I left the CDT near the Colorado/New Mexico border and headed into Chama. Tired of the constant wind that felt like hungry ghosts demanding to be acknowledged. Worn out from what that does to my nervous system. I not-so-stealth camped in front of the senior center in the middle of town, long past the point […]
I’d walked away from myself just as much as I’d walked away from society. After a month of silence, alone in the mountains, it was time to mingle with the other apes. I travelled south, from Breckenridge to Fairplay and beyond by connecting local buses, to end up stealth camping in Salida. Then hitchhiking from […]
There’s a book I’m supposed to be writing… Instead, I stealth camp outside of town after riding the dog into Flagstaff. The deal was that I’d take time off-trail to finish writing the second book in my hiker trash romance series. Sit still. Write. Pay for the future. But to my body, writing felt like […]
The town came alive below me as the sun sank behind the ridge. I’d followed the Pine–Strawberry Trail out of town without much thought, just climbing until the noise softened and the air cooled. Halfway up Strawberry Mountain, I found an alligator juniper and leaned back into its bark, patterned and solid, like it had […]
Stealth camping in Great Barrington under a sky that threatened rain but never delivered. I laid out my sleeping pad and bag directly on the grass, no tent, just open air and the possibility of getting soaked. A half gallon of milk, and a flashlight that probably gave away my position to anyone who cared […]
I woke up in Terminal C of Denver International Airport, having slept on the floor, beneath unforgiving lights. Because people are afraid of each other, I spent another two days stealth camped outside of a UPS store. Waiting for things you aren’t supposed to bring on an airplane. Trekking poles, tent stakes, a pocket knife. […]
At the last minute, I headed to the Oregon coast in an attempt to see the Perseid meteor shower. To lay on the beach and watch magic sparkle across the night sky. But as the sun dipped below the horizon, the clouds rolled in, covering the stars. I fell asleep to the soothing rhythm of […]
“Why something instead of nothing?” A hiker named Late Night asked, as we lounged on the sidewalk, in the shade, in front of the grocery store. He was drinking a six pack of beer, I was working on my second half gallon of milk. And because of that, I missed my bus to Portland, and […]
Nestled in the tranquil shade, far from the bustle of civilization, I surrendered to sleep. For days on end, I followed a routine: stash my belongings in a tree, hike miles to the trailhead, and catch the shuttle into Sedona. After only a few hours in town, replenishing water, savoring a meal, I’d board the […]
I got lost on the Florida Trail, and a month and a half later, found myself in Flagstaff, Arizona. I’d gotten used to being off social media, and coming back was a harder decision than it should have been. I’d had such a great time with so many incredible people that it felt disrespectful for […]