We all come from somewhere. And I came from the suburbs of Detroit. I grew up exactly 11 miles from the core of downtown Detroit and spent my childhood in a neighborhood of mainly closely packed, small Midwestern bungalows. I was raised as an only child even though I had a sister who was 18 years older, but by the time I was born she had already moved out of home and was on her own. For a few years I played hockey and baseball when I was young but was mainly a lost child.

It wasn’t until I entered middle school that I found my first real passion. Punk Rock. There was a healthy punk scene in the Detroit area during the late 90’s and early 2000’s and many free shows/concerts on the weekends for a young angst ridden teenager to attend. Lots of unique characters to influence me as well. There were many record stores to buy punk and metal records and most extra money earned was spent paying to get into concerts and purchasing vinyl. I really got amped up on the heavier and faster punk of the likes of Discharge, early Metallica, early Slayer, and Black Sabbath. I still listen to punk and thrash metal and I always get the same internal tinge from the heavy hitting guitars and pissed off lyrics.

By the time I entered my early 20’s I had started focusing on a career as a welder and welding engineer in the aerospace industry. A job opportunity in Seattle brought about the desire and hope to learn how to climb. At the time I had no idea what climbing was. I only knew that it including an ascent of some mountainous feature. I was fortunate because that first year in Seattle I had met a few people that would become climbing and skiing mentors. I did my first outdoor rock climb at the Frenchman Coulee and I spent my first back country ski trip on Mt Adams with a pair of rental AT skis from Marmot Mountain Works. I was hooked. From those first couple years in Seattle I learned not only how to have fun in the mountains, but do it safely and to always have a positive attitude.

Now that I am living in San Jose California and in my early 30’s, I feel like life is passing me by while I stand still. I have decided to step out of my comfort zone and do something that I have always wanted to do. Write a blog. I have spent many years romanticizing how I should document my life and trips. I always thought, who in the hell cares about what I do. Nothing I have ever done in life would be categorized as spectacular and any climbing, back country skiing, or hiking trip would fall into that category of being un-spectacular. Maybe I never started down the path of writing a blog because of fear. Maybe I was shy. It wasn’t until the fall of 2016 that I met someone who motivated and challenged me to step out of my comfort zone. The timing felt right. Now is the time that I get out of the way of my own self and let the writing begin. I plan to post trip reports, gear reviews, or anything that I feel is a worthwhile adventure. One thing that will be missing is anything related to politics. Time to crank up some Danzig and reflect on those past adventures.