I grew up and have lived in the central east coast all of my life...I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, went to college in Virginia, and now live and work near Baltimore, MD. I'm presently working as a data scientist/software engineer at Johns Hopkins University working on biometrics technology research.

Of all of my passions and interests, by far the greatest is my love for backpacking! Early in my childhood I developed a love for backpacking when my dad used to take my brother and I on Appalachian trail hikes. My passion for the woods and mountains grew and grew, and now I make it a point to do multiple backpacking and section hikes each year. So far I've hiked over half of the Appalachian Trail, a fourth of the Pacific Crest Trail, and 300 miles of the Continental Divide Trail, with the goal of completing all three trails in sections over my lifetime.

In addition to backpacking, I love long-distance running, playing drums, listening to music, watching movies, reading (especially historical non-fiction), and kiteboarding.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm new to Couchsurfing as of making this profile, but am interested in meeting and staying with locals during part of an upcoming trip to LA that I'm doing with my cousin and best friend, John Roman. We plan on spending 4 and a half days in and around LA sight-seeing and experiencing what life is like on the west coast and meeting locals!

We hope to spend one day in the Santa Barbara area, one day in Hollywood, one day in Santa Monica, one day out near Joshua Tree National park.

Interests

• reading
• music
• hiking
• backpacking
• snowboarding
• trail running
• mathematics
• philosophy
• religion
• kiteboarding
• distance running

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, Incubus, Tool, Boston, Yellowcard, System of a Down, Rush, The Who
Movies: Lord of the Rings, Inception, The Revenant, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Cowboys, What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Books: The Bible, Undaunted Courage, The Best Land Under Heaven, Mere Christianity, Into the Wild, The Screwtape Letters, Lord of the Rings

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've done two 10-day trips to Kenya with one of my best friends from college who's native to Kenya! Each time we stayed with relatives of his that live in various parts of the country. The positive experience I've had doing this in Kenya is part of the motivation for me to try couch-surfing during this upcoming LA trip!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm happy to share time, conversations, and a meal with anyone willing to host me and my cousin in our upcoming trip. In addition, I'm happy to offer a small payment to offset any costs incurred on our part (i.e. cost of water for a shower, food, etc...)

Countries I’ve Visited

Kenya, Peru