Wendy Speicher's love affair with the outdoors started in childhood, as she was growing up on her parents' 10-acre farm in rural Northern Michigan. Memories of nights spent in the popup camper in the state's sandy campgrounds and of campfire-cooked dinners of baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and sirloin steaks are still some of her fondest. Wanderlust runs deep in the family gene pool, and it drew Wendy to Northern California's Yosemite Valley on a summer break between college semesters. After that, there was no turning back.

Wendy studied journalism at beautiful Humboldt State University and cut her teeth in the business covering sports, recreation, food, and entertainment at a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites in the Lake Tahoe-Truckee and Sacramento areas. Her first book, Day & Section Hikes: Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California, was published by Wilderness Press in 2010.

As a young mother, Wendy has temporarily retired her long-distance hiking shoes in favor of the car-camping experience, which allows her the convenience of introducing her son, Archer, to outdoor living without the burden of a fully loaded pack. Spending time outside with Archer and her husband, Greg, is the joy of her life. As a true jack-of-all-trades, when she isn't writing, Wendy is a professional massage therapist and yoga and fitness instructor and enjoys helping people attain new levels of health and well-being. Learn more at wendyspeicher.com