2017 UPDATE COMING SOON! The information below has not been updated in three years.

ABOUT ME

Alright, here we go: 23, photographer, exploration enthusiast and pursuer of anything and everything dealing with adrenaline or excitement. I simply want to live while I've got the chance. This includes meeting you intriguing folks, and partaking in the adventures we can share. I'm passionate about world travel, wilderness, film-making, photography, and mission work. Let's hang out.

I'm a full time dreamer. No doubt about it. I would consider myself to be outgoing, fun, and have a great sense of humor. I have an iron will; when I decide to go for something, I follow through regardless of obstacles that may arise. I enjoy taking risks, and living life on the edge. Adrenaline is my friend, and things that incite it are usually enjoyable to me. I'm also a Jesus freak, but I'm not one to shove my beliefs down your throat. I respect (and can easily get along with) everybody, regardless of who they my or may not pray to.

I'm a photographer, and tend to answer to my more creative side. I've only been behind the camera for about three years, but I aim to one day establish myself as a "successful" travel/landscape photographer. Travel is my first love. I have a massive passion for wandering and exploring the unknown and beautiful world.

Curious about me? feel free to hit me up! I'd love to chat with ya!

PHILOSOPHY

Well, I'm a Jesus Freak, but I won't try to force it down your throat if you aren't. I'm completely open with who I am, and I respect others who do the same. I get along with most every walk of life. Not enough time to make enemies.

I like to live by a lot of what Thoreau and Stegner say about life. Chris McCandless, while he was a severely arrogant asshole, is one of my role models (except for the "being an asshole" part), if it helps you put me into perspective.

I don't think we're called to work a 9-5 desk job; building walls and security fences around a comfy home in the suburbs of God-knows-where. That's not living at all if you ask me. I avoid routine, mediocrity, societal demands, and anything that, when broken down and looked at in a grand scheme, doesn't make sense. For example, buying a brand new car simply because its newer and nicer than the perfectly fine one you own...is stupid to me.

Also, I hate politics. And I disagree with most things government. I'm not extremely educated politically, because I'm not interested. So it's probably best to leave politics out of our conversations. Thoreau said it best when he declared, "That government is best, which governs not at all."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

First of all, let me say I'm STOKED that something like this exists. I am taking a 7,000+ mile road trip this summer on a shoestring budget with my girlfriend, Stacey. We are sincerely hoping to go a few nights NOT in my car/in the wild (a shower every once in a while would be pretty rad). Without the money to stay in hotels, hostels, or B&Bs, we'll be depending on CS for the comfort of a bed once in awhile. It'll be exciting to meet some people, hear their stories, and share our own. I have hosted before, and I thoroughly enjoy doing so, however, come August I'll be homeless, for lack of a better word. We're taking to the road to live the nomadic life for awhile. Until August however, our house may be open to surfers. I live with six others, so it'll have to be a group decision, obviously.

I'm not verified. I can't afford to do something like that. Refer to the few references I've obtained ;).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had the chance to host a few surfers when I lived in OKC. They were all really awesome and there hasn't ever been a problem with working through this site. Here's to maintaining that rep ;).

I've also hosted a few bands before, but not through CS.

I was able to have my first Surfing experience in June of 2014 with an awesome guy name Cameron in Telluride, CO. As with every other CS experience so far, it was flawless. I love this community.

Interests

Photography.
Film-making.
Travel.
Exploration.
Backpacking.
Hiking.
Camping.
Adrenaline.
Kayaking.
Rock Climbing.
Ice Climbing.
Rappelling.
The Wild.
Skydiving.
BASE jumping.
Christ.
Longboarding.

These things grab my attention more than anything else.
I spend most of my time working to save up for the journey I'm taking this summer. I'm working to invest in gear and save up for gas and food along the way. When I'm not working, I'm shooting (photography), or researching gear for the summer. Weekends are spent either on camping trips to fairly close places or just hanging with the roommates (there are seven of us).

• cats
• books
• fashion
• photography
• documentaries
• beauty
• dining
• walking
• politics
• traveling
• investing
• survival
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• hunting
• surfing
• skydiving
• skiing
• rock climbing
• physics
• budget travel

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES that have inspired me to live my life:
The Goonies
Homeward Bound
Fox and The Hound
Into The Wild
180 Degrees South
The Way
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Away We Go

Music:
Absolutely everything; jazz, techno, rock, indie, metal, screamo, folk, classical, acoustic, electronic, hip hop, r&b, a cappella, blugrass, you name it. I'm least fond of Country and rap, but I could still always go for some Eminem or Toby Keith when the mood strikes me.

Books:
Walden
Call of the Wild
Into the Wild
War and Peace
The circle trilogy
Dr. Zhivago
The Alchemist
Through Painted Deserts
the list is lengthy...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Oh man...This is a tough thing to answer.

Okay, number one; When I graduated high school, my grandmother took me to France for two weeks as a graduation gift. We spent two weeks there, most of it in Paris. Paris was pretty cool, but incomparable to the Loire Valley, that was quite literally FILLED with castles. It was pretty awe-striking to wander around a ruined 11th century fortress thinking that at some point hundreds of years ago, knights and other cool cats were walking the same pathways. It was like going back in time, and it was pretty breathtaking.

I suppose another time would have to be skydiving. The actual dive was fairly unimpressive, but the 30 seconds leading up to the leap, and the 5 or so seconds after leaving the plane were pretty exhilarating. If you've been, you know what I mean, and if you haven't, its one of the most surreal things you'll ever witness; to stare up at the sky and watch the plane float away as if you're in some sort of blue and yellow matrix where time and physics are nonexistent...crazy stuff.

I've climbed five of Colorado's fourteeners in the last year, and I've spent many amazing nights backpacking in the wilderness out here. I'll miss Colorado, but I know she's prepared me for my life well. I can't wait to go see the world!

There are quite a few to choose from...Really. Tell ya what, you let me crash at your pad, and we'll talk about this stuff all night. Cool?

Teach, Learn, Share

What I can offer: Just about everything about Digital photography when discussing portraits, beauty, fashion, landscape, low-light, studio, post production, documentary, commercial, surrealism, photo-manipulation, etc. I know the ins and outs of Photoshop CS6. I can teach quite a bit about dark room procedures and other film developing techniques, but I'm not necessarily a pro in that field. I do claim to be a pro in the Canon DSLR world and will share any and all knowledge I have with you :).

Things I would like to learn: Survival techniques. anything dealing with hunting in the wild, or what to eat/not eat among local flora and fauna. I'm also interested in becoming a better rock climber, kayaker, and low-budget traveler. I have some experience, but not enough. I'd really enjoy becoming an expert. Anything dealing with backcountry camping or climbing or hiking or ANYTHING!!! I'm also interested in honing my Spanish, and picking up on any European language, or Korean, Chinese, Russian...Actually...Any language.

I can share anything about my life with you. I'm an open book :).

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States