About Me

"Do you want to be a plumber?"

In 2009, just a few days before my father passed away in an avalanche, we were deep in the Wallowa Mountains, carrying 60+ pound packs as porters for a local backcountry ski hut. At one point, my dad stopped in the middle of the trail, turned to me, and asked, "Do you want to be a plumber?"

I was caught off guard. My dad had spent his life working a range of tough jobs—from being a merchant marine in the North Atlantic to fighting wildfires and, yes, even plumbing. It seemed out of character for him to question a blue-collar career. They were so intrisque to who he was and his relentless work ethic. He had worked through a lot to provide a pretty amazing life for our family in remote Eastern Oregon.

I hesitated, then answered, "No... not particularly."

He looked at me and said, "Well, if you don't want the world to assign you a job, you have to go after what you want in this life. If you don't, you could end up a plumber like I did for a while. The world is at your fingertips—choose what you love and go for it."

A few days later, he was gone.

The lesson has been seared into me ever since. For the past few decades, I’ve fought tooth and nail to stay true to my passion for sharing true human stories that inspire people to live life to the fullest.