WriterByNature.com

www.maurenejhinds.com

What I Do

I help a variety of companies, small businesses and individuals to express their awareness and dedication to developing sustainable technology and to preserve our natural resources. I also:

• Develop dynamic, relevant blog content in partnership with entrepreneurs, real estate agents and small business owners to help you achieve an active online presence, encourage conversation with your clients and showcase your expertise.

• Offer a new approach to communication with your clients, your customers and your vendors to improve your business success.

• Provide articles for natural magazines, hiking publications, simple living publications and small business owners in print and online.

• Write curricula to help public schools, home schooling groups, private schools, wilderness camps, adult learning groups, continuing education programs and others stretch and expand their students’ knowledge.

As a naturalist, my articles here on WriterByNature.com are as varied as my interests. Some are philosophical, others may explore a particular geographic area, I may cover an approach to living more naturally, or review products that make the outdoors more enjoyable.

I also write articles and essays, fiction and impressions, thoughts and mental wanderings to enhance the sense of discovery and wonder that is my experience of the natural world.

Why Hire A Professional Writer?

You need educational, communicative and appealing materials woven of words that educate your students, your readers and your customers. A professional writer can apply technical expertise, creativity and life experience to your vision.

A good working relationship begins with a good common point of reference, so you need a writer who shares your beliefs, promotes your purpose and opens the lines of communication between you and your audience.

I can offer you effective written materials. If you need a writer to help you reach your readers on an individual level, call me. I welcome the opportunity to help you.

Two hawks circle in a cloudless sky over the lake, painted turtles sun themselves on a partially submerged log as I write.

JJ in her natural habitat

A light breeze stirs the surface of the sunlit water and a thousand fragments of sunlight twinkle like stars on a summer night.

This is one of my favorite stops on a series of hiking trails between 3 and 10 miles long. Barring severe weather, I hike every day. I’m an early riser and spend 3 hours writing, (which is how I earn my living) before daybreak. In the summer, that means I’m out at first light, hiking as night gives way to day.

During the heat of the day I’m back in my office working on my laptop, answering phone and email messages. I can easily log four or five hours of productive writing while it’s sweltering outside. On a good day, I’m back out at dusk hiking until day turns back to night. Then I can return to my office and write a bit more.

In the winter, I’m out after sunrise and only in the woods overnight if I’ve completed my client projects and I have access to shelter.

One of the benefits of living in the 21st Century is that outdoor equipment has gotten lighter, stronger and more versatile. When I first took Tom Brown courses [of Tom Brown's Tracking School fame], most people were not online. The idea of having it all - wilderness time and control over work/income producing time - was a dream. The best I could do in 1992 was artist-in-residence programs during the school year, and judicious planning of temp work and woods time. Now, all I need is a laptop and cell phone with Bluetooth capability and I can be there for my clients without sacrificing my beloved woods.

Wilderness knowledge is important to me. I was out the other day when the weather changed suddenly. I found great comfort in knowing that I have the information I need to shelter myself. I’ve taught wilderness skills classes and I create wilderness curricula to help others enjoy nature. It’s empowering to know I’d be OK even if I couldn’t get out of the woods before dark.

The first lesson I learned from Tom Brown, was,”A good shelter in a bad location is a bad shelter.” I’m convinced this is a universal truth.

I grew up in rural New England, so exploring the woods was one of the ways I spent my limited free time. In addition to running our family farm, my parents were active in Girl Scouts. The first outdoors skills I learned, while not the technology of 500 years ago, were founded on strong principles of stewardship and conservation - leave no trace.

Wilderness education is increasingly important to establishing sustainable technology. The decades of waste and conspicuous consumption have lead to habitat destruction, dwindling resources - everyone loses.

Girl Scout JJ [middle] age 9, learning to make a one-match fire

Occam’s Razor - the fact that the simplest solutions are the best solutions - takes the stewardship approach fundamental to sustainable technology and shifts our focus from dominion, to open up the possibility of making better use of the resources we have.

While on my current hiking trail, I note good shelter sites, places where I’ll want to ski or snowshoe in winter, changes in terrain, plant life, and the forest floor as animal movement, erosion, leaves and human intervention weave a saga in the tracks left behind.

In the Northeast US, the wooded areas provide abundant materials for building a debris shelter. I’ve practiced enough to know that I can build a secure one in 3 hours in ideal conditions.

I rarely go out without my trusty daypack. I carry a plastic sandwich container with basic first aid supplies. I carry a bee sting kit, since I’m anaphylactic. I also carry a pair of wool socks, a warm hat, a bandana, plastic bags, dental floss, a small sewing kit, my knife, a windbreaker, a pencil and notebook, a compass, at least 1 liter of water, and a lighter. I carry a GPS when I’m planning to bushwhack or if I’m hiking a new set of trails and want to know just how far I’ve hiked.

I dress in layers - wool and lightweight fabrics or polypropylene garments. Silk falls apart too easily. When cotton gets wet, it doesn’t dry quickly and can deprive the body of needed warmth. I used to hike in moccasins, but now rely on my hiking boots, both for support and because of glass and other trash embedded even in our most protected wild places.