Ever since I left New Jersey to start a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in February of 2013, I've been a wandering hiker and dancer.

I hiked the full length of the Appalachian Trail in 2013, half of it again in 2014, and in 2015 I am gearing up to hike from Niagara Falls to the Gulf of Mexico along the Finger Lakes Trail, Great Eastern Trail, and Florida Trail. I love hiking, whether it's a day hike of a few miles or a long-distance hike of more than 1,000 miles. While I live in my car and my backpack and can't host people in the normal sense, I love bringing people into the woods. The woods are my home, and I love bringing people hiking and, in a sense, hosting them there. If anybody wants to go on a day hike or a short backpacking trip or join in for part of a longer hike, or is dreaming of a long hike and would like advice beforehand or along the way, let me know and I'll do what I can!

I'm also a rather prolific dancer. Most of my dancing is contra dancing - which I first tried the first time I tried couchsurfing! Contra dancers are a great community, and I have been to hundreds of contra dances of nights since I started dancing in the summer of 2011, and have branched out slightly to include some waltzing, blues dancing, English country dancing, and square dancing. Dancing has had a tremedous impact on my life, from the way I feel music to the many wonderful people I've met and places I've gone with the primary mission of dancing there. I'd encourage anybody to give it a try, especially the adventurous and open-minded folks that seem to use couchsurfing.

I'm also an aspiring photographer, and have just been published for the first time in the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's magazine "AT Journeys". I'm hoping to eventually use my photography and writing to fuel my wandering. I enjoy all types of photography, but my favourites are landscapes and nature photos, as well as environmental portraits or documentary-type photos. I much prefer photos of people unaware of the camera and acting naturally to posed portrait photos, though if I see a good composition that people can be a part of I will try to arrange them in that composition and make them a part of the photo.

Those three things describe the three things that most define my life nowadays. Most of my adventures involve hiking, some hitchhiking, and contra dancing all over the east coast, though I aspire to branch out and explore more places and travel in more formats. Long-distance canoe or bicycle trips are out there on the horizon somewhere, and definitely some other forms of travel.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I first learned about Couchsurfing while on a church mission trip in Guatemala. One of the other missionaries was aspiring to be a writer, and planned to use Couchsurfing in a trip across the United States to gain more life experiences in support of his writing. I signed up on the website shortly after that, and my first time using Couchsurfing was when a couple folks hosted me on a trip to Maine a couple weeks later.

I don't use Couchsurfing too much on my travels, but do travel in a similar format. After hiking the Appalachian Trail and attending contra dances from Georgia to Maine I came to know many people along the way. I stay with hikers or dancers much of the time on my travels, and especially with dancers because contra dances usually end at 23:00 or midnight. I'm nervous about asking anybody to host me through Couchsurfing if I will be arriving so late at night, and it does not seem so considerate from my viewpoint even if folks may be open to that.

I would like to use Couchsurfing more than I do now, in order to meet knew people from various walks of life. Whether being hosted, traveling along with folks, or bringing them on my travels and 'hosting' them in that way, I enjoy company. I'm kind of introverted but I do enjoy interacting directly with one other person or with a small group, so I can learn about those people and share stories without too many people or voices becoming overwhelming.

Interests

Photography - landscapes, microlandscapes, nature, environmental portraiture, documentary, and dance photography are my favourites but if I see a good composition anywhere I will try to get the shot. I shoot with Nikon gear, including a D800, D7000, F5 loaded with black and white film, and a wide variety of lenses.

Outdoors - hiking, backpacking, long-distance hiking, and camping are the outdoor activities I have the most experience with. I have a little experience kayaking, canoeing, and bicycling and I would try most other kinds of outdoor activities. Running is probably what I am least interested in, for walking at a fast pace with my long legs is enough for me and I want to save my knees for more hiking!

Dancing - I am predominantly a contra dancer, though I will also jump in on English country dancing and square dancing when those are available and contra dancing is not. I do some partner dances - mostly waltzing and blues, though there is invariably some fusion dancing in which moves and flourishes are borrowed from many kinds of dance and incorporated into a partner dance when they fit with the music and partner.

History - I enjoy local history and folklore, the kinds of things that are easily overlooked by a wider audience. It's easy to learn about the big picture from almost anywhere using the internet or literature. It's less easy to learn about small elements of local history - for example, the abandoned 18th and 19th-century towns in the Pinelands of New Jersey. Learning these local things that one wouldn't likely find out about if they weren't right there is very rewarding to me.

• writing
• literature
• folklore
• photography
• documentaries
• acting
• dancing
• running
• walking
• traveling
• music
• blues
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• canoeing
• kayaking
• camping
• history
• hitchhiking
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - I mostly listen to a mix of classic rock and folk music. Most of the folk music I listen to is the contra dance bands that I dance to - Great Bear Trio, Perpetual e-Motion, Elixir, Contraforce, and Nor'easter to name a few. My favourites in the classic rock world include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Boston.

Movies - I don't watch films or television too often, preferring to do more interactive things. I do enjoy the Indiana Jones movies and other fantastic tales of adventure though.

Books - I didn't read much for a long time before thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, but I started listening to audiobooks while I hike. I've listened to the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit many times while hiking, and it never gets old! I'm listening to a few historical fiction series nowadays, both about late 18th and early 19th-century British naval officers. Literature also introduced me to the outdoors at a young age, reading from authors such as Jack London, Gary Paulsen, and Jean Craighead George.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent seven months adventuring along the Appalachian Trail, taking the trail name "Shepherd". I also attended contra dances as frequently as I could when they were nearby, by hitchhiking at first and later by bringing my truck out as a support vehicle. Bringing the truck out with me led to even more hitchhiking, darting back and forth, hiking non-sequential sections, making unlikely side-trips, and being able to provide much support to my fellow hikers. It has been an excellent experience, and also a very unusual thru-hike on account of everything else that transpired along the way!

Teach, Learn, Share

Digital photography - I can show people how to get the most out of their cameras and their time spent capturing photos! I just hope the camera menus are not in another language, like the time I was traveling with somebody from Poland and needed them to read out everything in the camera menus.

I can't necessarily teach contra dancing, since it is a large social dance, but I would bring people to contra dances in time for the beginner lesson - usually a half hour before the dance itself begins - so they can try it out!

I can provide a wealth of advice for people dreaming of a long-distance hike. Though my experience is limited to the Appalachian Trail for now, what I learned on that hike is applicable to any other long-distance trail in temperate conditions. I can share many stories of adventures and a few stories of misadventures in the woods, too!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I don't have much to offer, but if hosts need the use of a car I can provide that service whenever I am traveling with my car. There are plenty of stories to be shared - mostly about hiking - and if they are thinking about hiking or backpacking - especially the Appalachian Trail - I can offer a wealth of information about that as well as useful contacts that know more are in opportune geographic locations for what hiking they may be thinking about!

I can also share an easy hosting experience for any host. Living out of my car or out of my backpack when I am being hosted means I take nothing for granted and regard anything related to staying indoors as luxuries heaped on top of luxuries. Having a roof and four walls surrounding me is a luxury, heat or air conditioning is a further luxury, tap water another luxury on top of that, electricity - the list can go on and on. I will arrive equipped with everything I need, except maybe a towel and soap if I happen to be backpacking, and will ask for nothing while being thankful for anything provided!

Countries I’ve Visited

Guatemala, Iceland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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