Growing up in a small town in the farmlands of Central Lower Michigan, Matt was an endurance athlete from the beginning. Running was his passion as he progressed through school. He reveled in the physical challenge and took pleasure in pushing himself further and harder.  As he finished up his time at Beaverton High he decided to move to north and test his resolve in the vast tracks of forest and long dark winters of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  He began attending Michigan Tech University in Houghton and immediately fell in love with the Keweenaw Peninsula and Lake Superior.  Within days of his arrival in the North woods Matt went to the Porcupine Mountains with his brother to try his hand at backpacking and was hooked. He spent the next five years hiking at any opportunity and studying forestry when hiking wasn’t an option.  Hiking all over the country, from Tennessee to Utah, fueled his passion and planted the seeds for big dreams.  As Matt prepared to graduate he threw all of his effort into planning a through hike of the Appalachian trail and then to leave the country as a Peace Corp Volunteer. Just as plans fell into place he met a young female forestry student who threw a wrench into his plans.  The Appalachian Trail went off without a hitch but the Peace Corps was another story.  Matt decided against Peace Corps in exchange for a life with Hannah and the opportunity to take more adventures.  Together they loaded up their kayaks and paddled the shoreline of their beloved Lake Superior.  The trip was so successful that a marriage seemed to be the next reasonable step. The step after that…. More adventure.