Welcome!
My name’s Matt, and I love to write and hike. I’m the author of 4000s by 40 and am currently working on book two. When I’m not doing that, I come here to share tales from the trail, reflections on the writing process, and explore hidden truths.
Whether you’re a hiker, a writer, or just someone trying to figure out their own next step, I hope this site encourages you to keep getting outside, keep exploring, and keep making new discoveries. I suppose this place serves as a very public reminder to myself that I need to keep doing the same.
Enjoy it out there!
What’s New
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A Slug on the Mountain
Think of all the generations it must have taken to drag your lousy carcass up here. What are you doing? Where do you think you’re going to go? I almost stepped on you—are you unaware? I would have, too, had I not been minding my steps, halfway up a mountain you’re not supposed to be.
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An Easy Go on Mount Willard
Today I found the tiniest of windows in the week to escape for the mountains, and I chose Mount Willard as my quarry. Mount Willard is a great hike if you’re looking to take the kids without inciting a full-on mutiny. It’s just long enough to make you feel immersed in nature, and just short…
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Existential Windshield Wipers
Every week—really every day—I make a point of trying to learn something new. A new skill, a new fact, a new place, a new anything. Sometimes these learnings are driven by curiosity, and sometimes they are presented to me as an opportunity. Like this morning, when the rubber on one of my windshield wipers frayed…
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Memoirs by Men: Not Much Demand
When I first started sending copies of my memoir to agents, I received a lot of positive feedback, but there was a consistent message coming back to me. The start of the conversation usually went something like this: “we like your writing, but, you’re a man writing a memoir. That’s the least popular type of…