During college summers I led backcountry work crews building hiking trails at Philmont, the national high adventure base of the BSA in the mountains of northern New Mexico. I taught writing and literature at Southwest Missouri State University for several years, solo-hiked the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, then launched my career as a Seattle-based author, outdoor educator, and adventure travel guide.

Mountaineering journeys have taken me to the Cascades, Alaska, Russia, East Africa, and Nepal. For the Student Conservation Association I’ve led many trail crews of high school students completing month-long projects in remote regions of national parks and forests. And I’ve worked with adventure travel companies Mountain Madness and Berg Adventures International.

Since 2009, I have been deeply engaged in introducing and nurturing the conservation corps idea internationally, with many trips to Siberia (the Great Baikal Trail), the Russian Far East, Mongolia, Georgia and Azerbaijan (the Trans Caucasus Trail), and most recently Greenland (the Arctic Circle Trail). I am constantly gratified to see how well corps methods and ideals are gaining traction in other nations and cultures.

Among my many passions is a lifelong quest to learn more piano works of Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and George Gershwin. Now and then I’ve mastered a concert-worth of music to share with my friends.

And each summer I join around 15,000 fellow bicyclists to pedal from one side of my home state to the other as part of RAGBRAI – the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It’s a week-long journey fueled by fun, friendships, and as much small town church lady pie as we can possibly enjoy.

Recognition

Philmont Distinguished Staff Alumni Award
Given for a lifetime of achievement that reflects the values and experiences of service on the staff of Philmont, the BSA’s national high adventure base in northern New Mexico. The three previous awardees are adventurer Steve Fossett, Space Shuttle commander Rick Searfoss, and Himalayan mountaineer Wally Berg.

William T. Hornaday Gold Medal
The medal is awarded for twenty or more years of unusual and distinguished service in natural resource conservation and environmental improvement regionally, nationally, and internationally.

U.S. Forest Service Primitive Skills Award
For construction of the 70-foot Denny Creek Bridge in Snoqualmie-Mt. Baker National Forest of Washington state using only hand tools and traditional backcountry rigging and building methods.