This February, I’m teaching a travel writing workshop through Centralia College East. It meets on 2/2, 2/9, and 2/16 in Morton, Washington.

I recently wrote an article about SheSails, a Seattle-based company started and operated by two women who want to spend their days teaching other women how to love sailing as much as they do.

On November 18th, I’ll be giving a lecture called “After The Quake: Lessons From Nepal.” The lecture, which is part of the Lyceum Lecture Series, will be held at the Roxy Theater in Morton, Washington.

I’ve had the honor of being interviewed by the Ultra Mindset Podcast.

Last weekend the Washington State Poet Laureate and I hosted a literary reading. It was well-attended, and my favorite guests were wearing orange.

Rashaun is one of my best girlfriends: we’ve known each other since we battled our way through a biology class together in college. I’ve known Dampier since he met Rashaun at Dick’s Drive-In while Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were filming the White Walls music video. They’re both genuine, creative, loyal friends, so I couldn’t have been happier when Dampier told me he was going to propose to Rashaun.

My dear friend Alexander, artist and adventurer, responded to my essay with a beautiful piece of art.

This summer I’ll be taking a break from my busy guiding season for two fun upcoming events at the Mineral School.

It’s my dog’s third birthday! I’ve recently been getting questions about him, so I’m using this as an excuse to tell his story.

At noon on April 25th, 2015, I was walking on a rocky trail in the valley between the tiny Nepalese villages of Chukhung and Dingboche. I had summited Island Peak 24 hours before, and I was humming Taylor Swift songs and thinking about my next hot meal. Then, without warning, the ground started to shake.

Biolite is a cool company: they make campstoves that charge USB devices, rechargeable battery-powered lights, and other interesting, quirky camp-devices. I like their products and their strong commitment to philanthropy, so I was thrilled when they offered to sponsor our recent trip on the Columbia River. As thanks, I wrote a guest blog post for their website.

Huckleberry was given a gorgeous new coat, which was handmade by Janet. She designed it, sized it perfectly, and even hand-waxed the canvas. Obviously it needed to be taken for a romp in the snow.

My friend Genevieve is a regular contributor to the Outdoor Women’s Alliance (OWA), which is a nonprofit that encourages and educates adventurous, outdoorsy women. I love their mission statement, so when Genevieve asked whether she could interview me, I jumped at the chance.

There’s a new residency in town! The Mineral School invites writers to stay and work in a renovated school building in a tiny community nestled in the foothills of Mount Rainier. They also host a lecture series—and this July, I will be one of the guest lecturers.

My papa’s pants were featured on the Patagonia blog.

I recently spent a fun weekend collaborating with folks from Rite in the Rain, a Tacoma-based company that makes waterproof notebooks and other all-weather writing products.

I love this time of year: after a wonderful and crazy year of being on the road, I’ve finally managed to carve out some time at home. I’m spending my days writing, catching up with my family, playing in the mountains, and reading—a lot.

When we got back from paddling the Columbia River, we had tons of gorgeous photos—and we wanted to share them! So we made these pretty little notecards, each with a photo from the river and a fun quote.

I travel a lot, so I’m always begging friends and family to watch Huckleberry, my two-year-old Lab/Great Dane mix. A couple of weeks ago, he was staying with a photographer who shoots weddings and engagement photos—and this happened.

In October 2014, I kayaked the Lower Columbia River Water Trail. During seven days of paddling, we traveled 145 miles through rain, wind, sunshine, and hail. We learned a lot, and I’ve compiled this list to share the gear we used and the gear we wished we’d had.