Rick grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC, and his fascination with long-distance hiking trails did not begin until his junior year of college. He took a course that opened his eyes to long distance hiking by spending 2 weeks on the Appalachian Trail hiking with, “the herd” of AT thru-hikers . After his college graduation and a brief, failed attempt at office-life, Rick decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2007 and embrace his love for dehydrated foods.
In 2013, he left Campo on the Mexico/California border to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, where he met his to-be wife Chelsea on the way to Canada in the forests of Yosemite. While keeping with the theme, Rick and his wife spent several years in Boulder, Colorado, to make time for a 2015 thru-hike of the Colorado Trail with their dog Boogie, and relocated to Burlington in 2016. In 2021 Rick and his wife welcomed a baby boy into the world (aptly named, “Miles”). Rick continues to enjoy hiking and the outdoors as the Membership Coordinator with the Green Mountain Club while attempting to pass on his love of dehydrated foods to his new kiddo.
