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Katie Manz belaying on a top rope anchor in Icicle Canyon in Leavenworth, Washington, wearing a Barsuk Records shirt.

I'm Katie Manz,

Katie Manz photographed from above, playfully looking up at the camera on a wooden bench near the ocean with shells and a small pumpkin

A portrait of Katie Manz at night in Guatemala.

Washington State born + based
outdoor lifestyle writer & model
+ wilderness - focused medic

Katie Manz in vintage Levi’s jeans and leather walking into the sunset with the Minarets of the Sierra Nevada behind her.

I’m a multidisciplinary creative experienced in modeling, photography, wilderness medicine, and outdoor leadership.

My work blends presence, capability, and authenticity, bringing depth and credibility to lifestyle, adventure, and editorial campaigns.

My mind’s everywhere these days, sometimes extremely lost in memory. In those thoughts, I’ll always go back here, to our perfect summer in the granite.
In celebration of Devon, who took me climbing for the first time outdoors, here are photos of our employee housing in Yosemite National Park, with some of my favorite (& a couple of my least favorite) people.
He told me once he thought I was dumb the first time we met, because I’d never worn climbing shoes & was walking around Curry Village in them. He said I was one of the smartest people he knew, but he’d never let me live that down.
FIve years later & we were snowboarding with him on the other side of the mountains shortly before he overdosed. That was five years ago today.
Ten years ago we lost Marcel in a drunk driving accident, so close to home.
I go back to our minimalist community, playing guitar on the beach, climbing in the moonlight, swimming in the Merced, biking with crash pads to bouldering sites.
Huff always has my heart & those people not pictured here, I remember you all in detail.
I hope someday I’ll see you all back in the valley xoxo
🏞️🌲🌙🦋

My mind’s everywhere these days, sometimes extremely lost in memory. In those thoughts, I’ll always go back here, to our perfect summer in the granite.
In celebration of Devon, who took me climbing for the first time outdoors, here are photos of our employee housing in Yosemite National Park, with some of my favorite (& a couple of my least favorite) people.
He told me once he thought I was dumb the first time we met, because I’d never worn climbing shoes & was walking around Curry Village in them. He said I was one of the smartest people he knew, but he’d never let me live that down.
FIve years later & we were snowboarding with him on the other side of the mountains shortly before he overdosed. That was five years ago today.
Ten years ago we lost Marcel in a drunk driving accident, so close to home.
I go back to our minimalist community, playing guitar on the beach, climbing in the moonlight, swimming in the Merced, biking with crash pads to bouldering sites.
Huff always has my heart & those people not pictured here, I remember you all in detail.
I hope someday I’ll see you all back in the valley xoxo
🏞️🌲🌙🦋

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away” — 🕊️ John Lennon
🌻 Exploring the Beatles ashram in Rishikesh, India, Chaurasi Kutia, where the band studied meditation in 1968
☮️ A sanctuary on the outskirts of Rishikesh, once a bustling community of thousands, now abandoned in disgrace
(I guess the teacher hit on the Beatle’s ladies)
🕉️ Blessed by Ganges River rock & her consistent rhythms, The Beatles wrote multiple songs here including Blackbird, Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?, & Revolution — Dear Prudence & Rocky Raccoon in collaboration with Donovan
🦋 Got to spend a day walking in their footsteps, imagining how grand it was & all their beautiful dreams
🌺
#beatlesashram #beatlesindia #rishikesh #spiritualtravel #thebeatles
Would you visit?

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away” — 🕊️ John Lennon
🌻 Exploring the Beatles ashram in Rishikesh, India, Chaurasi Kutia, where the band studied meditation in 1968
☮️ A sanctuary on the outskirts of Rishikesh, once a bustling community of thousands, now abandoned in disgrace
(I guess the teacher hit on the Beatle’s ladies)
🕉️ Blessed by Ganges River rock & her consistent rhythms, The Beatles wrote multiple songs here including Blackbird, Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?, & Revolution — Dear Prudence & Rocky Raccoon in collaboration with Donovan
🦋 Got to spend a day walking in their footsteps, imagining how grand it was & all their beautiful dreams
🌺
#beatlesashram #beatlesindia #rishikesh #spiritualtravel #thebeatles
Would you visit?

One of my favorite songs, Shine Onto Me by @waysideonline
“How can someone who has lost it all have more to give than me?”
This was like five minutes of me practicing, but it sounded too pretty slow & acoustic to not save for myself. I’ll keep working on it.
Happy first full moon of 2026 team xo — 🦋
#acousticcover #strippeddown #femalemusician #softvocals #acousticcover

One of my favorite songs, Shine Onto Me by @waysideonline
“How can someone who has lost it all have more to give than me?”
This was like five minutes of me practicing, but it sounded too pretty slow & acoustic to not save for myself. I’ll keep working on it.
Happy first full moon of 2026 team xo — 🦋
#acousticcover #strippeddown #femalemusician #softvocals #acousticcover

One video* per month, highlights of my year, & may 2026 top it all 🦋
Forever grateful for my friends & family, & for my nice life!
Happy New Year everyone 🌙

One video* per month, highlights of my year, & may 2026 top it all 🦋
Forever grateful for my friends & family, & for my nice life!
Happy New Year everyone 🌙

2025 was a wild ride ✨
JAN/FEB— started out doing a medical patient assessment on a 16 hour flight to India, 200 hour YTT in Rishikesh, island hopping in Greece + layovers in Tbilisi & London (seems like a lifetime ago)
FEB/MAR— OR coast Valentine’s 💘 with my mom @rockytopwoman, Guatemala backpacking with my dad
MAR/APR— quality time at home, got hired with @wilderness_medics_inc & attended a training in MT
+ toured ID & bike toured the San Juan Islands
MAY/JUN— spent a month camping during the WA wildflower bloom, CA Redwoods + Lost Coast trip
JUN/DEC— had a dreamy summer working with @mypubliclands & swimming around MT hot springs + grandpas 90th birthday
2026 I get to move home & experience life momentarily settled down again, accepting a job close to family as a Civil Engineer with the WA Dept. of Natural Resources! Looking forward to learning & enforcing all my conservation knowledge in a new role.
Man, am I grateful for my family, for my freedom & health. I learned more about myself in the past two years than ever, knowledge compounding on itself to make me a better person than I knew I could be 🦋

