I'm a maverick neuroscientist that has traded a university faculty position for a life on the trail. Wherever I go, I look to the highest peak and then try to find a way to get myself there, usually by foot. This has led me to the summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Rainier in Washington State, Cerro Chirripo in Costa Rica, and Yarigatake in Japan. I’ve been on backpacking trips in heat waves (the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the Verdon Gorge in France), in blizzards (in Austria and when snowshoeing at Crater Lake, OR), and in endless rain (Glacier National Park, MO and the Olympic Mountains, WA) and have found myself hiking all over the world (Iceland, Japan, Austria, and Switzerland). Through it all, one thing remains constant, my love of throwing a pack on my back and heading off on an adventure.