Michal Reed has backpacked for over thirty years, beginning alone at seventeen, and then continuing with her ex-husband and her two sons. She learned to climb in her mid-thirties,...view moreMichal Reed has backpacked for over thirty years, beginning alone at seventeen, and then continuing with her ex-husband and her two sons. She learned to climb in her mid-thirties, though with young children she couldn’t spend a lot of time developing her skills. She has an MFA in art and critical writing from California Institute of the Arts, has published art criticism and personal essays, and has shown her artist’s books internationally. Michal lives in Springville, CA where she turned her family home in to a Bed and Breakfast. Artists, writers, and people wanting a retreat form the city compliment her experience of teaching at the local high school. view less