Work chaos in small, controlled doses only
Work chaos in small, controlled doses only
A recap of my busy September reporting on the Oregon Coast
One thing I miss about working at a daily newspaper is reporting in the field. Being on the ground at the scene of a story results in better scenes, better sensory details, and a better understanding of the scenario. Like when I visited with a group of residents who were concerned about a fracking operation basically in their backyard. They showed me their properties in proximity to the proposed gas wells. Much too close, it turned out. Every day required my curiosity and attention. Therefore, it’s also the one thing I don’t miss about daily reporting. It was exhausting to be on call every day on the breaking news beat. I remember waking up one morning to a text from the SWAT police commander about a mission that I might be interested in covering. And listening to the police scanner for code reds and panicked voices. In those days, my nervous system was fried.
Reporting from behind a screen as a freelancer, sometimes I think back to those days. How I wish I could just transport to wherever a source was so we could talk in person. To witness emotion in real time, to smell and see what they’re smelling and seeing, to listen to the surroundings. It’s why I jumped at the opportunity to join a film crew as their tag-along journalist for a shoot on the Oregon Coast in September. They were hired by the Oregon Coast Visitors Association to highlight different accessibility efforts, but there were more stories to tell that they wouldn’t get to, so I’d have dibs.
For six days, I joined them as they chased sunsets for b-roll and met with sources experiencing disabilities. They had a tight itinerary that I could choose to follow or deviate from. I followed for most of it, peeling off one day on my own. As they headed to Coos Bay, I set out on foot to grab coffee and check out the town of Florence. The shops were just opening at 10 am and I popped into a few. An apothecary had tarot decks and elderberry tea samples, and a quilt shop had bolts and rolls of shell-themed fabric. By the time I was done, it was warming up, so I headed to the sand dunes. Something I read said the trailhead had an accessible boardwalk and lookouts so I figured I’d investigate.
I drove from park to park that day, seeing for myself what adaptable outdoor recreational amenities were out there. It’s exactly what I had hoped from this trip and yet I was completely depleted every night. I yearned for my own bed and for my family back home. If I thought too much about what I would be doing if I wasn’t on a work trip, my heart would break into a thousand tiny pieces. It was uncomfortable to be away for so long. But without leaving my nest, I would’ve stayed behind a screen. I had to go or I would not experience new things. I would not meet new people. I would not follow my curiosity. I would not learn about the world around me. My job as a freelance journalist has taken me to Panama and Denmark and British Columbia. I have eaten cacao straight from a tree, stood on glaciers in the Canadian alpine, and swam in the waters of the North Sea. And now I’ve reported from the shores of Oregon. There was always an end in sight.
I ended up working 12 days straight the last two weeks because after leaving the film crew, I headed north along the coast to another press trip at Snow Peak Campfield. A fun one, but work nonetheless. I returned home with a wealth of story ideas from both trips, not to mention new relationships with sources and colleagues. I took a big nap on Friday and kept my expectations low over the weekend. And this week I’ve been playing catchup—on emails and on sleep. I’ve slept past my alarm every morning, and I’ve skipped my workouts. I even gave myself permission to write this from my bed. I’m grateful that I still get opportunities to leave the comforts of home, but I’m also grateful that I’m no longer at the whim of a police scanner. I get to choose when and where I go. I can’t wait to share more about the trip with you, here and in published stories.
Talk to you soon!
P.S. I’m speaking at Outdoor Media Summit in Missoula on Oct. 15 about marketing myself as a freelancer on Substack. Who else is going to be there?!
Latest Stories
For Trails Magazine, I reported on a new mapping app called Goat Maps designed with backcountry travelers in mind. It was started by the founders of Gaia GPS, which is now part of the Outside corp. The story is only available in print, but I promise you it’s worth the subscription.
After experiencing Mohonk Mountain House’s new via ferrata route in April, I wrote this piece for Adventure.com about the rise of courses in North America. “You can be a great athlete or you can be more of an amateur, and you can complete this course together and work as a team to get through it.”
Hikerkind debuted their Fall/Winter 24 collection, featuring an adorable puffy jacket and utilitarian 8-pocket pants. Yes, eight!!! I covered it for Field Mag.
The latest STUDIO VISITS features Zab, an illustrator and graphic designer with an obsession with green. ““I always tell people my family raised me to be an artist and designer—kind of like parents that are doctors raised their kids to be doctors.” Don’t miss the short film that accompanies the Q&A!!!
October Mood
Monthly Shareables
Supporting: I’m gutted by the devastation in North Carolina. If you’re looking for ways to support the flood victims, here’s a long list of resources.
Reading: Cross Stitch by Jazmina Barrera and translated by Christina Macsweeney is a story about the sweetness and complexities of female friendship.
My mom sent me this op-ed by Anne Lamott about noticing the unremarkable. “How to live? Simplicity is so rich. My unremarkable days might seem infinitely uninteresting to a youthful person. But older age has given me permission to do what I always dreamed of doing: sit around reading, walk, putter. Busyness and fear constrict us in youth; fresh air and nature free us in old age.”
Listening: I saw Novo Amor live in Portland this week, and his voice is so pure it makes me want to cry. This is one of my favorite songs:
RSVPing:
has a show at Nationale this month displaying paintings from her latest book One Week in January. I can’t wait to see it!Buying: Kellyn Wilson of
convinced me that I need a pair of these Xtratuf boots for PNW winter. I also bought a tennis racket so I can start playing again, and I snagged one of the Field Mag Hike zines.Making: It’s sewing season, babes. I added a collar and pockets to this coat (the Rhett pattern from Seamwork) that’s been sitting in my WIP pile since spring. Now it just needs buttons. Should I go with brown or navy blue?
Lovely read 💛 +1 for Xtratuf boots! I live in mine come the rainy/snow season. LMK which ones you grab! And yessss to sewing season. Or is it just indoor-cozy-making-things season?