Welcome!
Well, I didn’t expect to be here. Starting this, writing this—whatever this turns into. But just when you think you have life pretty well dialed in, it changes. Just like that.
Two weeks ago I suddenly lost my job.
And no, I didn’t lose my summer fire lookout job, thankfully. But I did lose my primary income pipeline as a freelance technical project manager. Not because I did anything wrong, but because of an intellectual property dispute that caught me square in the crossfire. I didn’t even see it coming. One morning I was facilitating a meeting on a project I’d been working on for almost a year. A few hours later, with no warning, accounts were terminated and I was unemployed. Poof. Just like that.
From the outside, for those who follow me on social media, it probably doesn’t look like I work at all. But I assure you, I do.
I’ve spent over 30 years in tech, as a web developer, engineering manager, and more recently a freelance project delivery manager. A lot of that work has been with east coast teams, which means early mornings that leave me with long afternoons, free for pony rides and adventures. My younger self would have been horrified by 4:30am wake-ups, but summers at a fire lookout, rural life, and of course, more gray hair, slowly shift your habits.
I’ve always enjoyed the pace of technology and the variety of freelance work I’ve been able to enjoy. New teams, new problems, new things to build. It never gets boring. But lately, I’ve found myself more jaded than inspired.
Tech used to feel creative and collaborative. Lately it feels increasingly transactional. Shorter timelines, more pressure, threats to offshore resources, and a growing sense that everything—and everyone—is expendable, especially with recent advancements in AI.
So here I am. Ironic, I suppose, that I’ve worked in tech for over 30 years, yet spend summers as a human fire lookout for the Forest Service and live an off-grid life with three horses and a cattle dog. And now I’m trying to figure out what’s next since that “career” I’ve enjoyed for over 30 years feels empty.
I’ve always loved to write. I wrote stories in school. I almost majored in journalism before getting sidetracked into tech. So maybe this is simply me circling back to something that was there all along.
For years people have told me I should write more. Share more stories. Write a book. Start something. I always had a reason not to—too busy, too distracted, too whatever. But when life rearranges itself without asking your opinion, sometimes it hands you an opening you’ve been avoiding.
I’ve been circling this idea for a while. A place to share longer stories—not just an Instagram caption or quick post, but the whole thing. Yes, I have a blog already, but it’s largely being used as an encyclopedia of Washington State fire lookouts and past adventure stories. It feels like time for something new.
If you’re here and want to geek out on Washington State fire lookouts, or if you’re wondering how I ended up staffing a fire lookout, visiting every standing historic fire lookout in Washington, or being a mom to a cattle dog and three horses while living a slightly unconventional off-grid life, you can read my existing stories here:
https://www.trailchick.com/
I don’t have a perfectly polished plan, but that’s never really been my style anyway. What I do have is a lot of stories: the journey to visit Washington’s fire lookouts, the horses I somehow “collected” in my late 40s with zero prior experience, the off-grid homestead I’ve been building one small piece at a time, the time I drove a 1.2L car from London to Mongolia, and the simple joys of a quiet life in a beautiful place with some pretty funny critters.
If any of that sounds like your kind of thing, I’d love to have you along for the ride! I’ll be starting with weekly Fire Lookout Friday posts, and there’s plenty more after that, including the long-awaited Mongol Rally Diaries! And if you’re able to support with a paid subscription, it genuinely helps keep the stories coming and the herd fed.
Welcome. Let’s see where this goes. And thanks for being here.
If these stories resonate, I’d love to have you along.
Free subscribers get Fire Lookout Friday each week. Paid subscribers help support these stories and keep this whole adventure rolling—plus a few extras and a little more behind the scenes as this all unfolds.
I appreciate you more than you know. Either way, the herd and I are glad you’re here.