At the heart of my adventures are international paddling and trail-running, but also more interior endeavors that have centered on meditation and writing. With a great love of Alaska and the American west, but also of my watershed, I've been privileged to spend a great deal of time in some of North America's greatest backcountry areas, as well as wild places on many continents. I've also enjoyed the noisy humanity of some of the world's biggest cities. I've hung out in all levels of society, from Trinidadian Rastas living on pieces of cardboard, to the most expensive nightclub in Beijing. I've swum with Manta Rays in remote Bahamian coral reefs, and run with Caribou in the Arctic. Visting new, and often uncomfortable, places -both inside and outside- forces me me to grow, learn, change my assumptions, and find my edge.
September 2018: Vermont 50 Mile Race: Brownfield, Vermont
August 2018: Ragged 75 Stage Race, Sunapee, New Hampshire
July 2018: Overnight Full Moon Presidential Traverse, White Mountains, New Hampshire
July 2018: Garcia Lorca and Flamenco Pilgrimage. Barcelona, Grenada, Seville, Spain.
July 2018: 6 Day Mont Blanc Hut-to-Hut Circuit, Alps, France, Italy, Switzerland
June 2018: Ardennes Megatrail 93K, Ardennes National Park, France
June 2018: Monthlong residency at Ghent University, Belgium
May 2018: Field work at Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station in Manu National Park, Peru
May 2018: Four day backpack into Choquequirao Incan Ruins, Peru
May 2018: 2 Day trip to Machu Picchu, Peru
May 2018: Seven day self-supported hike of Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit, Peru
January-April 2018: Sabbatical Residency in Cuenca, Ecuador
October 2017: Glenbrook Writers Conference. Marlborough, New Hampshire
October 2017: Big Brad Ultra 50 Miler: Maine
September 2017: Ultra Trail Harricana 65k: Quebec
August 2017: NYA Leadership Academy: 12 Middle School students. 5 Days. White Mountains, New Hampshire.
August 2017: Poster Presentation at Ecological Society of America Annual Conference: Portland, Oregon
August 2017: Volcanic 50: 50k race around Mt St Helens: Washington
July 2017: Kauffmann Environmental Writing Seminar
June 2017: Backcountry Kayaking Expedition with environmental writing class: Glacier Bay, Alaska
June 2017: Research Expedition to Iquitos, Peruvian Amazon
March 2017: Research Expedition to Los Nevados National Park, Colombia
September 2016: Vermont 50K
August 2016: Backcountry kayak trip to West Arm of Glacier Bay, Alaska
July 2016: Alaska Mountain Ultrarunning Camp: Juneau Alaska
June 2016: Research Expedition to Cocha Cashu Research Station, Manu National Park, Peruvian Amazon
May 2016: BCU Five Star Sea Kayak Training and Test: Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
March 2016: Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico: Trail-running, Spanish Study, Reconnaissance for future educational programs and collaborations
December 2015-January 2016: Oaxaca, Mexico: Trail-running, Spanish Study, Reconnaissance for future educational programs and collaborations
August 2015: Graduate from Rainier Writing Workshop
June 2015: Backcountry Kayaking Expedition with environmental writing class: Glacier Bay, Alaska
June 2015: Backcountry hiking: Rondane National Park: Norway
July 2014: West Coast Adventures: Portland and Tilamook, Oregon; Road Trip from San Francisco to Seattle with Dave Griswold via Yosemite, Tahoe, Crater Lake, Bend, Portland.
July 2014: Participate in pilot program for Kripalu's Approach to Healthy Living Program
June 2014: Montreal with Steve Incze and Sylvain Bedard; late-night bicycling adventure through downtown Montreal in a rainstorm; surf-kayaking in St. Lawrence currents; two-week Artist Residency at Vermont Studio Center.
March 2014:Vietnam and Thailand: Taking NYA students to Bangkok and surrounding areas, Hanoi and surrounding areas, Mai Chau valley, and Hoi-An.
July 2013: West Coast Adventures: Olympia National Park and Elwha Backcountry; visits with Sam Hamill, Red Pine, and Tom Jay; letterpress printing with Juniper White.
March 2013:Vietnam: Service project in Mai-Chau valley (building a house)Taking NYA students to Hanoi and surrounding areas, Ha-Long Bay, Hue, and Hoi-An.
October 2011: Taking NYA Bluegrass ensemble to perform in Chengdu and Beijing, China. Exciting return trip that involved outrunning Hurricane Sandy.
June, 2011: Sesshin at Zen Mountain Monastery
March, 2011:Vietnam: Taking NYA students to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Cao Dao Island, and Hoi-An. Five day delay returning due to complications with Fukushima disaster. Return trip with two students via Seoul, including time spent in Insadong neighborhood of Seoul (while rest of group flies back through Hong Kong).
October-December, 2010: Testicular Cancer diagnosis, surgery, and chemotherapy.
July 22-August 10, 2010: Language School in Xela, Guatemala. Travel to Semuc Champey, Coban, Lake Atitlan, and Copan, Honduras
June, 2010: Paddling and supporting BCU Level Five Kayak Test: Anglesey, Wales, UK
March 2009:Vietnam: Taking NYA students to Hanoi and surrounding areas, Mai Chau Valley, and Hue.
August 8-15, 2008: Solo backcountry travel in Shiretoko and Akan National Parks: Hokkaido, Japan
July 25-August 7, 2008: Bath-Tsugaru Exchange Program (with students): Aomori, Japan. Participation in Aomori’s Nebuta Festival. Artist-in-Residency at Aomori University.
August 8-15, 2007: Island School Teacher Conference: Eleuthera, Bahamas
August 1-6, 2007: Solo Kayak Expedition around southern end of Eleuthera, Bahamas
June 8-30, 2007: Participant in Fulbright Memorial Fund program in Japan: Tokyo, Kamakura, Aomori, Tsugaru
May, 2006: T'ang Dynasty poetry workshop with David Hinton, Zen Mountain Monastery
March, 2006: Artist-in-Residence at the Bainbridge Arts Festival: Bainbridge, Georgia
March, 2006: Alaska
July 20-27, 2005: Sitka Symposium
July 5-13, 2005: Floating the Copper River with Eyak Preservation Council and David Grimes
June 15-July 3, 2005: Solo Expedition in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
August 2-14, 2004: Vipassana Retreat at Dhamma Dhara.
June 20-27, 2003: Sitka Symposium
June, 2003: Solo Backcountry Kayak Expedition: Glacier Bay, Alaska
February, 2003: Carnival in Trinidad
June 18-30, 2002: Vipassana Retreat at Dhamma Dhara.
August, 2001: Photo Expedition across northern Rockies with Adrien Boudreau, including a five day backcountry trip in Glacier National Park. Brief but mind-blowing enounter with Ram Dass in Boulder, Colorado.
July 10-15, 2001: Intensive Sea Kayak Training at Maine Island Kayak
June, 2000: Taos Poetry Circus with Nanao Sakaki, John Trudell, Gary Lawless, Sherman Alexie, Jerome Rothenberg and others, climbed Wheeler Peak
1999: Worked as Guide on Trip to Ireland
1996: attended University of Alaska Fairbanks
January 1994: Tour of Poland, Austria with Jazz Group
April 1993: Ireland and the UK
April 1990: Berlin and the USSR