“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
-Mary Oliver
I was one of those kids who was outside from Cap'n Crunch till dusk,
riding my bike, building forts, and even hiking along a tree-lined
creek in the Chicago suburb where I grew up. After a friend talked me
into tagging along for a college geology field trip to the Tetons,
Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park, I was hooked. I learned to
backpack in Wisconsin, mountain biked in Washington's Cascades, and
drove across Canada and along the Alaska Canada Highway, hiking in the
Canadian Rockies and Denali National Park.
Today, even though I'm a married mom with a mortgage, that urge to
explore and enjoy the outdoors remains deeply rooted. Now I bring the
family along for the ride, hike, or drive, often getting paid to write
about it.
I live and work with my husband and three sons in a rural county
northwest of Chicago, enjoying a rich blend of rural and urban life.
My town played stand-in for Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the Bill
Murray movie "Groundhog Day," and we'll nab any excuse to host a
festival (including "Groundhog Days," held each February). Working and
playing here and in the wild places we adore makes every day feel like
Christmas—or perhaps I should say 'Groundhog Day.'
If you'd like to hire me to write for your publication, please e-mail
me at toni@toniwrites.com or call 815.347.8664.
