I've had a life-long admiration and fascination with the outdoors. I grew up in The Great Valley of Virginia, between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. You could see the Blue Ridge Parkway from our backyard and the Appalachian Trail ran along that same ridge. I love mountains and all forms of landscapes. I love the sea and the sky. One of my heroes is Edward Abbey:

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” -Edward Abbey