Originally from Detroit, Michigan, my family moved to Colorado in 1981 on the advice from my Pediatrician; for if they didn’t, I would never be free from the asthma that ravaged my lungs. Initially landing in Northglenn (North Denver), we eventually relocated to Greeley, Colorado in 1982.
During my formative years, I grew up in two vastly different worlds. I ended up becoming a fairly decent mountaineer in my own right, exploring most of Colorado, some of the lower-48 and traveling internationally. But I also absorbed the miraculous and often times, fabricated storylines of shows like: Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, Ghost Adventures & Most Haunted (Britain). I grew to teach myself the trappings of ghost hunting, take things at face value and like it or not, the reality of a situation isn’t always married to our subjective biases.
These two antagonistic and sometimes, dissident worlds were built on a university diet of: biochemistry, microbiology, forestry, English & creative writing. Subjects in other words, that had feet in both the subjective and empirical.
Needless to say, with such a varied scholarship, there was no room for religion. In fact, my Lutheran dogma which I held as fact for so long, morphed into nothing more than a set of morality principles for better living.
So where does that leave me today?
I no longer need to summit a peak or mountain to feel accomplished. As long as I am getting out into the wilderness & enjoying the peace and tranquility that cities lack, I’m usually good. And if there’s a snow climb to be had or moose to see, all the better!
And these days, I actually believe in the paranormal a lot less than I used to. There’s just too much that’s explainable by scientific method and abandoning the romanticism of wishing something was haunted. But you do get those odd moments that leave you scratching your head.
I love passing the time enjoying the nuances of a good bourbon barrel-aged stout or carmenere and because of my background in literature, I’m never without a good book. I enjoy a good movie as much as the next guy and I believe, that if we stop learning and challenging ourselves, we’ll eventually lose that spark that keeps life fascinating. And no one wants to live in darkness.
A few things I enjoy…..
Animals, craft beverages, Pink Floyd, Tool & Rammstein, being in the wilderness, reading, exploration (of any type), travel, history, goth and EBM music, a good non-fiction story, gothic literature and cinema (even subtitled).