Carrot Quinn on Writing, Trauma and Hiking
I got to speak to writer and professional hiker, Carrot Quinn, this past spring. Full disclosure, Carrot has been a good friend for over 10 years now, and I am so excited to get to have her on this podcast.
Carrot graciously shared a bit of her writing with us, a passage from her hike across the Brooks range last summer. This leads us to a discussion about risk and fun while hiking in remote wilderness areas.
The conversation then turns to what Alaska represents for her. Carrot was born in Anchorage and lived there until she was nearly a teenager. Carrot describes what childhood was like for her growing up in poverty with a mentally ill mother, and finding her father at the age of 20. She also describes her emotional connection to the Boreal Forests of the Anchorage area. Her new book The Sunset Route is about the story of her childhood and the time she spent in her 20s hopping trains in the continental US. We talk a bit about grief and trauma and how writing helps her put order to the chaotic experience of growing up, but also how it’s really hard for her to revisit that time in her life.
We talk a little bit about the concept of home, and how growing up with CPTSD has made it hard for her to stay in one place for long.
We then move towards a discussion of politics and privilege within the long-distance hiking community, and how white supremacy is the foundation of our modern wilderness system. This leads to a discussion about our current policies at the southern border and how our government devalues the humans that are currently dying in the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico.
This goes on to a discussion about why conservation and environmental movements must be lead by indigenous people and people of color.
Listen to the full episode here:
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To subscribe to Carrot’s blog visit her website Carrotquinn.com
I also encourage you to check out her first book: Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart.
Find out more about the Enchantment Practices here.