“The trees were friendly, they gave me rest and shadowed refuge. Slipping through them, I felt safe and competent. My whole body was occupied. I had little energy to think or worry.”

“Beneath hot sun, desert roses bloomed. Under cold moon, I still refused to.”

“And so, despite the complex web of paths, waterfalls, cliffs, as a hiker wanders downhill, drainages merge, faint, abstract paths coalesce, thicken, until there is one path the one, natural, trodd...”

“I was passive by nature. I had always been. Arguing felt unnatural and uncomfortable. I was always agreeing even when I didnt really, instinctively looking for ways to forfeit power, to become more...”

“This was trail magic. Sea Breezes fire, his light, his heat, his life, remained, their salvation. It is a fact that all drainages, if followed downhill, lead to the same lowland water body. Lost an...”

“I saw now that bad men existed who would take advantage of any weakness and insecurity they found when violating a victim. I saw it was not my fault; I did not choose to be raped or kidnapped. But ...”

“Beneath hot sun, desert roses bloomed. Under cold moon, I still refused to.”

“I was passive by nature. I had always been. Arguing felt unnatural and uncomfortable. I was always agreeing even when I didnt really, instinctively looking for ways to forfeit power, to become more...”

“There was so little I wanted to carry. Packing my backpack took me all of four minutes”

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”

“I love going out of my way, beyond what I know, and finding my way back a few extra miles, by another trail, with a compass that argues with the mapnights alone in motels in remote western towns wh...”

“These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here's where things growbut of course, witho...”

“Mothers Day is coming up soon. If youre lucky enough to still have your mother, tell her youre grateful to her [] at some point, we must forgive each other for being flawed human beings. Many of us...”

“There is not enough air in the room for Marianne and Elizabeth to share. They have learned this the hard way, but acceptance of the fact has made life easier. Now they see each other twice a year, ...”

“Mom was the midwife who delivered stories to me.”