I am currently travelling with my long-term partner, Jessica Hawkins. We want to move closer to the Pacific Northwest from Colorado and are looking to build relationships and experiences while exploring new places.

About Me: I love adventures and problem solving. Growing up in Virginia, I got into road bike touring as a way to be outside, active, and free to roam. That led me all over the eastern United States, through the Alps, and eventually to mountain biking in Washington - all of which was made amazing through the hospitality of friends, family, and strangers who could share the local culture. The Cascades got me into alpine climbing and skiing, and now I work as a climbing product engineer in Colorado. I want to travel more and connect with people and culture all over the world.

About Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica! I grew up in Virginia, but have lived in Colorado for the past 4 years. I work in forestry and fire management, which means I wander around in the woods, figure out how to make our forests healthier, and get to play with fire every once in a while. I'm an easy-going person who can be a little quiet until I get more comfortable with people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We're excited to see new places and meet new people! Couchsurfing seems like one of the best ways to get a real feel for the local atmosphere and learn about the best things to do in the area, all while meeting like-minded people. At the moment, we are planning to move to Washington or Oregon and want to explore some of the places we are considering living in.

Interests

About Carl's Interests: My favorite thing to do is explore sweeping mountain vistas. Living in Colorado has kind of been like a travel adventure because we go out to find new views and cool mountain communities so often. Outdoor activities for me are really just a way to access these places, but my favorites have become mountain biking, trail running, climbing, and backcountry skiing. With friends, I like to make cocktails or drink beer, listen to live music, play games, and discuss intellectual topics like difficult problems to solve, product ideas, entrepreneurship strategies, and climate change solutions.

About Jessica's Interests: As a stereotypical outdoorsy person I love hiking, backpacking, and car camping. Carl and I have become notorious in our friend group for cooking elaborate dutch oven or campfire meals on our trips. On our last Thanksgiving camping trip, we made cornish hens complete with stuffing and cranberry sauce! In winter I'll XC ski or snowshoe up in the mountains. I never picked up downhill skiing as a kid, and now I'm too intimidated, especially in ski-obsessed Colorado! I've also dabbled in rock climbing and mountain biking, but would still consider myself a novice. When I'm not in the mountains, I can probably be found at home being domestic. I enjoy cooking and baking and experimenting with new cuisines and flavors. My current obsession is Middle Eastern food and anything with cardamom or ras el hanout. I also love plants and probably have way too many of them. I've started to explore terrarium building to create some of my favorite landscapes in miniature. Other interests include reading, drinking beer with friends, going to music, hosting game nights, and drinking cocktails that Carl makes.

• cooking
• beer
• running
• reading
• jazz
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• mountaineering
• rock climbing
• engineering
• mountains
• climbing
• games
• climate change
• bluegrass
• firefighting

Music, Movies, and Books

Carl's Favorites: I like all sorts of music, but mostly listen to bluegrass and folk type songs. Most of my reading is nonfiction, but am occasionally convinced to read a good novel.

Jessica's Favorites: I mostly listen to acoustic, folk, bluegrass, jazz and swing. Some artists I frequent include Shovels and Rope, Devil Makes Three, Old Salt Union, Lake Street Dive, The Hot Sardines, among others. As for movies, I like anything except horror, No horror movies. Ever. My true love is books. I'm a self-proclaimed fantasy nerd who loves WOT, ASOIAF, Stormlight Archive, and everything Cosmere. I also like to mix in some science or history nonfiction books on interesting topics as well.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Hike from Chile into El Chaltén, Argentina
-Bike down cobblestone streets high in the Italian Alps
-Dress up for a medieval wedding in a walled city in Sweden
-Bike through the San Juan mountains on the Colorado Trail
-Van camp in the Lofoten Islands, Norway
-Help fight a wildfire in Northern California

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can cook, clean, discuss interesting recipe ideas, make cocktails / bartend, fix household items or appliances that are broken, offer advice on business / product ideas, or have interesting conversations.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Canada, Chile, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States