2025 was a wild ride ✨
JAN/FEB— started out doing a medical patient assessment on a 16 hour flight to India, 200 hour YTT in Rishikesh, island hopping in Greece + layovers in Tbilisi & London (seems like a lifetime ago)
FEB/MAR— OR coast Valentine’s 💘 with my mom @rockytopwoman, Guatemala backpacking with my dad
MAR/APR— quality time at home, got hired with @wilderness_medics_inc & attended a training in MT
+ toured ID & bike toured the San Juan Islands
MAY/JUN— spent a month camping during the WA wildflower bloom, CA Redwoods + Lost Coast trip
JUN/DEC— had a dreamy summer working with @mypubliclands & swimming around MT hot springs + grandpas 90th birthday
2026 I get to move home & experience life momentarily settled down again, accepting a job close to family as a Civil Engineer with the WA Dept. of Natural Resources! Looking forward to learning & enforcing all my conservation knowledge in a new role.
Man, am I grateful for my family, for my freedom & health. I learned more about myself in the past two years than ever, knowledge compounding on itself to make me a better person than I knew I could be 🦋

3 years since I was last in this Lake Chelan apple orchard dream cabin & little changed here compared to the changes within me 💫

3 years since I was last in this Lake Chelan apple orchard dream cabin & little changed here compared to the changes within me 💫

As 2025 closes, I’m reflecting on points this year which made me feel most alive, inspired, most like myself —
Definitely a highlight was touring the @white_bear_moccasins workshop in Bozeman 🦋
Shauna leads of team of Indigenous moccasin makers, hand sewing wearable works of art from hides & pelts.
I got a pair of Kalispell buckskin Mary Jane’s with beaded inlaid coneflowers 🌻
Shauna’s currently collaborating on a documentary about her life growing up Indigenous in the USA — @areyounative
Check out the link in my bio to contribute to the production of this film 💘
xoxo

As 2025 closes, I’m reflecting on points this year which made me feel most alive, inspired, most like myself —
Definitely a highlight was touring the @white_bear_moccasins workshop in Bozeman 🦋
Shauna leads of team of Indigenous moccasin makers, hand sewing wearable works of art from hides & pelts.
I got a pair of Kalispell buckskin Mary Jane’s with beaded inlaid coneflowers 🌻
Shauna’s currently collaborating on a documentary about her life growing up Indigenous in the USA — @areyounative
Check out the link in my bio to contribute to the production of this film 💘
xoxo

Montana, where the deer & the antelope play on quilted plains, & two cows exist for every person residing in the state — 🌲🌙
In my last week out here with @mypubliclands
& I spent my summer acquainting with the back roads, locals, vortexes of valleys & rivers, mountain ranges cutting the plains.
I dug holes for so many signs, built fences, painted, moved around docks, picked up trash, rehabilitated campgrounds & trails, bothered campers about fees & learned so many environmental regulations.
I learned there are so many bugs here, I need to wipe my windshield at every gas stop.
Not only am I an aggressive Seattle driver, now I’m a 90 mph Montana driver.
I learned why it’s called the country of big skies.
I’ve learned to love the history out here, of homesteading & mines, the stories of geologic function & human evolution.
I got to see the first towns in Montana, the first Chinese restaurant in the USA, the richest hill in the world, a toxic superfund site, the Lady of the Rockies, the Gallatin, the Yellowstone, so much wildlife, so much sage & dogwood, willow & pine.
Montana’s beautiful & I’ve been blessed by mountain streams ✨

Montana, where the deer & the antelope play on quilted plains, & two cows exist for every person residing in the state — 🌲🌙
In my last week out here with @mypubliclands
& I spent my summer acquainting with the back roads, locals, vortexes of valleys & rivers, mountain ranges cutting the plains.
I dug holes for so many signs, built fences, painted, moved around docks, picked up trash, rehabilitated campgrounds & trails, bothered campers about fees & learned so many environmental regulations.
I learned there are so many bugs here, I need to wipe my windshield at every gas stop.
Not only am I an aggressive Seattle driver, now I’m a 90 mph Montana driver.
I learned why it’s called the country of big skies.
I’ve learned to love the history out here, of homesteading & mines, the stories of geologic function & human evolution.
I got to see the first towns in Montana, the first Chinese restaurant in the USA, the richest hill in the world, a toxic superfund site, the Lady of the Rockies, the Gallatin, the Yellowstone, so much wildlife, so much sage & dogwood, willow & pine.
Montana’s beautiful & I’ve been blessed by mountain streams ✨

Rocky Mountain high in the moonlight 🌙
Enjoying hot chocolate hot spring season, eating more bison & elk than ever, excited to see what designs this dark winter holds for us ❄️

Rocky Mountain high in the moonlight 🌙
Enjoying hot chocolate hot spring season, eating more bison & elk than ever, excited to see what designs this dark winter holds for us ❄️

Happy Thanksgiving 2025 from the USA — grateful for this grand & unique country, may we recognize mistakes & never repeat them 💫
Here are some of my best bison shots from the Tetons recently, the real American heroes 🇺🇸

Happy Thanksgiving 2025 from the USA — grateful for this grand & unique country, may we recognize mistakes & never repeat them 💫
Here are some of my best bison shots from the Tetons recently, the real American heroes 🇺🇸

Took me 35 years to find faith; in the unknown, the process, in myself.
Thus far in my short little life, I’ve learned the importance of presence, ceremoniously momentous, yet humble in every occasion.
Call me delusional, but I swear there’s always something to be grateful for.
I’ve found little use in rushing.
We eventually find our people if we’re true to ourselves.
Health & family are top priorities.
Generosity is returned multiplied.
Hard work pays off & talent speaks for itself.
The change in season turns a page (especially for seasonal workers) & I’m particularly excited this year to see what’s next — 🦋

Took me 35 years to find faith; in the unknown, the process, in myself.
Thus far in my short little life, I’ve learned the importance of presence, ceremoniously momentous, yet humble in every occasion.
Call me delusional, but I swear there’s always something to be grateful for.
I’ve found little use in rushing.
We eventually find our people if we’re true to ourselves.
Health & family are top priorities.
Generosity is returned multiplied.
Hard work pays off & talent speaks for itself.
The change in season turns a page (especially for seasonal workers) & I’m particularly excited this year to see what’s next — 🦋

Accepted the hype & got a welcome show from our first U.S. national park — 🍁🍂
From half an hour driving between Mammoth & Lamar:
✨ More elk peruse tourist attractions than people this November, lining walkways of local communities like visiting window shoppers.
🌻 Herds of bison graze nonchalantly, enjoying eroding fields as if drove outside the park, all dramatic family dynamics & full, luxurious exploitation of their environment.
🎃 A coyote nearly hopped in my car like my new pet. We had a real moment after it ran down the highway to meet me. Bet it would eat me as soon as I got comfortable.
🎃 Antelope dot fields like ants on a landscape, hardly visible in their camouflage. Close, they’re robed in regalia, poised , balletic, charming.
❄️ Get fat & warm baby rosehip black bear & blessings on a cozy winter for us both.
Grateful for Rocky Mountain life & an opportunity to explore sweeping valleys & alpine plains, the history & mysteries of this geologic maze, sage-steppe, willow, dogwood, juniper & pine, fabric of the PNW.

