Rob Rogers
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Rob Rogers is an attorney and author from Orlando, Florida. He also writes a blog called the “Central Florida Backpacking Desk Jockey” (https://backpackingdeskjockey.blog) and has published articles on backpacking in The Footprint Newsletter for the Central Florida chapter of the Florida Trail Association. Rob has been writing analytical, critical, and creative nonfiction since before college. His first notable publication was an article about unintended consequences of water diversion structures on the Mississippi River in the Virginia Environmental Law Journal, which was published during his third year of law school. At that time, he also served as an Articles Editor for the Florida State University Law Review. During his 20 years practicing law, Rob has published articles analyzing cases for legal websites and publications, including Law 360 and Communications Lawyer. Rob rediscovered his passion for creative writing in 2024 after experiencing mental health problems and coping with them by hiking and backpacking. After writing an article about his backpacking experiences, he was inspired and encouraged by other authors to turn that article into his first book, Finding My Way Home: Fighting Depression Backpacking in Central Florida. Rob has continued to write articles about hiking, backpacking, travel, and coping with depression when not practicing law. A common theme of Rob's creative writing is immersing the reader in his adventures by describing the full sensory experience of the places he visits and the challenges he faces there.
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Finding My Way Home: Fighting Depression Backpacking in Central Florida
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Memoir/Health and Wellness
After losing more than 100 pounds, Rob Rogers, a lawyer and self-described "desk jockey," decided to try backpacking at a state park near his Central Florida home. This followed an impulse purchase of a tent and backpack, despite having not camped since adolescence. When the recurrence of severe depression forced him to take a medical sabbatical, he discovered that backpacking in the Central Florida wilderness helped him cope with his inner demons; it also fostered a love affair with the natural spaces near his home. In Finding My Way Home, Rob details the adventure of learning to solo backpack in local state parks and forests, including Lake Louisa State Park, Lake Kissimmee State Park, the Withlacoochee State Forest, and the Green Swamp. He also describes in vivid and at times frightening detail his struggles to cope with bouts of melancholy and intermittent explosive disorder. 
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