Hobbies for Life

One of the greatest things I have experienced living in the Sierra is the abundance of foraging. It is incredible how many edible and useful plants there are right around me. Living in the city was intriguing as far as foraging goes (what is public space, and how can it be used?), but here, it is such a wealth of available goodness. For the first time I have been able to pick something to use as a main ingredient in my cooking. Here we have, the most delicious blackberry pie.


Vegan graham cracker crust loaded with fresh blackberries and flavored with wild mint. I may be leaning towards being too proud.



It has been a wonderful experience to live in a place so inspiring and exciting as here. Though my days are LONG (and maybe even because they are so long), the peace and quite of my home has kept me doing the things I love, and encouraging me to try new things. Never have I been in a place where I can test myself so much. Often, it is intimidating to put myself in the place of learning, especially when I have to turn around and teach those things almost immediately. Just as often, it is rewarding to find that if I give myself the freedom to try and fail, I also give myself the freedom to learn and grow. Sometimes embarrassing, like today when I educationally shot an arrow into the dirt at archery, but mostly rewarding.

My Newest Home

In every new place there are new challenges, new loves, new joys, new pains. Each place that I have lived has brought new eyes to a world larger than I will ever be able to understand. Today I sit at 5,000 feet above sea level in my newest home, the Sierra Nevada. This place is full of everything that a person may need to feel alive. Whether it be storm or sun, meadow or forest, there is a great deal to learn from these mountains.

What I am doing here:

Mostly, learning. What I learn I will help 6th grade students from nearby schools to learn. This includes the landscape of the mountain, the history of the people who once lived here, team building, rock wall climbing, and song singing.

This is the place I live:









Beyond the obvious joys of taking 6th graders out on hikes (which, if you have a hard time imagining this, is largely seeing their thrill in seeing giant trees and smelling fresh air), I am in huge anticipation of learning the edible and medicinal plants that grow here. So far I have found such gems as rose hip, blackberry, wild mint, gooseberry and st. john's wort, to name a few. Thankfully there was a couple in recent history who named their son after the great naturalist John Muir, and living up to his name, John Muir Laws has made several comprehensive and useful guides to the Sierra Nevada. Just the thought of using my surroundings to feed and keep myself gets me all excited. After living in LA and NYC, where foraging was a challenge both socially and practically, the Sierra Nevada is like a buffet of self sustainability.

So, here's to life in the Sierra, for as long as I may make it my home.

Cheers!