When you grow up in Toronto, live in Carbondale, Colorado, and have a resume that spans from winning the Grand Traverse (a skimo race from Crested Butte to Aspen) to thumbing a ride on the Pan-American highway for a story about mining and water conflicts in the Atacama Desert, you’re officially an interesting person. Sarah Tory has earned a BA in English from Williams College and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and logged years of experience writing for publications like High Country News, Slate, OnEarth, and more. She now balances her career as a freelance journalist (reporting mostly on issues relating to the environment, immigration, and rural communities) with editing for Better Trail—a job that allows her to fully indulge her nerdery for both grammar and gear. To read more from Sarah, check out her website.