Rachel discovered the joys of writing in third grade, when she completed her first “book.” That same year, she fell in love with reading. Add in the many miles she logged exploring Cheyenne Canyon and other trails around her hometown of Colorado Springs with her family and dogs, and she found the rewarding intersection of nature, curiosity and storytelling at an early age.

As a teenager, a transformative Outward Bound sea kayaking and sailing expedition in Maine sparked a lifelong love of the ocean, while family road trips throughout the American West fueled her appetite for exploration. At Middlebury College, Rachel pursued a double major in French and Environmental Studies, which justified two semesters abroad: one in Paris and another in Madagascar.

After graduation, she spent her modest savings traveling through Turkey, Spain and France before landing her first job as environmental reporter at the Jackson Hole News in northwestern Wyoming. Her beat included Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and took her deep into the wild, including a horse-packing trip into Yellowstone’s remote Thorofare. She later covered environmental issues at The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon, before returning to Colorado as a Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at CU Boulder. After the fellowship, she joined Skiing magazine as an editor, then pivoted to freelance writing, where she contributed regularly to The Washington Post, Outside Online and AARP Magazine.

Rachel has traveled with Nat Hab to Alaska Bear Camp and on the company's Secluded Botswana safari, witnessing Victoria Falls and extraordinary wildlife, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants and hippos. When not traveling for work, she’s traveling for fun—skiing, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, snorkeling, surfing and seeking out great food wherever she goes.