Accepted the hype & got a welcome show from our first U.S. national park — 🍁🍂
From half an hour driving between Mammoth & Lamar:
✨ More elk peruse tourist attractions than people this November, lining walkways of local communities like visiting window shoppers.
🌻 Herds of bison graze nonchalantly, enjoying eroding fields as if drove outside the park, all dramatic family dynamics & full, luxurious exploitation of their environment.
🎃 A coyote nearly hopped in my car like my new pet. We had a real moment after it ran down the highway to meet me. Bet it would eat me as soon as I got comfortable.
🎃 Antelope dot fields like ants on a landscape, hardly visible in their camouflage. Close, they’re robed in regalia, poised , balletic, charming.
❄️ Get fat & warm baby rosehip black bear & blessings on a cozy winter for us both.
Grateful for Rocky Mountain life & an opportunity to explore sweeping valleys & alpine plains, the history & mysteries of this geologic maze, sage-steppe, willow, dogwood, juniper & pine, fabric of the PNW.

I’ve been to Hollywood, I’ve been to Redwood. I’ve crossed the ocean for a heart of gold. I’ve been in my mind. It’s such a fine line that keeps me searching for a heart of gold —
Having a moment out here 💫

I’ve been to Hollywood, I’ve been to Redwood. I’ve crossed the ocean for a heart of gold. I’ve been in my mind. It’s such a fine line that keeps me searching for a heart of gold —
Having a moment out here 💫

It’s my grandpas 90th birthday next week & we celebrated visiting spots in Montana where he lived in his youth ✨
We found the house where he spent summers fishing, flying around with his drunk uncle, cleaning their dog after it rolled in the leftover meat from the local butcher shop.
We stayed at an idyllic @airbnb, a 150+ year old log cabin, updated & featuring some of the original wallpaper & artwork, a mangey dog & cows in the back.
We explored ghost towns, danced to @officialpatsycline & @dollyparton records, & looked for gems.
Cheers to my family, my soul & all those who make the world better. Wishing everyone a happy, abundant fall harvest 🌻

It’s my grandpas 90th birthday next week & we celebrated visiting spots in Montana where he lived in his youth ✨
We found the house where he spent summers fishing, flying around with his drunk uncle, cleaning their dog after it rolled in the leftover meat from the local butcher shop.
We stayed at an idyllic @airbnb, a 150+ year old log cabin, updated & featuring some of the original wallpaper & artwork, a mangey dog & cows in the back.
We explored ghost towns, danced to @officialpatsycline & @dollyparton records, & looked for gems.
Cheers to my family, my soul & all those who make the world better. Wishing everyone a happy, abundant fall harvest 🌻

Mornings in Montana, waking with the other wild things ✨

Mornings in Montana, waking with the other wild things ✨

Glacier National Park Highline Trail, because there’s no changing a mind made up — ✨
3 days, 5 grizzlies, 30 miles & approx. 10,000’ of elevation gain; this trek reminds me to not get complacent, to stay calm with back ups upon back ups, & to otherwise enjoy the journey.
Carved out cirques & deep river valleys, layers of scraped sediment barren from millennia of erosion. Glacier’s a geologic puzzle, a labyrinth of crust crumpled, coated in huckleberries.
The weather & wildlife was all over, changing drastically every half an hour. Montana’s a dramatic betty I’m happy to know.

Glacier National Park Highline Trail, because there’s no changing a mind made up — ✨
3 days, 5 grizzlies, 30 miles & approx. 10,000’ of elevation gain; this trek reminds me to not get complacent, to stay calm with back ups upon back ups, & to otherwise enjoy the journey.
Carved out cirques & deep river valleys, layers of scraped sediment barren from millennia of erosion. Glacier’s a geologic puzzle, a labyrinth of crust crumpled, coated in huckleberries.
The weather & wildlife was all over, changing drastically every half an hour. Montana’s a dramatic betty I’m happy to know.

Happy Fall, mine started hiking a couple miles with a chonky grizzly — 💫
Ascending a steep gully, I came around a corner to this boss. Endless huckleberry groves covering the hillsides, it was laying in the bushes just off trail, totally happy munching away.
We clearly disturbed each other. It raised its big head & grunted at me, & I started ranting & backed away. I was hoping I’d scare it off, but instead it leisurely walked in front of me on trail for probably two miles. I’d be startled coming around a corner, finding it again lounging in the bushes.
It marked the trail the whole way up. There was pee everywhere. Maybe because we were in a steep gorge, it didn’t feel like getting far off trail. Anyway, I spent an afternoon yelling at it, wanting it to know my location as it hiked up a canyon with me.
Happy fall, bear 💘

Happy Fall, mine started hiking a couple miles with a chonky grizzly — 💫
Ascending a steep gully, I came around a corner to this boss. Endless huckleberry groves covering the hillsides, it was laying in the bushes just off trail, totally happy munching away.
We clearly disturbed each other. It raised its big head & grunted at me, & I started ranting & backed away. I was hoping I’d scare it off, but instead it leisurely walked in front of me on trail for probably two miles. I’d be startled coming around a corner, finding it again lounging in the bushes.
It marked the trail the whole way up. There was pee everywhere. Maybe because we were in a steep gorge, it didn’t feel like getting far off trail. Anyway, I spent an afternoon yelling at it, wanting it to know my location as it hiked up a canyon with me.
Happy fall, bear 💘

A weekend in the Tetons 🌻🇺🇸
& I’ll always believe people are similar more than different

A weekend in the Tetons 🌻🇺🇸
& I’ll always believe people are similar more than different

When smoke chokes the outdoors & all we can do is go dancing ✌️

When smoke chokes the outdoors & all we can do is go dancing ✌️

Been in the Rockies on a horse named Poco —
@elkriveroutfittersmt // @rockytopwoman

Been in the Rockies on a horse named Poco —
@elkriveroutfittersmt // @rockytopwoman

In a remote valley at 10’000’ in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, a high gorge filled with water to form a great lake within a rugged, windswept plateau.
20 miles later, between mountain goats & marmots, I’m reminded of myself, of my goals, priorities, strength & good fortune.
Montana & the Rockies are aptly named & this is why people write songs about them. The hills here go on & on.

In a remote valley at 10’000’ in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, a high gorge filled with water to form a great lake within a rugged, windswept plateau.
20 miles later, between mountain goats & marmots, I’m reminded of myself, of my goals, priorities, strength & good fortune.
Montana & the Rockies are aptly named & this is why people write songs about them. The hills here go on & on.

