I hike. I camp. I do it alone. You can, too.
I’ve been hiking and camping for fifteen years, and doing it solo since 2004. Since I started solo hiking and camping, I have encountered a lot of reactions, from the awed (“I could never do that, it must be amazing”) to the critical (“that is unnecessarily dangerous and stupid, and so are you”) to the curious and interested (“aren’t you bored/lonely/scared?”). I have often wished there was some resource or guide I could have looked to for advice and encouragement, and so…Her Side of the Mountain was born. May you learn from my mistakes, failures, joys and successes.
Consuming the world whole, with a little crazy on the side.
I consume creativity like a boa constrictor that can unhinge its jaw to swallow its dinner whole. I am interested in all of it: film, television, novels, short stories, creative non-fiction, poetry, plays, music…even, for a time, well-written court opinions. I could talk about word choice, narrative form, story structure, cinematography, and message into infinity.
So that’s what this blog is about: television shows that I am currently watching (some currently on air, some which have been off the air for a while but are new to me), movies, books, and anything else that crosses my path. I aim to look at the creative side — not merely whether something is entertaining, but why it entertains. What hits the mark, what doesn’t, and what may have worked if done differently.