Kari grew up in western Montana, where she developed a love for landscape and more-than-human beings from an early age. After studying environmental literature at Middlebury College, she lived primarily outdoors for five years—maintaining trails in Montana, organizing river trips on the Colorado Plateau, and guiding in Patagonia and Alaska. Since finishing an MFA in creative writing, she has incorporated her interests in story, human ecology, and language into her work as a guide and educator. She is now rooted in Anchorage, where she enjoys connecting with wild places, building community, and tending her garden. In the off-season, she teaches college courses in writing and environmental studies.