CURRENT MISSION

Deep Solo Climbing in Thailand!

ABOUT ME

I grew up in a small ski town in Colorado, and kept my life fairly confined to small towns close to big mountains with lots of snow for about 20 years. After I finished school in Boulder I joined the Peace Corps and traded it all in for a plane ticket and a Gregory backpack (loaned to me by my older brother). I planted trees to improve crops through agroforestry techniques, organized community groups and did my best to fight HIV AIDS through education, sports, or whatever else I could think of...

PHILOSOPHY

I'm interested in finding a panacea for the voids between cultures and people; I want to wear my optimism for the world on my sleeve--without being disillusioned or robbed because of it. I want to fight death through reckless abandon and teamwork. (That last one I stole from Tom Robbins)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host as much as I can, and I try and surf every time I travel.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I got a hang of couchsurfing during the world cup in south africa. 41 days from joberg to cape town taught me all I needed to know about the best ways to couchsurf. Also-- my experience with crashing on the couches of my friends from various parts of the states and Europe, as well as fellow volunteers and host country nationals in Cameroon and Burkina has taught me how to not be an ass. Experience has taught me the intrinsic value of always showing consideration and optimism for the people I meet.

Interests

I have absolutely fallen in love with rock climbing. It's all I think about.

• education
• traveling
• bouldering
• backpacking
• skiing
• sports
• rock climbing
• world cup
• teaching
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Steinbeck, Sartre, T.C. Boyle and Tom Robbins; Vonnegut, Kerouac and Burroughs; Mailer, Joyce, Swift and Thoreau... Paul Friere, Erich Fromm, Che Guevera; David Foster Wallace, Don Delillo, Charles Bukowski... and the list goes on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once rolled a j for a lepper with no hands.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States