The Adventure Continues

Author Lisa Parsons debuts her first novel, Aftermath, a murder mystery suspense thriller. She weaves her experience as a paramedic, adventurer, dog owner, and resident of South Lake Tahoe to create a compelling and realistic story.

Lisa decided early to live life to make it an adventure. One of her first notable solo adventures was a foray into the labyrinth of college dorms as a 5-year-old to, as she remembers it, meet people. As a younger version of herself, she could be found wandering down sidewalks, dirt paths, and backpacking with her parents in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Later, as a teenager, she got into her fair share of trouble (not to be mentioned here). This progressed to local backyard adventures and treks across the planet. Her life is defined outside the box… and paved pathways.

At one point, she realized she should have been a photojournalist instead of doing some jobs she’s done. She doesn’t regret doing them but wishes she had a little more information going in, especially the part where they said, “you will be one of the first women to do this job.” No pressure. From a stint as a wildland firefighter to working as a paramedic on the raw streets, she and her dedicated coworkers rushed in as others rushed out. She doesn’t consider herself brave, just an adventurer who wanted a job that made a difference.

In between saving lives, she started two conservation organizations to conserve open space in Southeast King County near Seattle, Washington. As a conservation photographer, she used her photography to raise awareness of the area and has exhibited her work in venues throughout the Pacific Northwest and online. As part of a photo documentary project, she was the first woman, and documented person, to hike the entire Green River Gorge, near Black Diamond Washington.

She's traveled solo internationally by mt. bike, foot, and raft through the Andes of Peru and by bicycle around the South Island of New Zealand.

In 2010, she married a fellow adventurer, and they went on their honeymoon to Africa, where they climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Together they took a trip to Mongolia and mt. biked off the beaten path; fording rivers; passing by yurts; herders on horseback; and flocks of hungry Mongolian eagles. In Ecuador, they climbed Illiniza Norte because Cotopaxi Mountain was erupting, rafted down the Rio Jatunyacu, repelled down waterfalls outside of Banos, and swam with marine iguanas and penguins in the Galapagos Islands.

In 2018, Lisa and David moved from their home in Seattle to South Lake Tahoe California to continue their adventures. In 2019, they drove their Sprinter 4 x4 van across the country and back again. Then, like everyone else, COVID changed their plans. They moved to forty acres in the Sierra Foothills outside of Sacramento and took their adventures closer to home. They mt. biked and hiked on local trails and even grew a garden. Then, restlessness set in and they’ve been traveling, with their two adventure dogs…and fleeing wildfire and smoke.

Check out Lisa's other photography, conservation, and van life websites.
www.lisaparsons.net
www.greenrivergorgegreenway.org
www.confluenceadventures.net