Hi. I’m Jo, but my trail friends know me as “Someday,” a name given to me on the Appalachian Trail. I recently left my dream job in order to enjoy “pre-tirement” – a self-created work hiatus involving lots of hiking. I sold my car, sold my house, and I can’t figure out which box anything is in. I imagine I will be unemployed for about two years or until I freak out about the state of my bank account. Spoiler alert: It’s not amazing!

But hiking is. I have been an armchair backpacker since 1993, an actual backpacker since 2004, and since then I have hiked something like 20 long trails. I  most deeply enjoy spending time in federally-designated wilderness areas whether or not they are part of a long-distance hiking trail, but any kind of getting outside is good. Since 2016, I have camped out between 52 and 97 nights per year.

For many years I avoided having a website where I gathered my adventure stories. I wanted to tell the stories, but not centralize them around myself. I don’t want to be an influencer. I don’t want to be famous. So I told my trail stories, but each was on its own little platform. Eventually, it got to be too many platforms and I was tired of keeping them all updated. I decided it was time to gather all those stories in one place. I want to help other people know what to expect when they choose a trail, or help them choose the right one for them.

Telling stories about our adventures is very powerful. I think it’s especially important for women to tell their adventure stories. When I decide to hike in a new area, I always see who has told their story online.  I love reading stories by anyone, but I particularly appreciate women’s perspectives. So if this website helps one hiker know what to expect on a trail less traveled, then it’s worth it. If it funnels one person off a busy trail and onto a lesser-known trail, then it’s worth it. Or if someone laughs at me, then it’s also worth it.

I will not import the majority of stories from my Great Eastern Trail hike, as that website functions as a stand-alone record of that adventure and moving it is problematic. I may separate specific pieces of the GET to highlight, such as the Standing Stone or Mid State Trails. We’ll see.

A different part of my life is that of Astrid Lindgren enthusiast, and I’ll be leaving my Astrid Lindgren stories and research where they’re at, for all three people on Earth who care.

I hope I can helpfully convey the experiences I had and that it helps someone decide on an adventure to tackle.

I currently write and live on the contemporary and historic lands of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ.