Having grown up in family that enjoyed the outdoors, I started at an early age fishing, hunting and trapping with my Dad. I think the first book I read on history was a "Young Reader" on Kit Carson, and I loved it. Well, I was about eight years old then. I now have a lot of books like that in my library and instead of just reading about famous mountain men, I try to recreate their lifestyle. The fur trade is a very interesting period of history, where a lot of times, the true facts are more exciting than the fictional stories we hear so much about.

     I live in Denver, Colorado and have three teenage daughters. You may have seen some of my articles in this magazine and the Poke and Stroke (Colorado State Muzzle loading Association's magazine), Muzzle Blasts, Backwoodsman, Tomahawk and Long Rifle and others. I am a member of the American Mountain Men (hiveranno) and a registered researcher for the Fur Trade Research Center. While in high school, I was named an All-American in wrestling and went to one of the Olympic training camps in 1976.

     I never would have thought I'd be writing for a magazine like On The Trail, but enjoy it greatly. But here I am, just about done with my first book and having over 50 articles published. Hope you enjoy and learn from the fur trade column I write. Maybe some day, we can share a fire, some good food and talk.