“I am in love with Montana . . . Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans,” Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It. What more can a guy ask for than to wake up every morning, feed the dog, eat breakfast, and ride his bike to school while staring upward at the mountains surrounding his town? Or on afternoons and weekends, sneaking away for long hikes, runs, and elk hunts in the rugged mountain wilderness where bears are king of the throne? This is my reality while going to school to get my Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology.

Currently I’m attending The University of Montana in Missoula , a town of approximately 75,000 people and a university population of about 13,000. In our specific graduate program we have 11 students and two main faculty members with whom we work closely. I’m going to finish in May with approximately 50 credits, and hopefully be on my way to pursue my PhD in Exercise Physiology. Academically, I am spending much time in classes as well as working on my thesis. I did research with the Wildland Firefighters this summer looking at different feeding strategies and performance.

Since moving out here I’ve had countless priceless memories – anywhere from standing 15 feet from a black bear to hiking a 20 mile loop in the Grand Tetons in just under seven hours. I’ve finally had the chance to fulfill my lifelong dream of hunting elk, as well as my dream of simply living in MT. I’ve traveled around the state to all different places – Glacier National Park , Yellowstone National Park (WY), The Grand Tetons (WY), the Bitterroot Mountains , Big Sky Ski Resort, Seeley Lake , a summer logging in Helena in a private mountain location, and chasing wildfires the past two summers. I’ll never move back east, so if you plan on seeing me, hop on a plane and be ready for some wild adventures in Big Sky Country.