Born in Eugene, Oregon
So I guess that makes me a native Oregonian. But it is not that simple. I actually started kindergarten in Dallas Texas and attended grade school at Richland Elementary in Los Angeles. I began middle school in Clarkston Washington, and graduated high school there a few years later.
The Outdoor Life
We camped as a family growing up. In the early years it was at Walters Camp on the Colorado River, and later in life in the Idaho outback near the Canadian border. We moved several times too and dad was not a man who believed in the expense of hotels. So we camped as we traveled across the US at many of the state and national parks. By age 12 I was seasoned in the outdoors and had been to every state west of the Mississippi, camping out in many of them.
Into The Back Country
Yeah, so by high school age I was hiking into The Blue Mountains in Eastern Washington with my buddies. Gear in the 70s was either overbuilt and heavy or hugely expensive and still heavy. But the tantalizing call of the back country combined with my love of the outdoors made back packing a ritual in my annual life.
Paddling
In the early 80s I found canoeing and learned all I could from two really great mentors. Through the 80s and 90s I regularly attended the Trade Association of Sea Kayaks Symposium and became an instructor for that sport. I started leading trips on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and I taught lessons at a little marina in Oregon City.
Today, 2019 and beyond
Today I am 1/2 of the business Paddle People. Find us at www.paddlepeople.us. I hope you enjoy my website. Blog with me, look at some pictures and enjoy some visuals. Thanks for stopping by.