Author Bio

A portrait of the writer Mary Beth Skylis wearing a hat and smiling with her back to the sun

Mary Beth Skylis

Mary Beth “Mouse” Skylis is a long-distance backpacker and freelance writer who specializes in movement and travel. She works as a columnist for Backpacker Magazine and has by-lines in Outside, Women’s Health, Self, 5280, Trail Runner, Alaska, Yellow Scene and Climbing Magazines. REI Member since 2015.

Stories by Mary Beth Skylis...
A notebook open along its spine, filled with hiker logs from the PCT.

Our Best Trail Magic Stories

When I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2015, I worried—not about the bears, blisters or dangers that awaited me along the way, but about not having acc...