Crow Fair 2025 wrapped yesterday, & may the dream live on 🌻
In Montanan farmlands, where sage plains extend forever towards the sky, there’s an annual congregation of local Native American tribes.
Acres of teepees host families for the week, as everyone takes a turn dancing in moccasins & beaded clothing, horse racing, vending food & crafts.
Was lucky to make it out for a bit, to witness our heritage & give a small thanks for my life out here in the North American west!
The Little Bighorn River saved us from mid-90 degree Fahrenheit slog, & the textures, colors, sounds absorbed & renewed 🌙

Crow Fair 2025 wrapped yesterday, & may the dream live on 🌻
In Montanan farmlands, where sage plains extend forever towards the sky, there’s an annual congregation of local Native American tribes.
Acres of teepees host families for the week, as everyone takes a turn dancing in moccasins & beaded clothing, horse racing, vending food & crafts.
Was lucky to make it out for a bit, to witness our heritage & give a small thanks for my life out here in the North American west!
The Little Bighorn River saved us from mid-90 degree Fahrenheit slog, & the textures, colors, sounds absorbed & renewed 🌙

Meanwhile, summertime sage & pine out west — 🌻
Out here in the Rockies, searching the forgotten crevices of the plains for sapphire, garnets, agates, & horses, finding juniper, cottonwood, aspen groves, antelope, magpie murders, tumbleweeds, rodeos & motorcycle rallies.
Any other day in my red leather boots trying to stay hydrated, fixing fences & helping determine environmental assessments & impact statements ✌️
People gift me bones, beta, aid, stories, songs & smiles, & we all drift on after staying awhile…
Got to dance with @riverwhyless & @sspu twice recently, float in the the Yellowstone & Big Horn rivers & hike over 10,000’
Summertime sadness, it really flies by & there’s so much to do. The long days already shortened into stary, clear nights. But, it’s still warm so I hope we stay out & make the most of the season 🦋

Meanwhile, summertime sage & pine out west — 🌻
Out here in the Rockies, searching the forgotten crevices of the plains for sapphire, garnets, agates, & horses, finding juniper, cottonwood, aspen groves, antelope, magpie murders, tumbleweeds, rodeos & motorcycle rallies.
Any other day in my red leather boots trying to stay hydrated, fixing fences & helping determine environmental assessments & impact statements ✌️
People gift me bones, beta, aid, stories, songs & smiles, & we all drift on after staying awhile…
Got to dance with @riverwhyless & @sspu twice recently, float in the the Yellowstone & Big Horn rivers & hike over 10,000’
Summertime sadness, it really flies by & there’s so much to do. The long days already shortened into stary, clear nights. But, it’s still warm so I hope we stay out & make the most of the season 🦋

For my mom — 🌻
I’m the lucky one because I got to see @alisonkrauss & Union Station last night in Bozeman ✨
& it was probably the best show I’ve been to, of all the amazing shows.
— dedicated to my family, for listening to Alison with me & making my life so good 🦋

For my mom — 🌻
I’m the lucky one because I got to see @alisonkrauss & Union Station last night in Bozeman ✨
& it was probably the best show I’ve been to, of all the amazing shows.
— dedicated to my family, for listening to Alison with me & making my life so good 🦋

Memories combine into dreams of each footstep taken, each smile & laugh, every mile & song. For moments of freedom & peace, for getting to see the world, I’m forever grateful.
I’ve felt alone, but everyone relates somehow. Sometimes I’m self-consciously aware the women I’m looking at won’t get to travel like I do. Sometimes people say I’m surprising. I try to remain thankful, & to repay the debt.
Happiness comes from within & it comes from seizing moments. Everyone has aspects of life to cherish. Mine’s opportunity.
I’ll always be that girl boarding planes on a whim, greeting those I meet with curiosity, wandering open-minded.
What a grand adventure — 🌺

Memories combine into dreams of each footstep taken, each smile & laugh, every mile & song. For moments of freedom & peace, for getting to see the world, I’m forever grateful.
I’ve felt alone, but everyone relates somehow. Sometimes I’m self-consciously aware the women I’m looking at won’t get to travel like I do. Sometimes people say I’m surprising. I try to remain thankful, & to repay the debt.
Happiness comes from within & it comes from seizing moments. Everyone has aspects of life to cherish. Mine’s opportunity.
I’ll always be that girl boarding planes on a whim, greeting those I meet with curiosity, wandering open-minded.
What a grand adventure — 🌺

Annual Birthday selfie, happy 35 to me —
🌺🇺🇸🌊🌲🌞
My goals for this new year are to be more disciplined with my health & happiness, more generous with my loved ones, more honest & more grounded in my inherent self-worth.
Highlights of last year include —
✿ I travelled around the world, between six countries & five states
❊ Took two park ranger positions I never expected
❁ Went on my first bike tour
❀ Became a yoga instructor & went to the Beatles ashram in Rishikesh
✿ Made my first piñata & NPS webpage
❊ Saw my first badger
✿ Did a high-angle body recovery & got to work on a national park ambulance
❀ Helped produce a few documentaries & commercials
❁ Got red-carded & hired onto a contract wildland fire ambulance
Thanks to my homies & family for the endless support!
I’m eternally grateful for this good life of mine xoxo

Annual Birthday selfie, happy 35 to me —
🌺🇺🇸🌊🌲🌞
My goals for this new year are to be more disciplined with my health & happiness, more generous with my loved ones, more honest & more grounded in my inherent self-worth.
Highlights of last year include —
✿ I travelled around the world, between six countries & five states
❊ Took two park ranger positions I never expected
❁ Went on my first bike tour
❀ Became a yoga instructor & went to the Beatles ashram in Rishikesh
✿ Made my first piñata & NPS webpage
❊ Saw my first badger
✿ Did a high-angle body recovery & got to work on a national park ambulance
❀ Helped produce a few documentaries & commercials
❁ Got red-carded & hired onto a contract wildland fire ambulance
Thanks to my homies & family for the endless support!
I’m eternally grateful for this good life of mine xoxo

Montana girl official, last week I moved to Butte for a seasonal park ranger position with @mypubliclands
It’s a different life. I’m renting a studio in a century-old building, learning the history of one of 🇺🇸 earliest & rowdiest cities. It’s central in the state & close to Yellowstone & the Tetons & Craters of the Moon. I get to drive all around for work.
BLM life is different than NPS life. I’m learning about mining claims, constructing boundary fences so cows can graze here & there, how to pull a trailer. I’ve dug a couple good holes.
My lead & I pulled a fence out with our truck. We clean bathrooms & weed whack, push buoys in & out of boats, check permits & collect camping fees.
Mostly we get to hangout in beautiful places. Wish me luck out here on my journey to becoming a cowgirl — 💫

