The Mary Badass

I spent part of today chipping ice off my solar panels. They’ve been solidly encased in ice for almost a week. Pretty much every day I’ve brushed the new snow off them without being able to make a dent in the thick layer of ice underneath. Looking at the upcoming weather and realizing there was…

Where to begin? Perhaps by saying, I have thought often of all of you who read my blogs. I’m grateful to those who have checked in on me to see how I’m doing and who donated to the GoFundMe site after my foot was burned. Truly, my connections with people are one of the things…

I am writing this to inform you all of a major incident which has affected my blogging. And I am asking you to see this as a public service announcement, spreading the word to prevent this from happening to others. Last week I was hiking in Vt with Angela, who was on the verge of…

I’ve lived below the poverty line most of my life and I’ve done ok. One way I did that was to never eat out or buy new clothes and to almost never spend money on myself. After my ex walked out and cleaned out our bank account, I was even more afraid to spend money…

I value the interactions I have with people I meet on my exploits as much as I love and value the incredible scenery. Many of my lifelong friends are people I’ve met on my recent thru hikes, and Alaska has certainly added a number of new people to my list of expected long-term friends. Grace,…

After leaving Anchorage, I drove towards Denali, spending one night sleeping in a pull off on the side of the road. Because the car I rented was a Nissan Sentra, it was too small to stretch my legs out in. I was pretty stiff in the morning and eager to stretch and hike when I…

As much as I enjoyed the ferry from Juneau to Glacier Bay, the best part of it was meeting a woman named Steph. She had come to Alaska to crew for a friend of hers who was attempting to run the 414 mile Dalton Highway with the fastest known time. (Steph’s friend, Jenny, did succeed,…

I spent a lot of my life in fear and worry. I worried what other people thought about me, about having enough food and money, and having a place to live with my son. I never felt good enough and while I seldom showed it, I was afraid of almost everything. I can see it…

After finishing the Pacific Northwest Trail, Kelly, who had been helping me with resupply and providing rides to towns, drove me to Kindabird and SOS’s house where I was able to shower and wash my clothes. The next day we drove to Bellingham. Kelly went on her way while I stayed a week with MaryAnn…

People often ask me why I do what I do. There are many reasons for that. I’ll touch on a few of them here. For starters, I have the kind of body which thrives with physical exercise. Having exercise induced endorphins pump through my brain every day helps me feel better, and the constant walking…