Sarahmarie Specht-Bird
A writer, teacher, and long-distance hiker in pursuit of a life that blends all three.
Read trail dispatches and adventure stories at my website.
Crocheting Nature
I'm not really sure when it started. I don't remember waking up one day and thinking, "I'm going to crochet a version of every organism I find in the woods that really speaks to me." I never planned to write multiple crochet patterns for very specific mushrooms, or to construct a cicada with yarn and plastic, but I suppose the past year has taught us all surprising things about ourselves. My surprising thing, apparently, is that I love to crochet mini versions of the natural world.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished 17 days ago in Lifehack
Dark Sky
What I miss the most about Flagstaff is the night sky. From the side street next to my house I could look up at the end of any day and see the bright splatter of stars so close, I felt the light in my fingertips. I would come home at the end of the day, walking in the dark the one mile from my office on campus, and stare up for one lingering moment before I punched in the code for the garage door and waited for it to open. I would stare into the night, feet tired and brain weary, and catch the firmly edge of the Milky Way loping above Mackenzie Drive. I traced my eyes in a weighty ellipse around the edges of the galaxy, and I could almost feel its rotation.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished 19 days ago in Wander
Overmountain
It was approaching evening, the horizon just beginning to relax into a dull orange, when I started climbing the mountain. It rose in front of me in a deceptively gentle slope, no trees covering the undulating form of its three bald ridges. Nothing but faded brownish green grasses and bushes decorated the sleepy rolling behemoth, and as I walked, I watched the wind pick at the plants and push the clouds around, and if I narrowed my eyes just so, I thought I could see the mountain breathing.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished 21 days ago in FictionThrough the Mist
The alarm sounds. I rise from my narrow bed. I stand and shuffle towards the rack that holds my uniforms and pull one on. I smooth down my short brown hair.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished about a month ago in Fiction
The Ultimate Freedom of Long-Distance Hiking
There is nothing like waking up outside. I open my eyes, and I see the morning sun sneaking higher in the sky. I hear the birds singing in the trees. I remember that I am alive, and that today, I will see more wonders of nature around every turn. Maybe there will be mushrooms. Maybe I'll drink the coldest, purest water from a creek running with snowmelt. Sure, the hiking will be hard, and I will feel challenged physically, but the payoff is worth the effort a thousand times over.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished about a month ago in Wander
Lost and Found in Dharamsala
It’s boiling hot when I walk out of the airport. My internal systems are all jumbled up, recalibrating after the end of a spin cycle. It’s dark, it’s 8:30 PM, and it’s a humid 90 degrees. There is noise everywhere: people talking, people shouting, PA announcements, cars honking. My legs are cramped from the thirteen-hour flight and it feels amazing to stand, even if it means lugging around my comically massive suitcase.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished about a month ago in Wander
Making With a Purpose
I stand at my kitchen counter, scissors in hand. There is a piece of blue painter's tape, measured to 18 inches, stretching across the laminate. On my left, a quickly-dwindling skein of yarn sits at the ready. I grab a length of the fiber, place the cut end to the far right side of the tape, and hold the side closest to the skein down onto the countertop. I angle my scissors towards the yarn. Snip. I've just sharpened my favorite Fiskars, and the blades cut right through with a crisp, satisfying sound.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished about a month ago in LifehackRunning With Pride
It's June! You know what that means: Lots of daylight for long runs! ...Or, if you're like me, it means many short, sweaty, slow runs that require a lot of music to get through.
Sarahmarie Specht-BirdPublished 2 months ago in Pride
