I am a geographer, a wilderness trail worker, and a half-assed artist. I've been working in the woods for the last 8 years.

Currently, I work as a backcountry trail construction crew leader with the National Park Service in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am here to meet locals and cultivate primary experiences.

Interests

Swimming, trail work, dry stone masonry, traditional art, painting, film, deep ecology, Zen Buddhism, tea with friends around a fire, wilderness living, dancing, cemeteries, long distance hiking, camping, literature, the ocean, mountains, local foods.

• arts
• literature
• dancing
• ethics
• painting
• survival
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• buddhist
• swimming
• ecology
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

All types of folk, electronic, psychedelic pop/rock, progressive metal, classical, and post punk. A lot of Black Angels, Tamaryn, Valerie June, Bowie, Bat For Lashes, and doom metal these days.

Books: Hesse, Vonnegut, Snyder, Mishima, DiAmatto, Bukowski, Dahl, Brecht, Murakami, TC Boyle, Silko, Sherman Alexie, and a good nonfiction.

I enjoy all forms of art, but some great artists I enjoy are: John Singer Sargent, Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, Ando, Kasper Friedrich, my friends, and William Blake.

Here's some of mine: cold-mountains.deviantart.com

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It's a three-way tie between the captivating and tear-jerking experience I had in the Trinity Alps one September night; bringing trail workers from across the wilderness together via not-so-subtle federal radio relays for a whiskey/peak bagging/banjo laugh-fest that ensued after a long hike; and the mindfulness during a recent reunion that took me and some trail folk to the most magical place in Washington State.

Teach, Learn, Share

Dry stone masonry/rock work, trail ecology, wilderness survival, wilderness ethics, analog photography, bicycle touring tips ( self-sustained).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Landscape design/erosion control ideas, camping tips, wilderness trip planning, conservation career advice, music recommendations, Tex-Mex cooking.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States

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