So you want to know a little more about me?

At 23 years of age from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I'm a recent graduate (well, I will be when I finish the chemistry correspondence course sitting in my closet) of the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. I´ll graduate with a BSE in Occupational Safety.

The outdoors have always been a big part of my life. As a sailing instructor for two years (my 470 class racing sailboat is in the back-yard now, awaiting my return), I enjoyed sailing the open waters of Lake Michigan, and organizing a racing team in high school. In college, I filled that craving for open space by learning to soar the open skies as a hang-glider pilot and by organizing the UW-Whitewater Hang Gliding Club, hence my Trail name—“Skygod” (and the fact that some hiking involves climbing in or above the clouds). In the winter, I enjoy skiing in a big way. I taught skiing for Snowstar Ski School out of Milwaukee for eight years, and now that I am done with college life, I currently teach skiing full time at Vail Mountain in Vail, Colorado.

Upon finishing my internship in Occupational Safety for GE Medical Systems last August, I was looking for an opportunity of a lifetime—something I would only be able to do now, before getting a job that would lock me into a life of 40 hour work weeks and very limited vacation time. Upon
thinking about this, images of a couple of the spring break trips that I spent hiking the AT emerged, along with the adventures and challenges that were parts of this experience. Suddenly, I found myself in the computer lab gathering information on thru-hiking instead of typing my papers. And, the rest is history ... or soon will be.—Andy