Collecting Sunsets

11 12 2022

/https://adamsawyer.substack.com/

Hello friends. I’ve made kind of a big decision with regard to my career and writing moving forward. I respectfully request that you come with me on this.

It’s been a long year, and I’ve been writing about it a lot. The loss of Kara, our home, and everything else back in February has changed me, what I write, and how I write, considerably. And that’s made the writing I do for work often quite difficult. I still have a huge passion for and desire to write about the outdoors, travel, and food & drink. But in a different way than I have before, on a different schedule, and for other reasons.

Right now when I have a thought or grief that needs to work its way to the surface, there’s no other form of writing that I can get accomplished until I’ve settled my hash emotionally. Still, there are some days when nothing gets done until I work that shit out. All this has put me in kind of a bind with regard to work, life, health, and happiness.

Throughout all of this, many friends have reached out to me personally to express that they have received comfort or a newfound perspective in the writings/posts/essays related to grief that I was posting on my personal Facebook page. The thought that expressing my personal grief isn’t just helping me, but could potentially be helping or encouraging other people in any way is quite humbling and actually, fills me with hope and even a bit of a sense of purpose. But the thought of capitalizing on or benefiting personally from the cause of this grief, especially when it could be helping others, just doesn’t sit well with me.

I desperately want to continue my own healing and aid others with their grieving or processing, but also continue to make a living as a writer. And I think I might have a potential solution. I’ve been looking into an online platform for publishing content that would allow me to send work to people that subscribe to me by email. It’s called Substack, and it’s quite versatile. It would allow me to have paid subscribers, but to also post free content.

What I’m going to do is publish weekly stories or essays that will span the broad array of topics I’m passionate about. Outdoors, travel, grieving, humor, addiction, love, life, loss, and on down the line, all in my voice and without editorial boundaries or constraints.

And the vast majority of the writings that I think could potentially be helpful to other people, specifically, the topic of loss and grieving – will be completely free. Friends, family, or complete strangers will be able to read and share those with anybody they see fit, for free. Meanwhile, the rest of my work will be behind a $5-a-month paywall. I think that’s a win/win, and I feel really good about it. I can write what I want, when I want, potentially help or inspire others, and continue to make a living doing what I love.

So I’m asking you, my friends, colleagues, followers, and anyone else out there that might have an interest in my writing, to please subscribe. And please share this page with any and everyone else who you think might have an interest or potentially benefit from it as well. You can totally just sign up for the free stuff too – no judgment at all!

Moving forward, any writing I do that isn’t for another publication will be found exclusively on this new platform and not in the form of a Facebook post. Also know if you do subscribe, you can expect to eventually see all of those grief posts from this year again, as I build my page and put them out into the ether for public consumption. But you’ll also be getting the essays I didn’t share on Facebook and additional new non-grief writings as well. I hope you join me on this journey. Thank you.

https://adamsawyer.substack.com/

Advertisement




Help Adam Recover

28 02 2022

Hi friends. This is not outdoor or travel-related in any way. And posting this here is a little uncomfortable, but unfortunately necessary. I suffered the worst personal loss of my life a few days ago and things are going to be rough for a while. This link has the details for those that are interested.





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Recharge at These Off-Season Hideouts

12 11 2018

My latest feature for Northwest Travel & Life reveals my favorite places to hideout at in the off-season. On newsstands now, or click here to read the pdf version.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA





I’m a Brand Ambassador for Mountain House!

24 07 2017

It’s a privilege and an honor to be able to represent companies that I have a great respect for as well as a passion for their product. Now, in addition to KEEN Footwear and Terminal Gravity Brewing, I am proud to announce that I am a Brand Ambassador for Mountain House! If you follow my Facebook page, there will be the opportunity for some exclusive product discounts in the future 🙂

iuwqsq8r3qa4qqw5nqq4





Tillamook Coast: The Kings Mountain Trail

19 09 2016

If you’re looking for some exercise in the Oregon Coast Range, look no further than Kings Mountain. From the article:

“The trail that leads up to the summit of Kings Mountain is a 2.5-mile long hurt locker disguised as a hiking path. I’m sure there are some of you out there that would go merrily traipsing up the mountain, breaking nary a sweat while pausing only to take in nature’s glory. Well, that’s not most of us. The hike gains 2,500 feet over the course of that 2.5 miles. For those of you scoring at home, 1,000 feet of elevation gain per mile is quite the steady clip. And for the lion’s share of hikers out there, that’s a thigh-burning mettle-tester. And if you’ve got bad knees, bad balance, or bad luck, the hike down the mountain won’t be much of a picnic either. But as with most hikes of its ilk, there are rewards beyond caloric expenditure.”

Click here to read the whole thing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA





Best Outdoor Adventures Near Portland

14 08 2016

My latest literary spawn has left the nest! The “Best Outdoor Adventures Near Portland” is now available in select bookstores and via any of your favorite online outlets, including Amazon.

From the Intro:

Portland, Oregon is a special place. One of the primary reasons many of us choose to hang our hats here is the seemingly limitless outdoor recreation options. If there’s something you like to do outside, chances are good that you can find it within two hours of Portland. What do you like doing? What would you like to try? It’s here. Or near here.  A quick rundown of things to do includes: hiking, trail running, kayaking, whitewater rafting, stand up paddleboarding, surfing, kite boarding, cycling, mountain biking, mountain climbing, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, horseback riding, paragliding, skydiving, ziplining…..the list is extensive.

Any real estate agent will give you an earful about “location.” Portland benefits greatly from its location in many ways, but with regards to outdoor endeavors, we’re sitting in the catbird seat. From downtown Portland, you can get to the Columbia River Gorge in 30 minutes, have Mt Hood in your face in an hour, dip your toes in the Pacific Ocean in an hour and a half, and take in a sunset from the high desert in two hours. And within that radius are more creeks, rivers, trails, lakes, peaks, valleys, and protected wilderness areas than any of us could ever see in a lifetime or more.

Over the last year and a half, I got to go traipsing around the greater Portland area with my friends, experiencing the best outdoor activities the region has to offer. And now it all culminates in a guidebook that for me, also serves as a journal of these incredible experiences. Some of the best adventures I’ve had in my life were had while “working” on this book. It is my sincere hope that it can provide you with comparable experiences. I also encourage you to keep going. This book, while chock full of some of the best stuff around, is more or less an amuse bouche for what’s out there. Within two hours of Portland, an immeasurable amount of adventure awaits.”

9781493017102_fc





Cascade Journal: Take Me to the River

1 08 2016

My latest feature for Cascade Journal Magazine focuses on the Wild and Scenic rivers of Central Oregon; both the well-known (like the McKenzie in the photo below) and under the radar. Click here to read it.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: The Misty Fjords

1 07 2016

In the latest issue of Northwest Travel & Life Magazine I write about Alaska’s Misty Fjords. From the article – “Thanks in large part to the glacier-carved landscape, legendary naturalist John Muir compared the Misty Fjords to his favorite inspirational wilderness, Yosemite. An understandable comparison, if only Yosemite were surrounded by ocean and studded with lakes and canals spread out over two million acres.” Click here to continue reading.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA





Marijuana Venture Magazine: Cannabis Tourism – Seeing Green

30 06 2016

My first feature for Marijuana Venture Magazine explores the new frontier of travel, cannabis tourism. Click here to read the article.

Garden.jpg





Northwest Travel & Life Magazine: Ex Novo

28 06 2016

My latest for Northwest Travel & Life covers the world’s first non-profit brewery, Ex Novo. Pick up this months issue or click here for the online version.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA