CURRENT MISSION

Adulting

ABOUT ME

I used to be occupied by journeys through all means alternative: hitch-hike, freight train, sailboat, bicycle, foot, even hitched a ride from a plane. CouchSurfing was pretty sweet while living out of a backpack in my twenties. For more than 3 years, I didn't even spend more than 2 weeks in one place (except for those 4 mo's/yr workin').

Then Iife happens and you try to figure out how to take care of yourself and the people around you. I sought balance for a few years by migrating seasonally between the city and the woods, stewarding a guerilla garden in Oakland and doing environmental education in California's Lost Coast.

On the road, I'd called Alaska my happy place, visiting most years starting in 2011 and working in Southeast in 2014. Now it's home; we moved up in 2018. I restored habitat in Fairbanks, consulted on Arctic projects from Anchorage, and seasonally park ranger at Kenai Fjords National Park.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Many, many itinerant adventures provided an appreciation for the hospitality of old friends and new acquaintances. I can only be inspired by the generosity of those who treated a stranger as family. The CS community has made possible so many amazing experiences.

Probably the best host experience: I met a partner of five years when he was hitch-hiking in 2016, and suggested he camp at the state park I ranger'd at. So, yeah, open your vehicle and home, and your heart will be rewarded!

Interests

We used to illegally ride trains, and now I'm a railroad spouse. I was an anarchist punk in trespass and hustle; now, I'm finding stability more sustainable.

My interests used to include:
--living at the best swimming hole in the redwood region
--finding resources to rehabilitate a wilderness beach
--guiding the longest undeveloped stretch of coastline in California
--getting paid to go on guided trips (whitewater rafting, mule rides, fly fishing, etc) throughout the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
--defending indigenous spaces
--learning about gardening through labor at farms and nurseries, or engaging in permaculture through an Anchorage garden collective. My friends made green space, habitat, food, and medicine out of an abandoned lot in Oakland, whose land and tiny houses I caretook. In Anchorage, every day I ate produce or fish that we grew, fished, or gleaned. Put the harvest away for the winter!

When not hiking around as a park ranger and biologist, I road-trip, camp, and hike throughout Alaska, California, and Baja. Vacations are visiting our respective families in Italy and Spain.

• traveling
• survival
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• sailing
• road trips
• swimming holes
• hitch-hiking
• collectives
• redwoods

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

At twenty, I dropped out of UC Berkeley and supported myself on a third-world wage among folks of all ages, classes, and nationalities as a Guatemalan bartender/bookstore manager. Through the years, I've worked many months off-grid among brilliant stars and sunsets, a far piece from civilization.

Never paid more than $450/month in rent despite living in spendy places. Cheap living fuels adventure.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know the extent of Alaska and California well and love to share off-the-beaten-track adventures. If you're here to hitch-hike Alaska, I went darn near everywhere a road could take me. After doing the limited road system, got flown by work among the Southeast islands, and then flew to the Arctic.

I'd be happy to give you a primer on environmental issues in Alaska if you'd like.

Share Anchorage/Seward/Mendo/Shasta info, or take you on a hike or for a drink. As a park ranger, my job was to know the good spots everywhere I lived and worked. Also got lots stories of doing damage control on humans being stupid in the outdoors.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Conversation, food, beverages, and a willingness to pitch in

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Honduras, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Palau, Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Guatemala, Mexico, Spain, United States

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