Montana girl official, last week I moved to Butte for a seasonal park ranger position with @mypubliclands
It’s a different life. I’m renting a studio in a century-old building, learning the history of one of 🇺🇸 earliest & rowdiest cities. It’s central in the state & close to Yellowstone & the Tetons & Craters of the Moon. I get to drive all around for work.
BLM life is different than NPS life. I’m learning about mining claims, constructing boundary fences so cows can graze here & there, how to pull a trailer. I’ve dug a couple good holes.
My lead & I pulled a fence out with our truck. We clean bathrooms & weed whack, push buoys in & out of boats, check permits & collect camping fees.
Mostly we get to hangout in beautiful places. Wish me luck out here on my journey to becoming a cowgirl — 💫

I feel you in the warm, long days 🌞
Summer started with love & change. I’m ready to embrace it. Already, I’ve ran miles & swam, visiting a few landmark beaches & mountains.
Welcome summer 2025 🌻 Thankful for another season of abundance.
I wish everyone a happy northern hemisphere summer, may the fruits & flowers & high country bless us 🌲

I feel you in the warm, long days 🌞
Summer started with love & change. I’m ready to embrace it. Already, I’ve ran miles & swam, visiting a few landmark beaches & mountains.
Welcome summer 2025 🌻 Thankful for another season of abundance.
I wish everyone a happy northern hemisphere summer, may the fruits & flowers & high country bless us 🌲

Your spiritual journey begins in darkness, with a realization calm always exists — 💫

Your spiritual journey begins in darkness, with a realization calm always exists — 💫

The camera roll of my springtime roaming around the west coast of the USA — 🌻
Been visiting friends & enjoying the good life in the sunshine.
Watched cottonwood pollen soar above the Methow, a river of its own.
Hiked around Idaho a bit, along the many tributaries of the Snake.
Ferried to the San Jan Islands to bike tour & whale watch.
Currently: Redwoods 🌊

The camera roll of my springtime roaming around the west coast of the USA — 🌻
Been visiting friends & enjoying the good life in the sunshine.
Watched cottonwood pollen soar above the Methow, a river of its own.
Hiked around Idaho a bit, along the many tributaries of the Snake.
Ferried to the San Jan Islands to bike tour & whale watch.
Currently: Redwoods 🌊

Spent most of the last month & a half outside, getting a full redose of sun, sweat, pollen & dirt in preparation for summer 🌞
& in so doing, celebrated WA desert festival season in the flowers (though the rhodies & daisies & forget-me-nots are taking off on the west side also)
because if we’re not enjoying the changing seasons, what are we doing? 💫
I’m getting tan by some hidden lake, hiking overgrown trails, determining @sspu is best live, collecting bouquets & birdwatching, visiting loved ones
& witnessing the beginnings, change, growth, willpower, intention, beauty 🌻
The wildflowers remind us we’re connected, not separate. We’re resilient, part of a complex network, beautiful.
Life may be too short to enjoy every bud, every dancing leaf, every fleeting bloom, to hike every ridge, catch every good tide, every powder day, to travel the world, soak up the sun, follow gold seasonally
— but I’ll try 💫

Spent most of the last month & a half outside, getting a full redose of sun, sweat, pollen & dirt in preparation for summer 🌞
& in so doing, celebrated WA desert festival season in the flowers (though the rhodies & daisies & forget-me-nots are taking off on the west side also)
because if we’re not enjoying the changing seasons, what are we doing? 💫
I’m getting tan by some hidden lake, hiking overgrown trails, determining @sspu is best live, collecting bouquets & birdwatching, visiting loved ones
& witnessing the beginnings, change, growth, willpower, intention, beauty 🌻
The wildflowers remind us we’re connected, not separate. We’re resilient, part of a complex network, beautiful.
Life may be too short to enjoy every bud, every dancing leaf, every fleeting bloom, to hike every ridge, catch every good tide, every powder day, to travel the world, soak up the sun, follow gold seasonally
— but I’ll try 💫

Island hopping paradise last week with @backcountryninjas
Thanks for taking me on my first bike tour, hotshot! Thanks for ensuring I wear my helmet, making a campfire always, & laying on the beach more than riding.
What a great way to welcome a new season, whale watching with campgrounds to ourselves & all the flowers in bloom —
🌺🌊🌲🌞

Island hopping paradise last week with @backcountryninjas
Thanks for taking me on my first bike tour, hotshot! Thanks for ensuring I wear my helmet, making a campfire always, & laying on the beach more than riding.
What a great way to welcome a new season, whale watching with campgrounds to ourselves & all the flowers in bloom —
🌺🌊🌲🌞

I’m in the process of (hopefully) getting contract hired as an EMT on a wildland fire-specific ambulance, so I can get hazard OT sitting around waiting for other people to get injured working.
Lucky me, one of the opportunities took me to a training just outside Missoula & I’ve spent the week enjoying the Bitterroot & Salmon Rivers, watching sand hill cranes & elk herds, waking to red-winged blackbirds 💫
I’ve stayed in some beautiful places, hotels & camping, watched the full moon, hiked every day, & learned more about myself than I’ll ever know about being a medic or a firefighter —
I’m on the way everywhere, always 🌻

I’m in the process of (hopefully) getting contract hired as an EMT on a wildland fire-specific ambulance, so I can get hazard OT sitting around waiting for other people to get injured working.
Lucky me, one of the opportunities took me to a training just outside Missoula & I’ve spent the week enjoying the Bitterroot & Salmon Rivers, watching sand hill cranes & elk herds, waking to red-winged blackbirds 💫
I’ve stayed in some beautiful places, hotels & camping, watched the full moon, hiked every day, & learned more about myself than I’ll ever know about being a medic or a firefighter —
I’m on the way everywhere, always 🌻

Ganga Mata, part of my spirit joined with so many rivers & mountains of the world 💫

Ganga Mata, part of my spirit joined with so many rivers & mountains of the world 💫

Tienes mi corazón, Lago de Atitlán 🌞

Tienes mi corazón, Lago de Atitlán 🌞

A rare 70 degree spring coastline, with all the blooming camellia, skunk cabbage, tulips, daffodil, cherry & red currents 🌷

A rare 70 degree spring coastline, with all the blooming camellia, skunk cabbage, tulips, daffodil, cherry & red currents 🌷

NOLS intensive in Lander seems like it was only yesterday! Now I’m tripping out completing the WFR-R in Leavenworth, crushing scenarios & fake saving lives. Leavenworth is the first place I ever responded to a real accident & it’s rad being back here, so many years advanced & always reminded how much I love it ➕

NOLS intensive in Lander seems like it was only yesterday! Now I’m tripping out completing the WFR-R in Leavenworth, crushing scenarios & fake saving lives. Leavenworth is the first place I ever responded to a real accident & it’s rad being back here, so many years advanced & always reminded how much I love it ➕

Never Take Friendship Personal @anberlin — one of those bands I’ve listened to since high school, that changed my life live, that mark my memories 💘
Ended an amazing winter dancing along with them, reunited in their home city, loud over the amps, center stage.
Only other fans will appreciate this post, you’re welcome xoxo
Give me time to prove I want the rest of your prelude. I’ll call this a prelude, in a lifetime of you.
Hands, like secrets, are the hardest thing to keep from you.
Take everything, honey. It means nothing now.
She’s no saint, but she’ll take you to your knees.
Addicted to those glances, taking chances tonight. I need a fix in those heroin eyes.
I thought you said forever over & over.
It’s not that I keep hanging on. I’m never letting go.

