Trees Helped Tell her story

PURCHASE TREE TREK BOOK

Nature speaks to each of us personally as we walk our unique paths through life and can help us see a way forward. Stephanie Mirocha’s inspiring memoir shows how art and science intersect as she describes the help trees provided in telling her story of grief at the loss of her father while at the same time offering their fascinating treasure trove of learning readers can take with them to enrich future outdoor experiences. Nature invites each of us to immerse ourselves outdoors. In the process of that connection, we receive many benefits whether it is listening to our own inner guidance, achieving growth through personal challenges nature offers, healing through nature, or simply finding a sense of calm. What better way to begin than to take a forest walk and learn about trees! This warm, joyful memoir does just that as it leads the reader chapter by chapter through the trees as Mirocha tells the story of taking up the Tree Trek legacy her father initiated in a nearby city park.

Each chapter is titled with a tree genus in which Mirocha weaves her personal story of loss with science, connections to trees, and the vital importance of nature in our lives—bringing the personal into the universal.  Readers travel along with her as she describes the joy of following in her late father’s footsteps while also learning the natural history of trees.  

EVENTS and Presentations

Please support my book  with a review -- anywhere! Word-of-mouth and reviews are the best!

 "It is a rare pleasure to go for a walk among the trees with someone who clearly knows and loves them as much as I do. There is a wealth of scientific and botanical knowledge here (Linnaeus would be proud!) but much more than that, we find also a true depth of feeling and understanding. 'Each tree,' writes Stephanie Mirocha, 'is a world unto itself.' And so it is. But there is a dimension--a near mystical connection, perhaps--where the world of the tree touches and reflects the inner world of the human being. Someone who is hurting, perhaps. In need of guidance. Of comfort or inspiration. It is of that world--that connection--that Stephanie writes so beautifully. She says that in getting to know the trees, she has also found herself. I suspect that may be the case for any reader who treks among the trees with her."

--Douglas Wood, author of Old Turtle, Deep Woods, Wild Waters, and A Wild Path 

"Tree Trek is an intensely personal story of one woman’s exploration of trees and family grief. Tapping into a lifetime of experience with nature, Ms. Mirocha successfully blends scientific knowledge with personal discovery. Through her narrative the healing power of trees is revealed. We learn that trees are good listeners, but they don’t say much. Using an engaging writing style, Ms. Mirocha speaks for the trees and for all of us who have dealt with grief."

—Welby Smith, author of Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota

"For all of us who long to be reminded of the power of nature to heal, Stephanie Mirocha’s poignant memoir is a welcome blessing. More than simply a soothing walk in a park, more than an affectionate, enlightening meditation on the nature and character of Earth’s most enduring plants, more than a master naturalist’s journey through grief, Tree Trek is a touching, tender testament to the everlasting love between a father and daughter. I heartily recommend this beautiful book to all of us who seek to be moved by an inspiring story of familial love and to all of us who seek restoration in nature."

—Andrea Gilats, author of After Effects: A Memoir of Complicated Grief  and Radical Endurance: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity

MEDIA REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS

Northern Woodlands Magazine "Wood Lit' review by Michelle Giles, Summer 2025

Park Bugle community newspaper, July 12, 2025

KAXE/KBXE Morning Show conversation July 14, 2025 with Heidi Holtan and John Latimer