I’m a survivor of an abusive relationship, which ended with narrowly surviving a murder attempt. The ensuing PTSD found me living in a friend’s spare bedroom. I rarely left that bedroom. In 2019, I read a study which found that two hours each week in green space away from home each can help with depression.

I went for a hike that weekend at a county park, and I felt a little less awful the next morning. I started hiking weekly, then daily, then bought a tent so I wouldn’t have to waste time driving back and forth to the trails. My growing obsession with hiking became intertwined with my relentless quest for healing and redemption, and I spent as much time outdoors as possible. I hiked over 13,000 miles in 48 states - including the entire Triple Crown - before slowing down.

I carried a camera and studied along the way. As a photographer, my work has appeared everywhere from local newspapers to the United States Congress, but my passion lies in working with land conservancies - to help save the trails that saved me.