Faces of HD

Behind my outward appearance and my inability to say more than a few words is the fact that I have Huntingtons disease.  The disease can do many strange things and I want you to know who I am.

I completed a degree in recreation management at Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Forestry at the University of Montana.  I spent 30 years with the National Park Service and prepared dozens of public environment documents that planned the future of parks like Yosemite; Denali; Grand Teton; Voyageurs; Santa Monica; and Virgin Islands.  My work on fire behavior, backcountry management and vegetation mapping published in professional journals are the backbone of the practices utilized now.

I have backpacked thousands of miles through the stunning Sierra Nevada Mountains, the coastal ranges of California, and the southern alps of New Zealand and I pioneered methods used on award-winning infrared nature photography.  My wish is to convey to you an environment where you can find peace, solitude and harmony.

Huntington’s disease has slowly, almost imperceptibly, taken me away from these things that I love. Most of the time, I am not even cognizant of the difficulties that I sometimes cause you. I wish you could see the real me for who I am, a compassionate and gentle man of few words who is committed to the environment. Above all, I wish we could sit together on top of a Sierra Nevada Mountain pass watching the sun go down, knowing that the world is a better place because we were there.