CURRENT MISSION

To be the most powerful teddy bear owner in the sandbox!

ABOUT ME

There are so many adventures! In 2006, for charity, I biked 4000 miles across the US, from Seattle to Washington DC to Boston and back home. I've hiked all 48 peaks that rise above 4000 feet in New Hampshire. I've built a trail in the wilderness in Alaska. I've taught violin in Trinidad. I've busked in Europe. In 2009 I hiked the Appalachian Trail and I finished off the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013.

PHILOSOPHY

If you don't have a destination, then you can never be lost. And it's all about the journey. Who says that you have to do it the way everyone else does?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I rode 700 miles on a "self-supported" bike ride two summers ago. I stayed with three of my friends that I'd met on the Big Ride across America as I made my way back home (but I don't know if that counts, since I knew everyone).

Another time I couchsurfed was with some people I'd met in Amherst, MA...I told them I had a trip to Europe planned with no definite destinations. They invited me to their home in Czech Republic and I stayed for a few days as part of my whirlwind tour of Eastern Europe!

Interests

Backpacking is currently favorite. I also cycle, whitewater kayak, snowshoe, XC ski, canoe...essentially, I like outdoorsy sports where the goal is to 1) enjoy myself in a non-competitive but still challenging way and 2) not kill myself. I play the violin & viola professionally (but not at the same time). I read. I play with my dog. I eat. And sometimes, I even sleep.

• dogs
• violin
• cycling
• backpacking
• canoeing
• kayaking
• skiing
• snowshoeing
• sports

Music, Movies, and Books

Great book about the PCT: A Blistered Kind of Love, by Angela & Duffy Ballard. Most awful book about the PCT: Wild.
I listen to everything from Beethoven to Rockapella to Evanescence to Nickel Creek...I'll listen to almost anything for at least 2 seconds. I'll have nothing to do with Schoenberg, however.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was amazed by the kindness showed to me by one family in Pennsylvania. I was slightly turned around because of some unexpected bridge construction...they were ready to feed me lunch, show me the sights, and even pick me up if I ran into trouble down the road. As it was, they gave me a ride through a very hilly detour and set me back on my route.

Countries I’ve Visited

Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States