2024 Adventures in House-sitting
River did a great job looking after me at my first house-sit in suburban Michigan.
2024 was the first year that I decided to “live in society.” After two decades of traveling and living in tiny houses in remote ecovillages, I wanted to experience a more traditional lifestyle.
I didn’t know how or where I would do that, so I hatched a plan to house-sit in different towns across the US. (I used an app called mindmyhouse.com to connect with homeowners who needed long-term house-sitters.) The idea was to show up in different towns and live there for a few months at a time, just to see what it was like.
I ended up house-sitting in three very different places: a condo in suburban Michigan, a remote wildlife ranch deep in the Arizona desert, and a large empty house in Colorado.
Each place had its own charms and challenges. I had to learn lots of new things–the logistics of moving between vastly different living situations, how to quickly meet new people in town, and how to adapt my freelance schedule everywhere I went. It was hard and often scary. It was also one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.
House-sitting is strangely intimate. You’re in someone’s home, sleeping in their bed, using their shower. They’re not there, but their photos hang on the wall. You can see them. You get to know the furniture people like, the spices they cook with, the things they value. Each place was as different and as special as the homeowner.
The Arizona cabin included a raven shrine. Yes, I lit the candle….
As an introvert who works from home, I could have gone the entire time without meeting new people. I knew this about myself, so before each house-sit I wrote out a plan and schedule for how to connect with new folks. My goal was to meet as many people as possible in the first couple weeks, and then build on those connections. I went to coffee shops, said yes to hikes and gatherings, and briefly joined a softball team. I ended up meeting a lot of awesome folks who are still part of my life.
I’m an adventurer at heart, so I also found outdoor adventures wherever I went. In Michigan I rambled alone along the lake’s eerily frozen coastlines. In Arizona I pedaled long gravel roads towards the sunset. And in Colorado, where I am now, I’ve loved hiking and biking mountain trails with new friends.
In between house-sitting sessions I went on some trips. In the spring I pedaled across interior Michigan on backcountry trails, and then set up a temporary office in a forest outside of town. I also spent time on the east coast doing short bike trips and visiting friends and family.
I had wanted this year to feel stable (I spent most of 2023 on my bike, so any prolonged time in houses seemed like the epitome of stability!), but ironically it ended up feeling like a sea of endless change. As soon as I established myself somewhere, it was already time to leave. Even though that wasn’t the vibe I had intended, it did help solidify my understanding that I am my own home. I’m kind to myself and happy on the inside, and that means I can be happy anywhere.
This year of “transient stability” also helped me build trust in a beautiful world. It’s hard to admit this, but I was somewhat terrified of living in towns. I’ve spent most of my life trying to extract myself from mainstream society; I’m comfortable living on the edges. But people are hilarious and complex and vibrant everywhere you go. I met a lot of people who became special to me, and I’m grateful to everyone who let me into their lives.
Thanks for bike rides and chess games Anthony!
My work life changed a lot this year in ways I never could have predicted. My dirty, sun-spotted face was the centerfold for my Adventure Cyclist article, “Here for This,” an intense story about emotional integration. I got to write about my changing views on being “seen” for the Radavist in my story, “Shooting Solo.” My second print article for Bicycling Magazine won a Longreads editor’s pick for best nonfiction. And my Bikepacking.com story on patriarchy and human wholeness went viral, with over a quarter million views around the world.
That story (A Woman Who Left Society to Live With Bears Weighs in on Man or Bear) became one of Bikepacking.com’s most-read articles of the year and won their 2024 award for best writing. It also kicked open the door to a room of opportunities I’d never had before. I received inquiries from literary agents, was asked to give keynotes on three continents, and am now working with a credit union on a 2025 bike trip to advocate for women’s agency.
It was an honor to speak at the Erasmus Center for Women and Organisations in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
In retrospect, it’s kind of funny that this year was my attempt to infiltrate mainstream society. Every day was kind of strange and not that typical! It was a big whirling puzzle and a total adventure.
I’m grateful to everyone who supported me this year with positivity, connection, house-sitting opportunities, freelancing jobs, donations to support my work, and gear contributions. My online community now has over 36,000 people between Instagram and Facebook. My newsletter now has over 4,000 subscribers. Thank you!
I love being human on this strange and stunning planet, and I’m committed to authentic storytelling. In 2025 my goal is to write more about the paradoxes of the emotional self, especially in relation to connection and wholeness. I want to explore the soft tangles of conflict and transformation. And I want to write stories from my female perspective that tell a simply human narrative.
In 2025 I also have some exciting bike adventures and projects lined up. I’m house-sitting in Durango, Colorado through the winter. Then in May I leave on a two month bike ride around Michigan. This ride is part of a larger project to advocate for women’s agency, and I’m excited to share more about that soon. After that, I’ll visit family and friends on the east coast and then hopefully return to Durango.
I learned a lot about house-sitting this year, and I’m excited to keep splicing it into my adventure life. If you’re in the Durango area and need someone to house-sit next winter, please give me a holler!
Earlier this year, roadtripping from Michigan to Arizona. The photos below are of me working on the roadside along the way.
I never know if anything I do will work out, but I believe that imagination plus effort equals possibility.
