I was born in Geneva, Illinois January 2nd 1970 and was given the nickname “Buffer” by my parents.

Around the age of four my family moved to Florida where I was given the freedom to roam the neighborhood forests, swamps and pastures. It was a great place to be a kid, and in retrospect, contributed a lot towards developing my sense of adventure.

Since then, my trips have brought me to over forty countries, with most centered around hiking, climbing, sailing and surfing. A quick run down of some highlights from my outdoor resume include:

Hiking:

the Inca Trail in Peru (twice)
1,2oo miles of the Appalachian Trail
the Israel National Trail

Climbing:

Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
In Ecuador I climbed Iliniza Norte, Corazon and had a failed summit attempt on Cotopaxi due to weather
In Chile I climbed the active Vulcan Villarica

Sailing:

Bahamas
Cuba

Surfing:

Peru (chicama rules!!!)
Hawaii
Nicaragua
Panama
Costa Rica
Mexico
Bahamas
Dominican Republic
All over the United States

Random:

I’ve kayaked 100 miles across the Everglades
I’ve dived with Great White Sharks in Baja

Now I live in Dunedin, Florida with my wife Heather and son Donovan. They’re very understanding of my traveling, which is good since I have no intention of slowing down.