Mike Misselwitz

I’m what one might call a mutt of the West Coast wilderness; I never could pick a discipline. Growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, there were too many options at my disposal. Surfing, backpacking, snowboarding, rock climbing, overloading, tramping through the woods—from a young age, I wanted to do all of it. More specifically, I wanted to make a living doing all of it.

With little other academic talent to speak of, writing became my golden ticket. I got a journalism degree from SDSU and went to work for a kayaking magazine, then a surf magazine, then a standup paddleboard magazine. After 10 ocean-bound editorial years in Southern California, I took a detour and wound up in Yosemite, guiding wilderness backpacking tours. Three years later, I detoured again, got myself a sailboat (and yet another hobby) and moved to Seattle where I currently work as a freelance journalist and gear reviewer.

To me, life is but a story to tell, and adventure outdoors—surfing, backpacking, snowboarding, rock climbing, overloading, tramping through the woods, and now, sailing — makes it worth telling.