Where are you from?

Kansas City, MO, USA

When did you start your interest in exploration?

As a kid I was enthralled by the idea of adventures and exploring. I loved reading Calvin and Hobbes and the imaginary and non-imaginary adventures he went on. I read books like the Redwall series, Lord of the Rings, and others where I could get lost in their grand tales and adventures. I also loved to browse through my grandparents’ massive collection of 50 years of National Geographic magazines. At the same time, we would also go camping and visit state and national parks as much as we could. Adventure and exploration were always at the front of my mind—I just wanted to go out and see what I could find.

At my grandparents’ house in rural Missouri my brother and I, and maybe our cousins, would go spend a whole day exploring the vast forests behind their house, close to the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest and state parks. There was once when we got lost in a snow and sleet storm and ended up having to find the road and walk a long way down the side of the road back to their house. I loved it.

In high school I went on a 5 day backpacking trip with my best friends to Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming here in the states. I had never done a thing like that and it was amazing. Through college I continued to backpack and camp whenever I could. For a while I earned the nickname “Adventure Boy” because I was always wanting to find my next excursion and exploration. Also in college I had many different friend groups and friendships. I eventually got involved with the school’s International Club where I was able to grow friendships and connections with students from all over the world.

What is a brief understanding of your background story up until you started seeking adventure?

I spent most of my young life wanting adventure and exploration. I think as I got into my adult life there was a sense that I had to start being practical and toned that way down. In 2014 my wife and I had planned to go on a camping road trip in our 2003 Tundra to Glacier National Park and Banff in Canada. We also found out shortly after planning that trip that she was expecting, and the due date was right around the time we planned the trip. So the trip never happened, but we were blessed with our amazing first child!

But I think that captures an aspect and reality of adult life and how it’s easy (and ok) to yield to other aspects of life that are important or necessary at the time. But I also never stopped having a desire for adventure and exploration.

Applying for (and being chosen for!) Fjallraven Polar has definitely reinforced to me how this desire is still a part of me. And creating the videos helped me realize how I had continued to chase after adventure and exploration even in the small, ordinary ways with my family over the years.

What special skills do you have to help with your explorations?

In 2008 I spent a summer working at a youth camp in Durango, Colorado here in the states. I learned so much in that time about climbing, hiking, and leading people on adventures outdoors. I also have a lot of experience building and tending community, and that comes out in enjoying nature with others.

For a long time I had wanted to get some sort of official training and certification in wilderness survival, but I never did pursue that.

Where have you explored so far?

Local state parks, National parks, Sydney, Australia, and Capetown, South Africa. There’s a lot to mention and unpack here! Historically I didn’t have the means or opportunity to go on grand adventures or trips very much, so making the most of opportunity is small, “ordinary” ways was the only option.

What is a brief understanding of your adventures so far?

Balancing “adult” and family life with the desire to go on adventures is tough! But I want to instill a love and appreciation for creation in my children, and keep fostering that in myself as well. So we try to spend time outdoors, go on short local hikes, and when we do go on a trip we go straight for nature. Last year we drove to Colorado to see the Aspen trees in the fall time and it was low key but also amazing. This year we’re trying to see if we can get a trip to the Grand Canyon scheduled with the children, and also stop at other amazing places along the way like Great Sand Dunes National Park and others.

What are the top three destinations you hope to explore next, and why?

Well… the Arctic is coming up in a week! Growing up I was fascinated by Alaska and wanted to see the Aurora and explore Alaska in the Winter. I’ve always had a mind to visit Gates of the Arctic National Park in northern Alaska—a very remote and extremely wild place only reachable by plane. So visiting northern Sweden for this Fjallraven expedition falls pretty close in line with that!

Fjallraven also does these multi-day treks called “Classics” in many different countries every year. My wife and I are hoping to do the Chile Classic in Patagonia next year.

And I still really would love to visit the Canadian Rockies and Banff someday, and take the kids there with us.

