CURRENT MISSION

To teach people how to make fire by rubbing sticks together!

ABOUT ME

I love to have fun, I adore my friends, and I consider myself a keen observer of the human condition. On any given day, you might find me at a music festival…dipping into hot springs…running on muddy trails under a drizzling Oregon sky…drinking beer with my friends…gallivanting to some remote part of the world like Turkmenistan…or falling asleep to TV on my couch. I’m pretty passionate about life…I relish having many different kinds of experiences…and I value being a good friend to others. I’ve had my feet in some vastly different worlds, having worked as a pilot, wilderness camp instructor, international peacekeeper, and professional photographer.

PHILOSOPHY

To be a respectful, considerate, trustworthy, responsible traveler and couchsurfer!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Need help bribing your way out of a Russian gulag? Need to know how to politely decline the fermented horsemilk your host is offering you in Kyrgyzstan? Lost in the Atacama desert with only a bag of pretzels in your pocket? Trying to smuggle ten pounds of delicious homemade cheese out of the Republic of Georgia? Wondering how to get out of a $500 parking ticket in Washington DC? No problem…I got your back! I’ll teach you all my tricks that have gotten me out of similarly tricky traveling situations in the past.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfing is awesome...I wish I had known about it years ago! Such a great way to connect with locals and get a taste of the indigenous culture....

Interests

- Archeology / Primitive Living Skills / Caveman Technology: I'm fascinated by how our ancestors lived, and occasionally I've been known to sport a loincloth and catch fish with my hands.

- Traveling wayyyyyyy off the beaten track.

- Running & Weight Lifting

- Food & drink (especially Thai food, ice cream, IPA, and leftovers)

- Festivals & Events: Burning Man, presidential inaugurations, Halloween, crazy religious festivals in the mountains of Iraq or along the border of Chechnya, etc.

- Nature / Mountains / Backpacking / Deserts / Hot Springs

- Miscellaneous: Doing anything with my friends. Costumes. Writing. Oregon. Making lists. Night vision. Lasers. Organizing things in ziploc bags...haha.

• fish
• culture
• writing
• festivals
• dining
• cheese
• beer
• running
• instructor
• drinking
• technology
• tv
• traveling
• music
• fishing
• backpacking
• camping
• sports
• track and field
• archeology
• history
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

- Books: The Alchemist, The Fountainhead, Into the Wild, Rumi poetry, anything by Tim Cahill

- Movies: Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption, Requiem for a Dream

- Music: Many types, but especially electronic/dubstep, and "dirty southern rap."

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the most amazing travel experiences I’ve had was backpacking as a tourist through Iraq for two months in 2004 (shortly after the war.) Yes...it was somewhat dangerous. Yes...it was somewhat absurd. Yes...my mom was worried to death when she found out. But...it was absolutely eye opening and mind-blowing, and I made some great friends that I still keep in touch with. I cannot begin to explain all the poignant, humorous, surreal things that happened…but in a nutshell, countless locals befriended me, took me under their wing, and shared their lives and homes with me. The culture was so interesting...the history is so amazing...and the people were so incredibly hospitable. For a variety of reasons, I wish every American could have shared my experience…it is truly one of my more unique and cherished memories.

Teach, Learn, Share

I highly value creativity, facilitating fun experiences among people, and tapping into the joy that life has to offer.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Ecuador, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Panama, Saint Lucia, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Georgia, Ukraine, United States