A Christmas Party At The End Of The World

What my wife and I were doing at the White House holiday reception

Last Friday, I put my arm around Dr. Jill Biden, smiled at a camera, shook the President’s hand, and thanked him for having us. A pretty neat moment for sure, and one that caps a decade writing about where politics meets the outdoors.

I never really set out to become a political writer, but today it’s one of the things I’m most known for. The first time I really dove into any sort of issue was when, in 2015, congressional Republicans proposed a budget amendment that would have led to the widespread sale of National Forests, and other public lands. At the time, I’d just started a blog called Indefinitely Wild, in partnership with Gawker Media. It seemed relevant that a publication about adventure travel in the outdoors would report on an effort to steal the places where we fish, hike, hunt, and camp. It also seems appropriate to both have and to share feelings about those efforts.