It seems that only God could come up with the script for the story of our life  together.  It's not surprising that we had a passion for adventure, since we met  while living one. Debi and I began our journey in 1977, when we met while working at Bell Island Fishing Resort, near Ketchikan, Alaska. I was a fishing guide and Debi worked at the lodge.  Every day was full of challenges and excitement and our love grew rapidly in the intense environment.  We worked together for two seasons and were married in October,1979.

     We moved to Pacifica, CA and lived in an apartment overlooking the ocean. Debi attended San Francisco Art Academy.  We were very active and shared a love for the outdoors.  We loved exploring the natural wonders of California and had many adventures skiing, hiking and fishing together. Debi started her own graphic design business after she graduated and we moved back to the Northwest.  We settled in the Seattle area, where we raised our two sons, Kristian and Andy.  Debi was very active in the boy's lives and we enjoyed introducing them to adventures in the outdoors. 

     Debi was diagnosed with Ataxia in 1989 and eventually began to lose her ability to participate in the activities she loved.  I still remember how she struggled hiking with her cane on the Boulder River trail. I watched with tears in my eyes as I realized that our hiking days were coming to an end.  Her condition continued to deteriorate and she began using a wheelchair in 2001.

     We thought our outdoors adventures were over, but fortunately, we were wrong.  We accidentally discovered the accessible trail to Rainy Lake, along the North Cascades Highway We strolled up the path and immediately felt we were deep in the backcountry, surrounded by snowy peaks and dramatic waterfalls.  Our souls were rejuvenated and we wondered if there were more accessible trails out there.  We started to do research and didn't find much information.  We started discovering more accessible trails on our own and I started a journal in hopes of someday writing a guide book. 

     We became more confident in our ability to travel and made a commitment to see the world while we could.  Debi loved to look at travel brochures and often surprised me with a booking for a trip.  We traveled to Alaska, Mexico, Europe,New Zealand and the Caribbean.  We were thankful to be able to continue our adventures and it really helped Debi's outlook on life.  She never felt sorry for herself  or complained about her disease.

     Her condition continued to deteriorate and she eventually lost most of her ability to speak and needed help with eating. Her spirit of adventure never wavered and she booked us on a cruise in 2013 that took us on adventures in Aruba, Cartegena, Colombia and deep into the rainforest in Costa Rica.  It was our last big trip and one of our best.  We took one more short trip  in November to San Diego,where we  enjoyed the sun and a trip to Catalina Island.

     Debi became very weak and was hospitalized several times over the next few months.  She began receiving hospice care at home,  but somehow always managed to find something special about each day.  Singing birds, blooming flowers and beautiful sunsets brought a smile to her face.  She passed away peacefully at home on April 8,2014.  She was finally free of her disease and we know that her spirit was off on new adventures in heaven.