Chris

What aspect of being in nature is most important to you?

As a water scientist and adventurer, the most important aspect of being in nature is connecting with our dynamic world by exploring Earth's troubled biomes, understanding how they are changing and how we can save them together.

Tell us about your favorite adventure?

My favorite adventure was catching a Icelandic sunrise with my twin brother before the onset of a frozen Icelandic Hurricane. Just as Ryan and I finished dinner, the power went out. Thanks to the approaching storm, the power outage was to last all night. Our hosts said that this time of year, during the deep Icelandic winter, arctic storms swirl around the small island nation wreaking havoc across the landscape. The land of ice and fire was showing us the strength of a storm that what was just getting started. The next morning was supposed to bring the worst of it… 90 mile per hour winds, freezing temperatures and blinding, white out conditions. We had two choices. 1. Hunker down as the only guests in the small hostel. 2. Run. Escape before the ring road closed and thus abandon any hope of navigating the east coast of Iceland. We woke up well before dawn, the power still out. And decided to run for our lives. But first, we had to do something crazy. We had to experience an Icelandic hurricane. Together, we decided to fight the storm and battled to the black sand coast. The wind was fierce, our faces frozen, and the ground pure ice. We quarreled with the storm for 3 miles, trekking as fast as would could. A we reached the beach the sun rose over the ocean. It was one of the most epic sunrises anyone will ever see. The orange and purple beams shimmered across the ocean and the black volcanic sand glittered with ice crystals, perhaps melting only slightly from the frozen sun. We found a sheltering rock cliff and sat there, frozen, without speaking. The deafening wind, roaring in anger. Blowing stinging sand. Searching for us. Ryan and I were the only two people around for miles. This sun rise was ours. The time passed slowly. Infinitely. In that moment there was nothing but the power and beauty of nature surrounding us in all directions. Waiting to embrace us, once again, in a battle. Eventually, we accepted the invitation. We had no choice. We decided to run from the fury of the hurricane and thank god we did. But for a time, nature let us experience something profound. An energetic embrace. And a new day across an icy landscape.

Who do you enjoy spending the day out with?

I enjoy spending the day with my twin brother Ryan (who is also a Fjallraven local guide), my dog Coco and adventurous friends.

Share a podcast/article/book/movie that you have enjoyed lately

Podcast - Planet: Critical Movie: No Time to Die

Do you have any favorite quote or words of wisdom that you often use or like specifically?

Aldo Leopold, a founder of ecological ethics, said “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on the land is quite invisible to most people. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” I tell the story otherwise and as an adventure hydrologist, I am the Doctor.