CURRENT MISSION

See beautiful things, meet good people, find a way to live contentedly.

ABOUT ME

I was born in Tennessee, then spent time in Kentucky, Mississippi, Iowa, Ohio, and Kentucky. After graduating from college, I started working in national parks, including Yellowstone, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Denali, and eventually ended up in Eugene, Oregon, for a few years to get a degree in environmental studies. A job making maps with the National Park Service brought me to West Virginia, where I've been a lot more stationary for the past two years.

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Growing up, I was mostly a music, art, and literature type of guy, with lots of time spent inside reading books, making things, playing the piano, singing in choirs, and being a nerd (internet, video games, etc.).

After a college course, The Art of Walking, that combined philosophy of nature and aesthetic judgment with daily hikes, I became more and more interested in the natural world. I started hiking, backpacking, and working in eco-tourism. I spent a few years hopping from job to job as a cave tour guide in southern Indiana, a maid in Yellowstone, a park ranger in Yellowstone, a naturalist/hiking guide in Denali National Park, and an interpretive ranger at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

I eventually decided to formalize my knowledge and enrolled in the masters in environmental studies program at the University of Oregon. While there, I fell into the field of cartography – making maps – which combined my passion for the outdoors with my other interests in design and programming. When a job making official park service maps opened up in West Virginia, I jumped at the chance, and I've been here for the two years since.

PHILOSOPHY

Consideration, kindness, and things that last.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've surfed on couches in the Yukon, British Columbia, and the West Coast. Haven't hosted anyone yet but hope to soon.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Yukon, BC, Washington, Oregon, California

Interests

Outdoors, backpacking, small communities, rural america; graphic design, cartography, web design; music performance, composition, and listening; written words; traveling; sustainable development.

• arts
• books
• literature
• singing
• performing arts
• design
• graphic design
• walking
• video games
• reading
• traveling
• music
• piano
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• cartography
• ecology
• environmental studies
• history
• tourism
• ecotourism
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Summer 2008, I lived 90-miles inside Denali National Park and didn't leave for four months. I hiked every day and saw the world change through spring, summer, and fall, each little detail at a time.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: English literature. Music theory, composition, history, and performance. Botany. Birding. Ecology. Backpacking. Cartography.

Learn: Everything.

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