For those who don't know me (and those that do) I'd like to tell you a little about myself and how I came to be where I am today. I'll be 20 years old on March 31st and I was born and raised in Red Hook, NY. I love my hometown and was lucky to be raised in such a great place.

Growing up I tried just about every sport possible but in high school I focused on my two favorites, football and wrestling. The time I spent playing high school sports is without a doubt the best times of my life. I was lucky enough to be on some of the best sports teams at Red Hook High School. This is where I forged friendships, developed my work ethic, and challenged myself to achieve my goals and ambitions. I am a very competitive and driven person so sports came naturally to me. I had plans to wrestle in college, but fractured vertebrae in my neck and lower back have left me unable to compete at the level I know I am capable of competing. I poured my heart and soul into my athletics and my family, coaches, and teammates can attest to that. I have no regrets about the way things turned out. In the near future I hope to be coaching at the high school level.

During the Spring and Summer when there wasn't a practice to be at, I filled my time casting a line anywhere I could. Fishing has always been my favorite past time and I could spend hours a day, 7 days a week fishing. I would probably go fishing even if I knew I wouldn't catch anything. It's relaxing and exciting at the same time- you never know what you're gonna get. In the past few years I have come to love fishing for striped bass in the Hudson River. They run up the Hudson at the end of Spring and last May I landed my first one. Unfortunately I'll be missing out on most of the season due to my trip but hopefully there will be some stragglers hanging behind.

In the Winter of my senior year I decided I wanted to take a trip up to Alaska. A week after graduating I packed my bags and headed for the Kenai Peninsula. There I spent a month hiking, camping, fishing and exploring. Up until now, it is still my favorite trip I have been on. When I returned back home I went to the dentist and after talking to Dr. Kristofik about my adventure, he grabbed a couple of pictures of his son-in-law, Walid Abuhaidar, climbing Mt. Everest. I immediately thought that was the coolest thing in the world and got Walid's contact info. One email later I had a full page response loaded with information on what climbing Everest involves. Totally hooked on the idea, Walid drew up a prospective plan for me to reach my new, lofty goal.

Having zero experience in mountaineering, my first step was to take a 3 day skills course on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in December. I spent the prior 3 months preparing my legs for the physical stress they would be under and getting a good base fitness level for mountaineering. In New Hampshire I learned the basics- walking on ice/glaciers, winter camping, self-arresting and I got to take a trip to the top of Mt. Washington on the 3rd day. Just 3 days after returning home I boarded a plane for Mexico to attempt the 3rd highest mountain in North America-Pico de Orizaba. Mexico was a rough first international experience but I made the summit climbing solo.

I had to wait until Summer break for my next mountains which were in Ecuador. I climbed two peaks in Ecuador, one at 19,300 ft- Cotopaxi and the other at 20,500 ft- Chimborazo. Again I did both climbs solo and gained invaluable experience along the way. This past January I went to Argentina to climb Aconcagua, the highest peak in the world outside of Asia. I reached the summit with Kyle Beaird of Denver, Colorado. The summit sits at 22,841 ft, roughly 6000 vertical feet lower than the summit of Everest.

Climbing mountains allows me to stay active and satisfies my need for challenging myself. In an odd way I have come to love the suffering that it often involves. Planning to climb Everest two years ago was a lofty goal but I have worked extremely hard to gain the experience and physical and mental strength that will be required for my success.