CURRENT MISSION

My goal is to experience as many different places, cultures, people, foods, and landscapes before I die.

ABOUT ME

I am fun, funny, smart, honest, and interesting to talk to.

I pay attention to details and take calculated risks.

I know a pretty good amount about the world.

PHILOSOPHY

I try to live a meaningful existence. I think I try to do this through work, by helping very sick or injured people who are down on their luck; by traveling to different parts of the world, and experiencing new people and cultures; by engaging with nature and the outdoor environment through climbing, kayaking, skiing, running, and hiking; and by continually learning about the world around me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am very new to couchsurfing.org

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couch surfed in a house in Nantucket for 6 weeks when I was younger.

I couch surfed in Kyrgyzstan for 5 weeks several years ago.

I couch surfed my friends apartment in Bellingham, Washington, and skied powder nearly every day.

Interests

I work as an emergency room doctor. I love to rock climb, mountain climb, ice climb, whitewater kayak, and back country ski. I love to travel to new and unusual places and to meet diverse types of people. I like visiting places where natural beauty, culture, and human interactions all combine to create a larger than life experience that resonates. I like interacting with people who engage life and try to maximize their existence.

• culture
• beauty
• environment
• running
• boating
• traveling
• music
• folk music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• sailing
• skiing
• rock climbing
• geology
• medicine
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Russian films, documentaries

Music: indie, jazz, world music, folk, alt-country

Books: Right now I am reading Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell), The Road (Cormac McCarthy), Tinkers (Paul Harding), and Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine (Roberts and Hedges).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiking through Chilean Patagonia I rode all day on windy mountain roads in a semi truck with a driver blasting folk music, speaking in such a strong fast accent that I could understand little of what he said - nonetheless, it was a glorious day!

On my first encounter with severe weather while offshore sailing in the North Atlantic Ocean, I found myself on a 42 foot sailboat with several strangers, riding in 40 foot waves. I was awestruck and terrified of the immense power of a gale at sea, and the exposure of being alone on a small boat.

Several years ago, I drove across the United States and had the opportunity to drive my pick-up truck deep into Canyon de Chelley, Arizona with a Navajo medicine man who grew up in the canyon. It was a spiritual experience to say the least.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach about geology, weather, emergency medicine, and lots of random tid-bits of information that I acquire here and there.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Peru, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States