I was born in McCloud, California and raised in Mount Shasta. From early in life I have been fishing on the McCloud and upper Sacramento Rivers. In addition I grew up with a trout stream in our backyard and a spring creek a few minutes walk from the house. The Pacific Crest Trail was within a few hours hike from home, adding summers spent backpacking and fishing alpine lakes in the Trinity Divide and Trinity Alps. My first fly rod was a cane Leonard from an Uncle who lived along Oregon’s Umpqua River. Christmas when I was nine brought my first fly tying kit as a gift from my Mom.

I first climbed 14,161 ft. Mount Shasta when I was twelve. This experience, along with skiing from a young age set in motion the three sports I have pursued throughout my life. During high School, I played football and ran track, being nominated to Who’s Who in American High School Athletics and was a member of California Scholastic Federation (CFS). During the summers, I fly-fished and climbed throughout the West.

I attended college in Boise, Idaho, where I could continue to climb, fly-fish and ski. I graduated with a BA in Theology. At 20 years old, I began mountain guiding in the Canadian Rockies, Selkirks, Monashees and Purcell ranges for my summer job. Following school, I briefly attended graduate school studying linguistics, but changed to fine arts school in Vancouver, BC studying creative writing and photography. I moved to Canada and continued my dream of being a mountain guide working for Frontier Encounters where I became Director in 1979 and continued in this capacity until 1984. Between guiding and traveling, I lived in a log cabin built in 1910 along the North Thompson River in the Northern Monashees.

I attended American mountain guide school in the Tetons and International guide school in Banff, Alberta. From 1984 to 1992 I operated Alpine International, an expedition and trekking company. I have traveled to over 40 countries and have led over 100 treks and expeditions throughout the world, including such diverse places as Alaska, Turkey, the Andes and Himalayas.

I began writing and photographing stories during the mid 1980’s with work appearing in such magazines as Climbing, Rock and Ice, Outside, GQ, Flyfishing and Tying Journal and California Flyfisher.

My first book, Shasta’s Headwater’s has received a five star rating in Amazon.com. I am just finishing Volcanic Trout, my second book and have contracts for two more. I have been guiding fly-fishing since the mid 1990’s when I returned to my hometown of Mount Shasta, where I again live with a trout stream in my backyard.

Since 2001 I have been resident outfitter and guide for California Trout, a conservation group, operating their Shasta Springs Trout Camp. For them I also work a part of each summer doing golden trout research in California’s Sierra Nevada.