I also have a crazy dream to visit all 7 continents in some way, including Antarctica. I’m just missing Asia, South America, and Antarctica.

Where would you recommend others visit?

Wherever you go, try to enjoy the local area as much as possible. Maybe let yourself be a “tourist” in some ways, but then get off the beaten path and out of the touristy areas and experience what life is really like in that destination. When we went to Capetown, we spent most of our time on the southeast side of the city in Kalk Bay and some other areas. It was amazing to experience local life in that way as much as we could. The last day there we ended up in the V&A Waterfront, which is a more touristy and upscale area, and it was a completely different feel. It made us really thankful for the previous 5 or so days we had spent in other parts of the city.

How do you primarily travel on your adventures today?

I like to travel as light as possible. If I can avoid checking bags and keep most everything on my back, I’m happy. When we spent 9 days in South Africa, we packed in 30L backpacks and a duffel bag.

On family road trips we have a 2013 Honda Odyssey minivan that we love for all the comfort but practicality it offers. We’ve put a lot of miles on that van since we got it in 2020!

What are five pieces of equipment that you always travel with?

I always take my travel backpack with me. 

What inspires you to explore more?

Knowing there’s place and people and just experiences out there to learn about and… experience. We have this whole amazing creation out there which we’re meant to be a part of. Nature, cultures, all kinds of amazing people… it’s there. But you can only get a slight taste of it through media like photos and videos. Going to be present in them and experience in them changes you in ways nothing else can.

How do you engage with others?

Be genuinely curious and interested in those around you. Whether that’s the person next to you in the coffee shop, or someone you meet on your travels. To hear and empathize with them reminds them and you how important they are. It also widens our horizons and opens our minds a little bit more. And it reminds us how we are all very different but also a part of the same human condition and creation, which creates an affinity for one another that we miss otherwise.

Why is it important to embrace global cultures?

Awareness! It’s so easy to think only local to your experience and perspective. But I think if we look at history (and our current situations), we see the incredibly negative effects of that way of living.

What are your goals when you explore?

To learn and grow in ways I couldn’t have otherwise. To widen my perspective and gain new perspectives.

What are some challenges you have experienced?

The world is amazing, but it’s also, unfortunately, broken and fallen. Sometimes you run into very tough and difficult situations.

Also, just balancing family and working life with the desire to explore in some way. Sometimes, scrolling from the comfort of your couch is all you can manage.

What has been your most meaningful moment so far?

Two come to mind. Last September/October we took kids to Colorado to see the aspens in all their yellowy-gold glory. We went on a hike and walked under those trees and my children were in awe. I think it’s going to be a core memory for them and they talk about it often.

The other is when I found out I was chosen for Fjallraven Polar 2025. I thought I was dreaming, legitimately. It was such a small chance that I would be chosen. But what I said in my application videos I meant, and it resonated with the jury. And now I get to back up my words there in a week!

How has exploration changed you?

Every bit of exploration changes me in a way that I couldn’t have otherwise. I learn more about myself, creation, and those around me. It reminds me to think and act beyond just my situation and perspective and to be conscious of the world and people around me that are, in direct and indirect ways, affected by my actions.

What is the number one lesson that you have learnt through your exploration?

Our shared human-ness. We’re all broken and fallen, but also all very loved and connected by our human condition. And we’re meant for this world we live in.

How do you explore locally?

Short hikes, running outside, taking the kids to the park, looking at acorns, going to new places (natural or otherwise), talking to new people when possible.

What does the explmore mantra mean to you?

Get outside of your perspective and worldview. Look around you with empathy and seek understanding. Enjoy and appreciate and tend to this amazing world we are all a part of.

What advice would you give to others who are seeking life changing adventure?

Start small… ordinary experiences adjust our trajectory and perspective in small but meaningful ways. But also dream about and fight for extraordinary experiences that bring change you can’t achieve any other way… those don’t just adjust our perspective, they change our perspective.