Why my Trail Logs Have Disappeared

The exhausting reality behind seasonal work that stole my hiking and writing time

Dear Readers: Pre-order The Woman on the Ferry Kindle edition now for just 99 cents—after June 10 the price goes to $7.99.

This is not the story I had planned to write. For those of you who have been following along, you will have noticed the absence of trail logs and new posts in what was intended as my next book, The Woman in the Canyon.

How many times have you looked in the mirror, wondering if you've added a wrinkle or grey hair since the week before, and said, "Is it worth it?" That's where I've been, and I know the answer. Change is in the air. Now how do I figure out the next chapter?

Life is a tradeoff. In capitalist America, we trade our energy and expertise for money. And the cards are increasingly stacked against us. So today, I'm pulling back the curtain on the economics of low-wage, no-benefit seasonal work—the kind that props up America's tourism industry while leaving workers scrambling just to survive.