Erik has been lucky enough to work in education for almost two decades. Originally, he was an outdoor educator and wilderness guide, leading trips for Outward Bound and schools all over the US - the Everglades, the High Sierra, Mexico, Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Park and the San Juan Islands.

Erik's work in local Vermont journalism led him to study writing, and now his greatest joy is working with students at Champlain College to tell their own stories.

He is the author of Wild Curiosity, and has been featured in the article "Why You Should Reignite Curiosity At Work, And How To Do It." Forbes Magazine Jan 2016.

An Object of Affection

This backpack—which my wife has affectionately dubbed "the biohazard"—has been through a lot. An echo of my roots as an Outward Bound instructor; it bears the scars of time spent in the mountains, deserts and wild places of this country. It also symbolizes what is most important to me: time spent with my family, exploring Vermont and world. It's carried headlamps and maps for adventures in the Greens and 'Dacks, as well as smooshed PBJs and Marvel comics during trips back and forth to the library. Right now it contains a water-stained copy of Middlemarch, a reminder of my other abiding love; teaching students about reading and writing. This old pack reminds me -in the words of Huck Finn - that if things get too "sivilised," I can just toss in a few apples and something warm and "light out for the Territory" to be free.