12 Books that Define Dirtbag Culture (and a few more that should)
Books that have shaped outdoor and travel culture into what it is today.
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Tim Mathis
14 min read
Ghost sighting: Crybaby Bridge, West Alexandria, Ohio. June 22, 2022.
It seems like there’s a Crybaby Bridge in every small town in the Midwestern United States. I don’t normally go for that stuff, but I...
Tim Mathis
13 min read
This year I decided to become a writer
A lot of tragic creative stories go something like this: “I always loved writing/painting/singing/sculpture but no one believed in me and...
Tim Mathis
8 min read
Kurangaituku: The case to make a surreal Maori myth the next book you read.
Kuragnaituku is the best book you almost definitely haven't heard of (yet).
Tim Mathis
16 min read
Seattle music history, by way of artists that I've behaved strangely around.
It would be hard to argue that it keeps up with the London’s and the New York’s of the world, but considered purely in terms of per...
Tim Mathis
10 min read
The Hero’s Journey: Narrative therapy to write yourself out of a dark black hole.
How you can use the Hero's Journey to write your way through your problems.
Tim Mathis
14 min read
The Old Dogs of Olympus
The gods may be long gone, but there's still magic on the climb to Mt Olympus
Tim Mathis
9 min read
Everything I need to know about New Zealand’s pandemic response I learned in a bar in 2018
A story about the social fabric that made New Zealand strong enough to beat Covid.
Tim Mathis
1 min read
Three poems written on a run.
1. Walk into the woods Lie down next to a stream Close your eyes And think about Instagram Pisses you off, huh? 2. It’s impossible to...
Tim Mathis
2 min read
What does it feel like to actually live your dreams?
I guess it depends on what type of person you are, and what dreams we’re talking about. I think for a certain type of person, with a...
Tim Mathis
5 min read
A Dog Catches its Tail
At this stage, the crowd can’t be stopped. And at this stage, Dan from accounting is nothing if not part of the crowd. With tattoos where...
Tim Mathis
1 min read
You’ll be pleased to know that this is the year when we all come to terms with death.
I know you’re excited, because we’ve decided to abandon the delusion that it won’t happen to us! In a few days, we’ll stop pretending...
Tim Mathis
8 min read
New Zealand Is a Force That Makes Us Dirtbags
Aotearoa New Zealand has a way of making you care less about things, and more about the outdoors.
Tim Mathis
7 min read
Leaving religion, playing outside: What's with the post-religious dirtbags sliding into my DMs?
Listen, I know this is strangely specific, but I keep running in to people who have left their religion and latched on to the outdoors...
Tim Mathis
6 min read
Do you really need to pay attention to the news? In defense of selectively ignoring problems.
Sometimes it's healthy to just ignore the terrible things happening in the world.
Tim Mathis
6 min read
A time capsule from a year of post-traumatic growth: How losing faith made my life better.
Top 10 things learnings from a year of post-traumatic growth.
Tim Mathis
6 min read
I Hope I Was Wrong About Eternal Damnation: A free preview
A free preview of a funny book about losing faith in God.
Tim Mathis
7 min read
What is a Dirtbag? An excerpt from "The Dirtbag's Guide to Life"
Other people have come up with definitions of "dirtbag" but I wrote the book on it so I'm staking my claim.
Tim Mathis
5 min read
Big Butter Christ Crucified: Is it okay to laugh at someone’s sincerely held beliefs?
You shouldn't laugh at people's religious beliefs, but if you were hurt by them I couldn't blame you.
Tim Mathis
5 min read
Stating your intentions is the first step: Birthing Travel, the PCT, and the dream life
The first step on the Pacific Crest Trail, for me, happened on the internet. Big life decisions are like that.
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