31 [M4F] Massachusetts/New England - Hiker & reader seeks fellow travel companion & best friend

This is mostly a repost from last year but with a different layout and a few updates. The more practical stuff re: preferences is below but I thought I’d start with some overarching traits/values/flaws that give a better idea of how I see myself:

• I love the wide, weird world of hobbies, side projects, labors of love, and passions. I think, for those of us who aren’t particularly career driven and are unsatisfied with identifying ourselves by our jobs, hobbies give us the space to learn new skills and flourish under non-capitalist conditions.
  • My hobbies: I go out and photograph things, mostly nature and landscapes. I often travel, sometimes very far, specifically to find things to photograph. I look at other photographers’ work and am both inspired and put to shame. Last year, I organized my favorite photos and printed a photo book (you can see some of my photos here). I hike and am particularly fond of the White Mountains. Hiking gives me time to disconnect and be alone with my thoughts while also challenging myself to do something scary or new. While I love this opportunity for solitude, I also often pass by couples on the trail—that could be us one day! In my spare time, I’ve also been teaching myself iOS development and working on a civic and political data app, so I’m always thinking about the accessibility of civic data and how it can be presented in helpful ways.
• My first love is reading and used bookstores. Basically, whenever I go to a new city or country, used bookstores are how I become acquainted with that place, and the bookstores I’ve frequented are a bit like rooms in my heart. If I have any kind of church, it’s a used bookstore. If I have any kind of religion, it’s literature. The most beautiful bookstore I’ve ever been to is in NYC, but the two that are like second homes are in Washington, DC and Charlottesville, VA.
• Big groups or performative socializing aren’t my thing. I’m a relatively private person who finds it hard to open up to others. I’m quiet and introverted.
• I’m perpetually a student. I love learning. It’s kind of like the one thing we were put on this earth to do. To absorb knowledge but also life experiences and empathy for experiences different from our own. My desire to learn manifests most clearly in my love for nonfiction books, where some obsessive writer condenses years of research into three or four hundred pages with wit, humor, and earnestness. Through my reading, I’ve become a student of climate change and the cultural history of whales, of US conservative political movements and urban gardening.
  • I take the same approach to my politics; I feel like the more I learn about history or the many nefarious ways power operates across class/race/gender, the more my politics becomes oriented around notions of community, justice, and equality.
• I have an analytical/intellectual mind and love dissecting books, shows, and movies. I’m equally comfortable watching The Office for the nth time as I am listening to a horror movie podcast as I am poring over last year’s Best Picture winner.
• In relationships, I aim to be straightforward, honest, and drama free. I’m demisexual, which means I need a strong emotional bond before romantic or physical attraction develops, so I’m looking to build a friendship first. I enjoy small check-ins via text. Nothing clingy or overbearing, just sharing jokes, observations, links, or lines from the book you’re reading.

About me

• I live in Massachusetts, where I grew up, but spent my undergrad/grad years in Washington, DC and Virginia studying literature.
• Non-religious/atheist
• Progressive/left
• Childfree
• 5'7"
• Don’t smoke and drink very little
• I’m not a gym rat, but I run 5 days a week and have done a few half marathons in the last few years, so staying active and healthy is important to me
• I tend to be a homebody but am always up to do a hike, go to a literary event, see a movie, check out a flea market/craft fair, etc.
• I have a steady job that I’ve had for 6+ years in scientific publishing (I work remotely) but wouldn’t call myself “career driven.” I prefer to cultivate skills, goals, and meaning outside of work.
• Financially, my only debt is a mortgage and I try to practice common-sense budgeting and saving. Looking to go from SINK to DINK! It’d be nice if you had a similar mindset, but there’s a lot of flexibility here.
• Some photos of me

What I’m looking for in a relationship

• Aligned on politics and religion
• Ages ~24–34
• Monogamous and long-term
• Non-smoker
• Dog-friendly
• In or near MA/the northeast (I recently bought a condo, so it would be difficult to relocate in the near term)

If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. Tell me: What’s a place that changed you? A book that stayed with you? Or a hobby you’ve fallen into lately? Bonus points if it involves a dog, a hiking trail, or a really good used bookstore.