Becky Ohlsen

Becky Ohlsen is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, and Rye, Colorado. She writes about travel and outdoor adventures, usually in places where it rains a lot: Sweden, Oregon, Washington.

Becky's latest book is BACKPACKING OREGON, the all-new 4th edition of the classic guidebook created by Douglas Lorain. She has also updated Lorain's ONE NIGHT WILDERNESS - PORTLAND, a fun, practical guide to short overnight backpacking trips within easy reach of Portland, geared toward those of us who love getting out into nature but can't realistically commit to a week-long backpacking adventure every summer. Both books describe a range of backpacking trips to some of the most beautiful backcountry spots in the Pacific Northwest, with maps, photos and all the relevant details.

Becky also wrote WALKING PORTLAND, an oddball book about exploring Portland's weird little neighborhoods (Wilderness Press).

Between assignments, Becky continues to peck away at a book about motorcycles and the allure of risk. She can barely ride a bicycle but has crossed the US by motorcycle more than once. For a few years she raced a vintage Honda 175 at Portland International Raceway (very slowly). In 2009 the infamous Portland "555" crew granted Becky permission to ride with them as an embedded reporter, on a tiny 30-year-old motorcycle, from Portland to Knoxville, Tenn.; the story appeared in CYCLE WORLD magazine (April 2010). Having survived the trip, she was invited to join the SFRC (Sang-Froid Riding Club) as the first female club member. (But not last!)

Becky spends her summers roaming around, sleeping in tents or her car. A few years ago she co-authored Lonely Planet's coffee-table book THE VANLIFE COMPANION, but she has yet to achieve an actual #van. She has a probably ill-advised master’s degree in journalism from NYU’s Cultural Reporting and Criticism program and has occasionally taught journalism. Her favorite writers include John McPhee, Kelly Link, Laird Hunt, Geoff Dyer, Steve Aylett, Lydia Millet, Torgny Lindgren, Tove Jansson, Willy Vlautin, Patrick DeWitt and plenty of others. A recovering copy editor, Becky will debate points of grammar with anyone, anytime.