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- What outdoor activity is your passion?
- I love to run far and climb high. I often start my day by lacing up my shoes and hitting the trails well before the sun comes up. I find the stillness before dawn to be so peaceful and I’m a sucker for a beautiful sunrise. When I’m not out for a run, you can usually find me at a local climbing crag, or hiking up a mountain.
- How did you get involved in that activity, and how old were you when you started?
- I’ve always been an adventurist. I grew up in Michigan where the closest thing to mountains were the snow-covered landfills where I learned to ski at the age of three. I was always outside as a kid, exploring the woods behind our house and climbing the highest trees I could find. I remember the first wilderness backpacking trip I took during summer camp and thinking it was the coolest thing to be sleeping under the stars surrounded by my best friends...I was hooked.
- What was the most epic trip you’ve ever taken?
- In 2017, I packed up and left on a solo adventure to South America. The four months trip eventually turned into a nine month trip as I would often find myself in a place so overwhelmingly beautiful that I would linger around for weeks. One of those places was the Cordillera Blanca in the northern Andes of Peru. During my time in this spectacular mountain range and surrounding valley, I spent long days trekking up and down high mountain passes and camping alongside alpine lakes and rushing rivers. I was greeted by welcoming villagers, witnessed magical sunsets while camping on glaciers, and felt euphoric upon reaching the summits of 6000m peaks. I’m already itching to get back there.
- What is the most important piece of gear in your pack? (other than AKU footwear, of course!)
- Duct tape!
- Where do you hope your AKUs will take you in the future?
- I’m currently road tripping across the west coast and am loving my new boots! Up next I’ll be taking them up the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.
- What AKU boots are you currently wearing?
- I’m currently wearing the Alterra GTX and they are very comfortable and reliable. They’ve withstood snowfields, river crossings, and they are shockingly grippy on steep rock.
