Upper Goose Pond

In 2014, I gathered a small group of adults and pointed us toward the woods. What we were looking for was simple: escapism and adventure. What we found was something far richer. We were two moms and two dads, brought together by curiosity and a willingness to try something new. Thankfully, we had an experienced backpacker—known simply as “Bear”—to show us the ropes and help us find our trail legs.

Over the next eleven years and forty hikes along the Appalachian Trail, those early outings grew into something deeper. The people we met along the way, and many more people joined out group as the years went on. The places—shelters, privies, overlooks, and quiet stretches of forest. The critters, the weather, the long climbs and the earned views. Each trip grounded us a little more and quietly enriched our lives in ways none of us expected.

Somewhere along the way, I began offering portraits to thru-hikers, small moments of recognition for people carrying everything they needed on their backs for 2,200 miles. Eventually, these trips led me to become an official AT caretaker, where photography became my daily offering to these determined travelers. What started as escapism had transformed into service.

That journey led me to a place that now feels deeply like mine: Upper Goose Pond Cabin. Tucked away in the Berkshires, it’s a 100-year-old cabin beside a mountain lake. There’s no electricity, no running water... just two stories, eighteen bunks, and a quiet you really have to experience for yourself. The cabin is owned by the National Park Service and managed by volunteers from the Appalachian Mountain Club, a group I’m proud to be part of.

This place offers solitude, peace, and the chance to serve others passing through. Each morning ends the same way: a walk down to the pond and a swim in its pristine, still waters. It’s a simple ritual, but one that reminds me why I went looking for adventure in the first place—and what I found when I slowed down enough to listen.