Three minutes and thirty three seconds for 2015. Observations while on the long trail, finding precious creatures, moments with friends at cafes, book stores, thrift stores, celebrations in Boston, Vermont and Culebra.

Featuring Grandma, Audrey Benedetto, Nick Pierce, Sara Kassel, Abby Bowling, Cale Stoeffler, Adele Levine, Josh Pierce, 3 day old Calvin Pierce, Mom, Dad & Bear.

Growing up in northern Vermont, the Long Trail was a constant presence in my life.  Friends and parents of friends would share their stories of hiking the trail. Looking at the horizon, I could trace its winding path. Like many Vermonters, I am familiar with overnight hiking trips and what the weight of a 40 pound backpack feels like (terrible), but I never considered trying to hike the entire trail.  However, this summer I decided to start section hiking the Long Trail. The motivation finally came from Cheryl Stayed’s memoir Wild, which inspired me to contemplate the idea of hiking on my own. After a lot of research and consulting with Carol Irish, who celebrated her 50th birthday by thru-hiking the trail solo, I have set out to section hike the Long Trail. 

“Mushrooms as decomposers offer a great opportunity to grow amazing food while using resources that people don’t want like sawdust from mills, or logs from foresters, or coffee grounds from coffee shops. Part of what drew me to fungi is the mystery associated around the kingdom. Not many people understand the critical role fungi play in our ecosystems and the potential benefits mushrooms can provide. What really intrigued me about this kingdom is not only their ability to provide food for humans but their role in medicine and remediation. Our name Fungi Ally comes from the idea that by allying with fungi we can improve our personal and ecological health. ” – Willie Crosby

The Vermont Commons School is not your average high school. Now accepting 6th through 12th grade, the school is all about community, rigorous academics and engaging students with the world. I was very lucky to spend my high school years at VCS. Highlights from VCS include enjoying science class, writing fully researched 15 page papers, backpacking around New England, tracking wolves in Yellowstone Nation Park and swimming with dolphins in Belize. 

I had the pleasure of documenting what a day in the life at VCS looks like now, and it’s still awesome.

Meet Cale Stoeffler & Adele Levine, a queer couple in Boston. I spent an evening wandering around Jamaica Plain with these two passionate, funny and down to earth people. I asked them what their experience has been like dating in the queer/trans community. 

Everyone knows and loves Lake Champlain Chocolates, a Burlington-based company whose gourmet chocolate is enjoyed around the world.  I spent a beautiful night aboard the Spirit of the Ethan Allen photographing their annual company employee party.  I got some great photographs, and enjoyed seeing a company that really appreciates their community. 

Vermont promotes little friendships. 

“The best part of teaching in public affairs is that, even if my research is ignored, I can make a difference by helping to educate the people who will be making decisions down the road. That’s both an extraordinary opportunity and a sobering responsibility, because what I say in the classroom might matter more than anything I ever write.”

In August 2014 I had the opportunity to travel with Jane Baldwin to Ethiopia’s Omo River Valley and Kenya’s Lake Turkana to work as Jane’s photography assistant.  My role was to assist and support Jane with her ten year project Kara Women Speak.  This gave me the opportunity to travel by boat to visit the indigenous communities that live along the Omo River and depend on the Omo River and Lake Turkana watershed. 

Spring has begun to settle in the city, and to us creative types that means the outside world has once again become a bearable workspace! I photographed the charming Caitlin Hoey up and down stairwells, elevators, bridges and buildings with a mask, a scorpion lollipop and sparklers. From the Boston Public Library through Back Bay up to Beacon Hill, we worked until the sunset across the Charles River and dusk fell across the city.