The emotional aspects of a wilderness experience might be compared to a religious experience. It is particularly valuable for those people whose unconscious associations of pain and discomfort in relationships to man render a deity in human form impossible. Christianity is unacceptable to some people because of the use of the human symbol, but some who can't accept Christ can gain a tremendous sense of peace from relating to uncontaminated areas.

I hope a kid listens to my stuff, I hope there's a change made and at least somebody walks away with: "I'm doing this because I like it." People are going to hate it and that's okay, but I have to do it because my happiness is important too, it's worth it.

It seems the more I try to connect with the world, I am feeling more alone than I ever have felt before

When I wanna be a superhero I just wake up.

Kept looking for something to be in with. Follow someone's blueprint. But you have to be on your own.

L.A. is such a different place. I miss New York so much. I almost teared up when I came back and wanted a Guinness and realized I could drink it and take a cab home. I remembered that I could be a functional alcoholic in New York, like I used to be!

We put stereotypes on ourselves - like, everybody does that. But I think it's just a little harder for black kids to just like, you know, be who they are.