Thoughtful Excavation: An Exploration of Sediment, Slag, and Self is a 1.8-mile guided walk led by writer, artist, and naturalist Tess Wilson along the Nine Mile Run Trail in Pittsburgh. Participants explore a gravel trail that traverses geological formations and remnants of industrial slag, engaging with the layered history of the landscape shaped by both natural processes and Pittsburgh’s industrial past. The walk incorporates creative practices such as drawing and writing, encouraging embodied reflection on the intersections between place, materiality, and personal history.

The event invites participants to consider the sediment and industrial byproducts as tangible traces revealing the city’s transformation over millions of years. Tess Wilson integrates her expertise in natural history and creative education to facilitate a psychogeographic experience that connects environmental observations with artistic expression. The walk begins and ends at Old Browns Hill Road, featuring terrain with inclines and varied tree cover, and promotes an active engagement with the evolving urban and natural fabric of Pittsburgh.