overlook at golden hour

Trails of Transformation

An Outer Wilderness
for the Inner One.

Every leaf, every breeze, every ray of light is God, communicating through His creation. We lead people deep into the wild to find the stillness it takes to finally hear Him — and to remember a frequency within themselves they never actually lost.

What We Believe

A Threshold, Not a Hike.

We believe the wild is not scenery — it's communication. Every leaf, every breeze, every ray of light is God, speaking through what He made. Most of us move too fast and too loud to catch it. So we build in stillness: real silence, real solitude, real distance from a phone. That stillness is what makes room for a two-way conversation — the kind that reconnects a person to their North Star, their purpose, their Heavenly Father.

We believe men need a place to feel everything, not just the acceptable parts. Anger, grief, tenderness, joy — the full range, without suppressing it, numbing it, or performing around it. Most men never had a model for that. So the wilderness becomes the model: a mirror that draws what's hidden up to the surface, held by a circle of men doing the same work, so a healthier way of being a husband, a father, a son, and a leader has somewhere to start.

And we believe this calling doesn't stop at men's work. The same wilderness that reveals what's hidden in a man can meet addiction and mental illness just as directly — not by adding something new, but by helping a person root back into the regulated, natural frequency they were born with. It was never lost. Only forgotten.

A man walking barefoot through a creek crossing on a backcountry trail, golden fall trees rising behind him
Trails of Transformation

“This isn't about the miles.
It's about what the miles uncover.”

This Is Personal

This Is Personal.

John Thomas di Bari leading young men in the wilderness through Explore Austin

I know what it is to lose yourself before you ever get the chance to find out who you were supposed to be.

In my early twenties, I was asked to leave UT for two semesters. I lost my job. I was arrested. I woke up in a hospital. What I couldn't see then was that beneath the drinking was a young man who had no idea who he was, what he felt, or how to say any of it out loud.

What began to change that wasn't someone fixing me. It was backpacking — being in an environment that asked something true of me, and gave me the space to finally answer honestly.

For six years I took young men from underserved Austin communities into the wilderness through Explore Austin, from sixth grade through senior year. I watched boys who had never been seen as leaders become exactly that — not because anyone told them to, but because the wild held up a mirror long enough for them to see it themselves.

That's what Trails of Transformation is built on. Not a program. An answer to something I've lived.

“The wilderness does not fix you. It shows you that you were never broken — only lost. And it gives you the landscape to find your way back.”

— John Thomas di Bari

Meet Your Guides

The Men
Leading the Way.

Hear directly from the people leading these expeditions — who they are, and why they feel called to bring people into the wild.

John Thomas di Bari

Founder & Guide

John on who he is, what led him into this work, and why he feels called to bring people into the wild.

Grant Lindholm

Guide

Grant on what leading in the wild means to him, and why he keeps coming back to do this work.

A Trip With Us

Preview

A look at what time in the wild with us actually feels like — a placeholder until we have dedicated footage for this page.

The Podcast

Trails of Transformation

Stories from the edge of the inner wilderness.

Conversations with individuals who have dedicated themselves courageously to their craft and way of being — the tools they have deployed, the perspectives they have gained, and the visions they carry forward. This is not an interview show. It is a devotion.

Watch the Introduction

Latest Episodes

More episodes coming soon — available on YouTube. Spotify coming soon.

Find Your Way

Not Every Threshold Looks the Same.

However you're meant to begin, there's a door open.

Expeditions

Multi-day wilderness trips — into places like Coyote Gulch, the Guadalupe Mountains, and Big Bend. Built around brotherhood, solitude, and the kind of challenge that strips away performance.

See Upcoming Trips→

Sunday Holy Walks

A free, weekly gathering in the hills and creeks around Austin. No pack required, no application — just ninety minutes to remember what you are.

Join This Sunday→

Partnership Work

For addiction treatment centers and mental health providers ready to extend their continuum of care into the wild.

Learn About Partnership→