Never Take Friendship Personal @anberlin — one of those bands I’ve listened to since high school, that changed my life live, that mark my memories 💘
Ended an amazing winter dancing along with them, reunited in their home city, loud over the amps, center stage.
Only other fans will appreciate this post, you’re welcome xoxo
Give me time to prove I want the rest of your prelude. I’ll call this a prelude, in a lifetime of you.
Hands, like secrets, are the hardest thing to keep from you.
Take everything, honey. It means nothing now.
She’s no saint, but she’ll take you to your knees.
Addicted to those glances, taking chances tonight. I need a fix in those heroin eyes.
I thought you said forever over & over.
It’s not that I keep hanging on. I’m never letting go.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
& the springtime sun invigorates the soil
breathes new life into the seeds & stems
awakens the sleeping spirits of the mountains
the winter surf subsides, but the skies open
it’s springtime, we made it! make a wish, set intentions 💫
happy equinox team 🌷

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
& the springtime sun invigorates the soil
breathes new life into the seeds & stems
awakens the sleeping spirits of the mountains
the winter surf subsides, but the skies open
it’s springtime, we made it! make a wish, set intentions 💫
happy equinox team 🌷

I’m the luckiest kid! Con mi padre, I’ve spent the last two weeks touring a few highlights of Guatemala 🌺
Made some friends in Antigua. Otherwise spent my days drinking coffee, buying all variety of cacao, shopping for jewels & jade & textiles, pastries & lotions. We caught one of their biggest annual religious celebrations, along with an eruption we didn’t notice, preoccupied watching Jesus heaving his cross through the streets.
A series of packed chicken busses brought us north to the biggest market in Guatemala, in Chichicastenanga. The people watching was better than the market itself, with women balancing baskets on their heads and men hauling loads on their backs, attached by a strap across their forehead.
Spent most of a week on a real tropical vacation, at an all-inclusive resort on the shore of Lago de Atitlan. The rugged, jungle coated cliffs prevent building roads, so we familiarized ourselves with the ferry system, taking small boats to visit villages around the lake, or tanning on a paddle board, drinking smoothies.
Finally, we headed north again, to the high mountain village of Todo Santos, where men essentially wear a uniform and women wear a variety of traditionally embroidered dresses. On a bus at 12,000’, I hit the highest point I’ve ever been in my life — still 80 degrees.
It’s another world here, of songbirds & turkey vulture, giant agave, big produce & flowers. Among the beautiful hillsides are terraces of GMO crops, unofficial garbage dumps, cruelty to animals I’ve hardly witnessed outside the factory farm system, cement cities, poverty & poor healthcare.
Here are some photos of me on the journey, from beautiful hotels, markets, from long bus rides, from floating around the lake. I’ve learned a bit more about the world 🌞

I’m the luckiest kid! Con mi padre, I’ve spent the last two weeks touring a few highlights of Guatemala 🌺
Made some friends in Antigua. Otherwise spent my days drinking coffee, buying all variety of cacao, shopping for jewels & jade & textiles, pastries & lotions. We caught one of their biggest annual religious celebrations, along with an eruption we didn’t notice, preoccupied watching Jesus heaving his cross through the streets.
A series of packed chicken busses brought us north to the biggest market in Guatemala, in Chichicastenanga. The people watching was better than the market itself, with women balancing baskets on their heads and men hauling loads on their backs, attached by a strap across their forehead.
Spent most of a week on a real tropical vacation, at an all-inclusive resort on the shore of Lago de Atitlan. The rugged, jungle coated cliffs prevent building roads, so we familiarized ourselves with the ferry system, taking small boats to visit villages around the lake, or tanning on a paddle board, drinking smoothies.
Finally, we headed north again, to the high mountain village of Todo Santos, where men essentially wear a uniform and women wear a variety of traditionally embroidered dresses. On a bus at 12,000’, I hit the highest point I’ve ever been in my life — still 80 degrees.
It’s another world here, of songbirds & turkey vulture, giant agave, big produce & flowers. Among the beautiful hillsides are terraces of GMO crops, unofficial garbage dumps, cruelty to animals I’ve hardly witnessed outside the factory farm system, cement cities, poverty & poor healthcare.
Here are some photos of me on the journey, from beautiful hotels, markets, from long bus rides, from floating around the lake. I’ve learned a bit more about the world 🌞

Craziest, full 3-hour chicken bus ride, where the guy next to me was sleeping & crushed me on the turns & would hit his head on the bar whenever the bus stopped 🇬🇹

Craziest, full 3-hour chicken bus ride, where the guy next to me was sleeping & crushed me on the turns & would hit his head on the bar whenever the bus stopped 🇬🇹

Antigua, Guatemala — a beautiful mix of color & sun, in a 5000’ basin surrounded by volcanos twice as high, and inhabited by folks half as tall as me.
The buildings all look similar, made of stone, differentiated by bright colors. Flowers are abundant as mosses at home, with the longest ferns, huge in the sunlight. The bougainvillea is better adapted to this climate than me. Already I overestimated how adjusted my skin was from Greece.
The streets here are busy with traffic, cars constant, multiple people per motorcycle or piled into the back of trucks. Chicken busses painted psychedelic transport all variety of people, parcels, and animals between towns. We’re taking one today.
Many women dress in traditional clothing, embroidered in patterns of every hue, going about business or selling trinkets and foods on the street. Makers markets manifest every afternoon in the parks.
There are 600 year old churches around, some crumbling, others ornate & pristinely kept, with thick jungle surrounding it all. The volcanos roll in & out of clouds. Sometimes it’s like they don’t exist at all, even though they dominate the horizon. Sometimes they smoke & grumble.
This place is fancy, as fancy as I want a town, and full of tourists. People look at me skeptically sometimes, probably weary of outsiders. But I always receive a smile & greeting, reminding me we’re all more similar than we realize 🌺

