Daniel Winsor

Although he hasn’t won any literary awards, he did manage a B- on his high school senior essay—and with minimal tearful begging.

A nuclear Navy veteran, Daniel decided to utilize his highly sought-after skillset to leave the military and move into a trailer in the Eastern Sierra desert, where he spent six years growing beards and becoming intimately familiar with the beautiful Sierra range. After hundreds of miles exploring mountain peaks and backcountry rock climbs, Daniel wouldn’t stop complaining about the hiking, so he decided to tackle the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail.

The winter of 2016/17 dumped record amounts of snow on the Pacific Crest Trail, and Daniel took the opportunity to enter the Sierra in the early season and learn a thing or two about human suffering. His debut novel, Crunch: A Million Snowy Steps Along the Pacific Crest Trail, covers 300 miles of long distance mountaineering between Kennedy Meadows and Sonora Pass.

It’s amazing. His mother agrees.

All good things must come to an end, and Daniel has left the rewarding world of risking his life between uncomfortable poops to settle in rural Alabama with his wife, Melanie, and brand new daughter, Zoey. He spends his time writing, climbing, woodworking, and dadding. Hearing his daughter laugh for the first time was the most exhilarating moment of his life.