I have had the opportunity to do so many incredible things in my life. During undergrad I competed for UC Irvine’s Division I cross country and track teams and received my BA in Philosophy. Following graduation I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2008. Then in 2012 I hiked 1,200 miles of the CDT through New Mexico and Colorado. In order to fund my hikes I worked over fifteen years in the restaurant industry, from burger chain to fine dining. In 2014 I decided to devote my career to the practice of physical therapy. In order make this change I returned to community college for several years taking the prerequisite coursework for DPT programs. I also squeezed in 500 more miles on the CDT in Montana in 2017. I was accepted into Samuel Merritt’s DPT program last March and less than six weeks later I was hiking on the AT in Georgia. This will be my last chance at a long hike for at least three years. Bring it on.