Antigua, Guatemala — a beautiful mix of color & sun, in a 5000’ basin surrounded by volcanos twice as high, and inhabited by folks half as tall as me.
The buildings all look similar, made of stone, differentiated by bright colors. Flowers are abundant as mosses at home, with the longest ferns, huge in the sunlight. The bougainvillea is better adapted to this climate than me. Already I overestimated how adjusted my skin was from Greece.
The streets here are busy with traffic, cars constant, multiple people per motorcycle or piled into the back of trucks. Chicken busses painted psychedelic transport all variety of people, parcels, and animals between towns. We’re taking one today.
Many women dress in traditional clothing, embroidered in patterns of every hue, going about business or selling trinkets and foods on the street. Makers markets manifest every afternoon in the parks.
There are 600 year old churches around, some crumbling, others ornate & pristinely kept, with thick jungle surrounding it all. The volcanos roll in & out of clouds. Sometimes it’s like they don’t exist at all, even though they dominate the horizon. Sometimes they smoke & grumble.
This place is fancy, as fancy as I want a town, and full of tourists. People look at me skeptically sometimes, probably weary of outsiders. But I always receive a smile & greeting, reminding me we’re all more similar than we realize 🌺

I’m determined to see the goodness in people at the end of the day, & it always comes back to me 💫

I’m determined to see the goodness in people at the end of the day, & it always comes back to me 💫

Happy Valentine’s Day, team! Sending love to my homies, wherever you are, so you have all the love for yourself 💘
Here’s an offload of my Greece selfies. From beaches to temples, churches & castles, what a European dream it has truly been ✨
I see the world with new eyes —
Taking Indian Philosophy & Intro to Philosophy a decade ago changed my life. Now my little college philosophy heart’s full after visiting both India & Greece. The ancient texts of India teach that living a good/moderate life is key for happiness, & the ancient philosophers of Greece teach the same.
In the past month & a half of traveling, flying solo around the world, I rediscovered myself & priorities. I wanted to test my ability to confront challenges & connect with people from different backgrounds, despite lingual or cultural barriers.
I knew yoga school was happening at a serendipitous time. Hiking miles & then sitting for days, in a car or behind a desk, I was inflexible. Focused so intensely on work, I was becoming rigid in body & mind.
More than ever, India taught me I’m enough & to not care what others think. We don’t need much to be happy, just care for our physical, mental & spiritual health. With their large population, there’s a large focus on community.
Same on the small islands of Greece. Life’s simple & sweet, focused on friends & good food. My free time here, without distraction, helped me reconnect with my passions. I’d forgotten what I enjoy. I felt like I couldn’t enjoy because I always needed to be productive.
I’m home looking forward to focusing on myself & my happiness, & excited to contribute within my own amazing community. I’ve faced my fears again & always come to find friends among the corners of the world, because people generally want the same things all around ॐ
I got a new year’s fortune in India that said “prosperity multiples when given with an open heart” & that’s my mantra for the year 🕊️
Welcoming home K-2.0 & namaste all 💫

Happy Valentine’s Day, team! Sending love to my homies, wherever you are, so you have all the love for yourself 💘
Here’s an offload of my Greece selfies. From beaches to temples, churches & castles, what a European dream it has truly been ✨
I see the world with new eyes —
Taking Indian Philosophy & Intro to Philosophy a decade ago changed my life. Now my little college philosophy heart’s full after visiting both India & Greece. The ancient texts of India teach that living a good/moderate life is key for happiness, & the ancient philosophers of Greece teach the same.
In the past month & a half of traveling, flying solo around the world, I rediscovered myself & priorities. I wanted to test my ability to confront challenges & connect with people from different backgrounds, despite lingual or cultural barriers.
I knew yoga school was happening at a serendipitous time. Hiking miles & then sitting for days, in a car or behind a desk, I was inflexible. Focused so intensely on work, I was becoming rigid in body & mind.
More than ever, India taught me I’m enough & to not care what others think. We don’t need much to be happy, just care for our physical, mental & spiritual health. With their large population, there’s a large focus on community.
Same on the small islands of Greece. Life’s simple & sweet, focused on friends & good food. My free time here, without distraction, helped me reconnect with my passions. I’d forgotten what I enjoy. I felt like I couldn’t enjoy because I always needed to be productive.
I’m home looking forward to focusing on myself & my happiness, & excited to contribute within my own amazing community. I’ve faced my fears again & always come to find friends among the corners of the world, because people generally want the same things all around ॐ
I got a new year’s fortune in India that said “prosperity multiples when given with an open heart” & that’s my mantra for the year 🕊️
Welcoming home K-2.0 & namaste all 💫

Completing this journey reunited with the yucca, under a full moon, after literally a month & a half trip around the world 💫🌵
When I was in Red Rock Canyon last, I’d just been dumped. Remember that? I was waiting around Vegas for a car part, depressed, looking for a new job & housing.
Five years since & here I am after a dream solo trip to India, Greece, Georgia & London — a yoga instructing EMT park ranger ski patroller.
I’m at peace with the past & with myself. I’ve done so much I never imagined possible. I’ve gone after what I want, lived a life fuller than some people ever get & I’m a better version of myself all around.
Don’t know what the future holds now, but I’m wishing on this full moon for the best 🌞

Completing this journey reunited with the yucca, under a full moon, after literally a month & a half trip around the world 💫🌵
When I was in Red Rock Canyon last, I’d just been dumped. Remember that? I was waiting around Vegas for a car part, depressed, looking for a new job & housing.
Five years since & here I am after a dream solo trip to India, Greece, Georgia & London — a yoga instructing EMT park ranger ski patroller.
I’m at peace with the past & with myself. I’ve done so much I never imagined possible. I’ve gone after what I want, lived a life fuller than some people ever get & I’m a better version of myself all around.
Don’t know what the future holds now, but I’m wishing on this full moon for the best 🌞

I’ll dream forever of this European beach apartment, stone steps dropping from my patio into the Mediterranean 🦋
I’ll dream of stone walls with wood trim, wrought iron fences and French doors — how warm morning light floods my bedroom, and Orion, the moon and a lighthouse on an adjacent island — how entertained I am by the water and ships changing harbors.
I only hear the hourly church bells, seagulls & waves, occasionally the socializing of distant cats.
Ideally I’ll own this home somewhere rural with an overflowing garden, laundry hung to air dry, endless coffee, tea, cheese, greens, sourdough & fresh olive oil, and funny family/neighbors dropping in. Maybe the rooms will be filled with my own family.
Anyway, I’ll spend my days writing, doing yoga & cooking, & leisurely swimming off the deck.
Maybe someday 💫

I’ll dream forever of this European beach apartment, stone steps dropping from my patio into the Mediterranean 🦋
I’ll dream of stone walls with wood trim, wrought iron fences and French doors — how warm morning light floods my bedroom, and Orion, the moon and a lighthouse on an adjacent island — how entertained I am by the water and ships changing harbors.
I only hear the hourly church bells, seagulls & waves, occasionally the socializing of distant cats.
Ideally I’ll own this home somewhere rural with an overflowing garden, laundry hung to air dry, endless coffee, tea, cheese, greens, sourdough & fresh olive oil, and funny family/neighbors dropping in. Maybe the rooms will be filled with my own family.
Anyway, I’ll spend my days writing, doing yoga & cooking, & leisurely swimming off the deck.
Maybe someday 💫

