The Mary Badass

I have lived for as long as I can remember with a lot of pain. From a very young age I was aware that my body hurt. As I got older I became aware of the emotional pain as well. I’ve learned to live pretty well with the physical pain. I’ve had a harder time…

I have been living in the moment out here like I never have before. I make some rough plans for the day but then let the chips fall where they may. I’ve decided I do not want to live in the moment if I am not enjoying it because I am focused on some future…

On the Continental Divide Trail Pacing is really important. Every racer knows that if you leave the starting block too fast you are apt to be dragging before the race is over. It is the same with hiking. There are so many things to pace out here. The obvious one is your daily mileage. Too…

As a child, I was bored in school. I always finished my work ahead of the other kids and then usually, out of boredom, I got into trouble. I fidgeted and talked to other kids who were still working. I was thought of as an unruly child. Thank God for my fifth-grade teacher, the only…

I have seen animals go silent just before the earth started to shake. They sensed the tremors coming. In some parts of the world, people maintain the instinct to feel an impending earthquake or tsunami. I believe that we are all born with a wealth of protective instinct and that most of us become disconnected…

This kind man stopped and chatted with me in the Great Basin. We shared real connection. He introduced me to his son and gave me his work gloves to protect my blistered hands when I was walking on crutches. If I had just said “Oh I’m fine” when he asked, this connection would not have…

Hiking helps me put my “mistakes” and decisions into perspective. I used to sometimes stop somewhere for the night only to regret the next day that I hadn’t walked just a mile further to a more lovely camp spot. I agonized over which route to take, not wanting to miss the “better” of my choices.…

I stand on the top of a mountain feeling satisfied that my aging body made the climb. I eventually pull myself away from the views and make my way down. Sometimes I lose as much as 4,000 feet in elevation, and while I am going down I see the next monolith I will have to…

I’ve heard a lot of people out here blame the Forest Service for the number of forest fires. They say it is mismanagement that has caused the fires. I don’t know if it is quite that simple. I believe that climate change has played a part. I suspect having acres of dead standing timber from…

I’ve been wondering lately what happens when a goal I’ve had for over forty years is finally reached, especially when that goal became my lifeline, the rope I held onto to keep afloat. What happens when I take that last step and reach the end of the rope? It is common for people to feel…