Freelance Writer in the Roaring Fork Valley
Published in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent on January 8, 2020. The city of Glenwood is a wonderful place to live, but it has a civic engagement problem. If you’ve felt a bit out of the loop on some major decisions the city has made over the last year or two, you are not alone.... Continue Reading →
In the Spring of 2019, I pitched a writing project partnering with both NRS and DownRiver Equipment. It would be a series of six stories meant to offer some more insight into what it's like to raft with young kids. The series was an absolute blast to write, and, honestly, gave me another reason to... Continue Reading →
(Throwback to 2018) I’ve known many anglers over the years, devotees of the church of the fly rod, but have never had a chance to learn the art myself. I was too busy running the gnar, I guess.
During the bookpacking season at Snowmass Mountain, the ski patrollers use various methods of survival to endure and survive the especially long days. Snacks, jokes, and candy abound. Pocket bacon is a particular favorite, allowing the wearer to enjoy a salty snack throughout the day while also increasing the likelihood of being the first one found by an avalanche rescue dog.
Published with NRS Duct Tape Diaries on October 3, 2019. Right up there on the list of least favorite rafting chores, along with cleaning the groover and draining last month’s cooler, is winterizing your rafting gear. In the fall, we all get tingly and excited about the change of seasons and start looking forward to... Continue Reading →
‘I can’t connect every child [to nature], but if I can connect one or two, then it’s a success. It works like a pyramid scheme, really, if you get one or two [hooked], then they get their friends outside, and then their friends and family, and it spreads through the community.’ -Clint Whitley, Outdoor Education Director of Garfield 16 Schools
Published Cover Story in the September, 2019 edition of Elevation Outdoor Magazine We sat down at an old, wooden picnic table tucked into a pocket of shade under the bright heat of the Colorado summer sky. Across from me, 10-year-old Selah Schneiter, who became the youngest person to climb The Nose on Yosemite’s El Capitan in... Continue Reading →
Don't get me wrong, my kids all adore camping. They love the campfire, the tent, the sleeping bags, the stories and the snuggles, but at no point in the idyllic, headlamped reading of Mo William's newest stroke of pre-school genius do my husband or I ever assume that we will get a sufficient amount of sleep that night.
Published with NRS Duct Tape Diaries, August 26, 2019. You know what’s easier than taking your kids on the river? Pretty much anything else you can do with them. It’s easier to stay at home and let them watch a movie because it’s the weekend. Or simply turn the hose on in the backyard. It’s... Continue Reading →
Published on OutdoorProject.com, August 29th, 2019 Snowmass Village, Colorado, has some of the world’s best high-alpine mountain bike trails, and I was thrilled to be slowly climbing Cozyline Trail, looking back through the scrub oak and late-summer grasses at the expansive Roaring Fork Valley below me. I’d been up there with a strong group of... Continue Reading →
Lindsay DeFrates 