“Working out in the wilderness, with the people I get to be with, doing the things we do, and going to the places we go have been amazingly good for my soul. I have grown exponentially because of the experiences I have been afforded and the people I have been able to meet working in wilderness therapy. My experience as a field guide and as a field director has shaped me in becoming a better man, brother, husband, and now father. The work, change, and transformation that takes place out in the wilderness has been an amazing thing that I have been so lucky to be a part of.
Mike moved to Utah from Indiana years ago to work a summer job as a field guide. The experience he had as a field guide was profound both professionally and personally as a young man in recovery. Mike decided to continue his work as a field guide and since then the evolution of his professional career in substance abuse counseling has been an awesome journey. Mike has worked in both wilderness and residential settings. He has specialized in family workshops and loves to be able to help families come together and feel the hope that recovery offers to the family system. He is trained in the Gorski model of relapse prevention and as an interventionist and his own personal recovery is rooted in the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Mike found love of canyoneering a few years back and has been exploring technical canyons of southern and central Utah ever since. He is married with two children and loves all things outdoors and sports. Mike is also the Head Varsity High School Basketball Coach at Wayne High School.