Life around Syros, the administrative capital of the Cyclades, featuring:
❈ two-toned pastel buildings
❂ sunshine that warms my soul when I step outside each morning
❈ the 1800s Church of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of seafarers
❁ Panagia Gorgona, the mermaid patroness of fishermen
❈ narrow, one-way streets stress inducing to drive down (& sometimes to walk!)
✾ wrought iron railings & window coverings
❈ water literally warmer than the air outside
✥ a variety of beaches
❈ Turkish delights (loukoumi) + dried fruits & halva
✿ colossal Bougainvillea & cacti
❈ so many cats!
Inspires me every time I walk out the door 🕊️

Life around Syros, the administrative capital of the Cyclades, featuring:
❈ two-toned pastel buildings
❂ sunshine that warms my soul when I step outside each morning
❈ the 1800s Church of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of seafarers
❁ Panagia Gorgona, the mermaid patroness of fishermen
❈ narrow, one-way streets stress inducing to drive down (& sometimes to walk!)
✾ wrought iron railings & window coverings
❈ water literally warmer than the air outside
✥ a variety of beaches
❈ Turkish delights (loukoumi) + dried fruits & halva
✿ colossal Bougainvillea & cacti
❈ so many cats!
Inspires me every time I walk out the door 🕊️

Rishikesh is so far away already; all the craziness, all the peace, all the colors, textures, smells, spices & sound.
I’m sure my cohort agrees, we miss it. We each became better. Despite long days of asana, philosophy & meditation, despite stress from having to teach classes & pass tests, despite food poisoning & congestion, language & cultural barriers, no caffeine & so many lentils & rice, I miss it. India was more than I ever imagined.
Here we are at Kunjapuri Temple, a sacred place blessed by the wife of Shiva, & now we’re extra blessed too. We made wishes & gave thanks & gazed in awe at a view of the snowy Himalayas.
I miss my yoga family, scattered around the world, & I miss our little home along the Ganges, with the community & the cows.
I wouldn’t trade any of it & can’t wait until we all meet again ॐ
Namaste & shanti shanti shanti

Rishikesh is so far away already; all the craziness, all the peace, all the colors, textures, smells, spices & sound.
I’m sure my cohort agrees, we miss it. We each became better. Despite long days of asana, philosophy & meditation, despite stress from having to teach classes & pass tests, despite food poisoning & congestion, language & cultural barriers, no caffeine & so many lentils & rice, I miss it. India was more than I ever imagined.
Here we are at Kunjapuri Temple, a sacred place blessed by the wife of Shiva, & now we’re extra blessed too. We made wishes & gave thanks & gazed in awe at a view of the snowy Himalayas.
I miss my yoga family, scattered around the world, & I miss our little home along the Ganges, with the community & the cows.
I wouldn’t trade any of it & can’t wait until we all meet again ॐ
Namaste & shanti shanti shanti

Summited the tallest mountain in the Cyclades today, where Zeus grew up in hiding & where he received the gift of lightning — 3,000’ Mt. Zas ⚡️

Summited the tallest mountain in the Cyclades today, where Zeus grew up in hiding & where he received the gift of lightning — 3,000’ Mt. Zas ⚡️

The weather here’s perfect, like a spring day at home, with a breeze carrying smells of the sea. After so long in the mountains, I’ve missed it. There are big succulents & cacti flowering like in California. The beaches are empty, but I’ll still swim.
The buildings are painted annually for the tourists, to maintain the aesthetic. Bougainvillea & cyclamen stand out against the white walls. I was told it hasn’t rained in 3 years & now they use converted sea water for all their bathing. It poured today.
I’m eating baklava & macarons & drinking coffee on a rock, overlooking the clearest, turquoise Mediterranean water. Someone said I’d be bored here, but really I’m in paradise.
The food for the islands is produced here on Naxos, fresh cheese & meat & honey. I can wander the maze of alleys all day, sculpted from clay & stone, with stores and restaurants and cafes around every turn. I may be the only tourist on the island.
I think I’ll just write — listen to the doves & church bells & all the cats I wish I could adopt. A black cat followed me the last two days for blocks, hoping for some scraps of my gyro. I hope I see a hedgehog.
When I get home, I want to work on an ambulance, do ski patrol, teach some yoga classes, & write. I’ll remember this eroding fortress I’m sitting on, on a rock overlooking a sandy beach, & I’ll write.
I’ll remember the cigarette smoke on the five hour ferry bringing me here. The stone walkway to the doorway of the Temple of Apollo, with a view back, overlooking town. I’ll remember the bakery where I ordered my latte & every other customer bought loaves of bread, speaking Greek.
I can’t help but think of when that cruise ship sank on the school trip in high school, & how maybe a piece of it has floated by.
My mom told me to write down anything & everything, so here I am 🕊️

The weather here’s perfect, like a spring day at home, with a breeze carrying smells of the sea. After so long in the mountains, I’ve missed it. There are big succulents & cacti flowering like in California. The beaches are empty, but I’ll still swim.
The buildings are painted annually for the tourists, to maintain the aesthetic. Bougainvillea & cyclamen stand out against the white walls. I was told it hasn’t rained in 3 years & now they use converted sea water for all their bathing. It poured today.
I’m eating baklava & macarons & drinking coffee on a rock, overlooking the clearest, turquoise Mediterranean water. Someone said I’d be bored here, but really I’m in paradise.
The food for the islands is produced here on Naxos, fresh cheese & meat & honey. I can wander the maze of alleys all day, sculpted from clay & stone, with stores and restaurants and cafes around every turn. I may be the only tourist on the island.
I think I’ll just write — listen to the doves & church bells & all the cats I wish I could adopt. A black cat followed me the last two days for blocks, hoping for some scraps of my gyro. I hope I see a hedgehog.
When I get home, I want to work on an ambulance, do ski patrol, teach some yoga classes, & write. I’ll remember this eroding fortress I’m sitting on, on a rock overlooking a sandy beach, & I’ll write.
I’ll remember the cigarette smoke on the five hour ferry bringing me here. The stone walkway to the doorway of the Temple of Apollo, with a view back, overlooking town. I’ll remember the bakery where I ordered my latte & every other customer bought loaves of bread, speaking Greek.
I can’t help but think of when that cruise ship sank on the school trip in high school, & how maybe a piece of it has floated by.
My mom told me to write down anything & everything, so here I am 🕊️

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