The Mary Badass

I’ve been thinking about how torturous it must be to be locked in solitary confinement. After just a few days of not seeing another person I find myself checking my satellite device for messages as soon as I take a hiking break. I do this even before I pull food out of my pack, no…

This post was written shortly before I reached Pinedale, Wyoming. This trail is not letting me go easily into the night. After a rough night of sleeping, I woke up to an ice-encrusted tent. Inside and out, everything was coated. I allowed myself the little luxury of snuggling in my sleeping bag before putting my…

By Mary Anderson Sometimes I have to bite my tongue and not speak. The other day I was sitting near the trail having a late-day snack. A big guy a bit younger than I am came down the trail and excitedly told me he had just seen a moose. I could have replied, “Yeah, I…

In Yellowstone National Park. On the trail, I have become acutely aware of the tipping point of many things. First, there is my pack. It is usually on the high end of weight when I leave town. Each day I eat it gets a bit lighter, except for days when I have to tank up…

More remote geysers. White pink yellow orange red and turquoise rocks. Lots more mushrooms. More wonderful trail angels. Sitting in my birthday suit in the hot-tub like Witch River keeping one eye out for bear in area. Soaking for half-hour while eating a sandwich from camp neighbors the night before. Also eating chips from someone…

I sit eating lunch by a river running out of the mountains. It is so beautiful that I want to share it with someone. I check my satellite device, hoping for a sense of connection with someone. When there are no messages I feel myself swamped with the overwhelming pain of childhood loneliness. It is…

People warned me about Big Sky. They said it was full of billionaires and I’d have a hard time finding a place to stay. They were only partially correct. There were a lot of people in Big Sky who were not billionaires. There was the woman who ran the grocery store, the guys who worked…

As I near the summit of a high peak with the wind howling, I am reminded of the importance of respecting these mountains. I think too often nature is approached with a nonchalance which gets people into trouble. Respect is different than fear. There are times I have been terrified in the mountains, such as…

It is wonderful to me how the trail takes simple things and turns them into great pleasures. For example, tonight I am camped at 8,500 feet. It is cold and rainy. I am so excited about being cozy in my tent and cuddled in my sleeping bag. I even gave a squeal of delight when…

The real challenge is for me to believe that I am enough. I have been reminding myself to drink more water. It is plentiful now, though still sometimes as far apart as fifteen miles over a long tough ridge. But I’ve been without plentiful water for long enough that I have gotten into the habit…