About Me
I write contemporary fantasy novels with an ecological twist. And short stories, too. I'm also a clinical psychologist with a depth orientation. Archetypes and mythology hold a timeless message that is particularly relevant today. I ski, I hike, I climb, and on a good day, I'm the alpha female of a wolf pack. My hope for this website is that it will provide resources for depth psychology, wilderness photography, the Eastern Sierra, and ideas for loving support for our challenged planet. There are also wilderness tips, climbing routes and anecdotal tales about living with three wolf hybrids. There's information about my novels and short stories too. Enjoy! Feel free to email me with things you'd like to see here.
The Eastern Sierra
The Eastern Sierra is a geologically complex area. It stretches from the lower Sierra Nevada Mountains north of Lake Tahoe to the fourteen thousand foot peaks in the Mount Whitney region. This part of California is geographically isolated. Weather conditions are harsh.
Bighorn sheep, native to this region, have struggled to survive. They are an official endangered species and there are large areas in the Mount Williamson region where hiking and climbing are forbidden for most of the year to try to preserve habitat for the sheep.
The entirety of the Eastern Sierra hosts less than 35,000 people. Mono County has a population of 14,000 and Inyo County to the south has 20,000. What this region lacks in population and modern amenities, however, it makes up for in unsurpassed beauty. People who live in the Eastern Sierra find themselves drawn to the pristine beauty of its mountains and lakes. Clean air, riots of wildflowers during the too-brief summer season, and a slower-paced lifestyle all contribute to an unparalleled quality of life. Please click on the Eastern Sierra link for more information about points of interest in this special region of California.
Wolves
A few years ago, National Geographic ran an article called From Wolf to Woof that chronicled how these four footed creatures inveigled their way into our lives, first as hunting partners, and later simply as companions who ate the parts of the kill that we didn’t want. Anyone who has ever owned a member of the Canidae family knows the warm feeling of coming home after a long day to the effusive greeting of a warm tongue and cold nose. There’s something infectious about a wagging tail that’s hard to ignore!
Mountain Climbing
See some of my favorite peak routes
I suppose one could live in the Eastern Sierra and not be a mountain climber, but looking up at the peaks soaring above, it’s hard not to feel that inner tug of wondering what it would be like to stand on top of at least some of them.
I’m a pretty unlikely mountain climber. I’m short and don’t have the best sense of balance, but like the wolves we climb with, I suppose I have a lot of heart. And, I can tell you with a great deal of assurance that each and every peak that I’ve conquered holds a special place in my heart and mind.
My husband is a mountain climber, too; but he’s a real one, having climbed over seven hundred peaks all over the world. Where I look at an airy crossing and think--albeit fleetingly--about the consequences of a missed step, he seems oblivious to the potential dangers.
One of the main lessons from mountain climbing is that one truly has to live in the moment. There’s no point in focusing on a distant summit, and also no point in engaging in mental machinations such as, "Well, if it took me three hours to get to here, there’s no way I can summit this peak and get back before dark.” I can’t even begin to estimate the numbers of climbs that have found us heading back to camp by headlamp.
The links to the Eastern Sierra also chronicle route descriptions for several of the Sierra Nevada peaks. Remember, though, climbing is a very individual sport. Any of my route descriptions are just that: my route descriptions. The mountain could have shifted since I climbed it and you might have just as hard a time finding my route as I’ve had finding routes described by others.