Hello!
I’m Tatjana, a desert-wanderer, dreamer, coffee-lover, and certified California Naturalist (which means I’m now officially qualified to bore my hiking group with the name of every wildflower we pass). After stops in Germany, the UK, Michigan, and Texas, I’ve planted my sneakers in the Southern California desert, where the trails keep me endlessly curious.
How it started
I created No Heels Just Sneakers in 2013 to share my journey toward a healthier, happier life. Running was where it began: I’ve completed over 30 half and full marathons with Team in Training, and since 2009 I’ve raised more than $35,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (now Blood Cancer United). In 2014, I launched a virtual race series to nudge other people off the couch and into a running or walking challenge of their own, with all profits donated to LLS.
How it’s going
These days the blog is, first and foremost, about hiking. You’ll find trail write-ups from Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, and beyond, each with an at-a-glance guide so you can just lace up and go. I wander further afield now and then too, so expect the occasional travel and exploring post from wherever the road (or trail) takes me.
That healthy life extends to the kitchen, too, though I’ll be honest: sometimes. You’ll catch the occasional healthy recipe, usually trail snacks, smoothies, and other random kitchen experiments, though this corner only gets a new entry when the mood (and the blender) strikes. And since I’d rather not slather myself in mystery chemicals before a hike, I’ve started making my own simple, low-tox staples at home, from hand soap and dish soap to desert-proof bug spray. Recipes (and lab-rat results) to come.
If you came for the climate and conservation side of things, that work now has its own home over at Cactus and Climate, where I dig into the desert ecosystems I love and how they’re changing.
What’s next
The mission is the same one it’s always been: do a little good, get outside, and make the world a tiny bit better, one step at a time. I’m also building something I’m genuinely excited about: a field journal for paying closer attention to the desert. More on that here soon.
Want to come along? Subscribe here and I’ll send new trails, tips, and the occasional recipe straight to your inbox.
A Few of My Favorite Hikes
New here? These are the trails I’d point a friend to first.
Going Deeper
I also write Cactus and Climate, my Substack on the desert ecosystem and how it’s changing.