I was born and raised in the Seattle area, went to undergraduate in the Bay Area. I think I was probably the only person in California to think it was too warm, missing the rain and cloud-cover of the Northwest. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I "grow up". In college I studied medieval history and literature. Now I get paid to be outside, hike around, and grub in the dirt! (In the summers at least.)

Learning new things and improving on old knowledge and skills is hugely important to me. I find teaching things to others very satisfying. Narratives are very powerful for me: tell a good story and you've got all my attention. I get frustrated when I'm listening to a song and can't hear the lyrics.

Seeking to enrich myself, gain skills and experiences.
Professionally, I'm seeking to be employed in the two vague realms of Outdoors and Education. Ideally the two come together (Outdoor Education!), but right now I'm doing more of the Outdoors and less of the Education.
I work for a non-profit organization leading volunteers doing trail maintenance. My current concrete professional goal is to become an instructor for NOLS (the National Outdoor Leadership School). As of January 2013 I'm taking a course to be an EMT, expanding my first aid knowledge.

(*) Rambling on about topics that I am excited about. I'm particularly a history buff, but you can get me going about many things: board games, philosophy, mythology, marmots, brewing, linguistics, historic hand tools (specifically crosscut saws).
(*) Balance.
(*) Being near-impossible to offend or upset. If somebody says something negative toward me, my first instinct is to think, "Why do they think that?" rather than take it personally.
(*) Unwittingly deceiving people into thinking I'm extroverted, apparently.
(*) Brewing mead (i.e. fermented honey)
(*) Giving massages, I'm told.
(*) A former girlfriend said, jokingly, that I needed to be good at 1) carrying things for her, 2) keeping her warm, and 3) feeding her. I utterly failed at the third, but I'm awesome at the first two.
(*) Eating anything that isn't spicy. I have an iron stomach and low standards. Does it contain fat, sugar, or salt? I probably like it. Very much a meat-and-potatoes sort of person.
(*) Having a bad sense of smell. This is not usually considered a 'good' thing, but I've only ever found it useful. I'm probably missing out on a whole lot of good things, but if so I've never realized it. Seems like an advantage to me if you spend a lot of time outside.

Most of the time, the beard. I like having a beard, but I mostly just dislike shaving. I periodically will be relatively clean-shaven, though. [Bearded as of 2012/10/11.]

Books
I mostly read fantasy and science-fiction novels, but I also read some classics or good 'literature', as well as non-fiction. The non-fiction tends to be about the outdoors and how to do things.
A smattering of favorite works: Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac; Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer; The Once and Future King, T.H. White; The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin; The Wind's Twelve Quarters, Ursula K. Le Guin; The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky; The Measure of a Mountain, Bruce Barcott; The Good Rain, Timothy Egan; The King of Elfland's Daughter, Lord Dunsany; Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones; The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien; A Song of Fire and Ice, G.R.R. Martin; The Vorkosigan books, Lois McMaster Bujold

Films
I appreciate more artsy films that make you think, but am not very susceptible to things being visually stunning - there needs to be an interesting plot, characters, or way the narrative is presented to captivate me. I'm a sucker for most fantasy movies, though, unless they're super cheesy.
A selection of favorites: The Lion in Winter, Seven Samurai, 12 Angry Men, Yojimbo, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, A Man for All Seasons, Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior), Unforgiven, The Fisher King, Excalibur, The Princess Bride, Conan the Barbarian (It's actually a really well-made movie!)

Maybe eventually I'll elaborate on the other categories. Probably not.

(*) Mountains and forests
(*) Books
(*) Time alone
(*) Rain
(*) Notepad - jot down things to remember, ideas
(*) Honesty

(*) Planning outdoor adventures: mountaineering, long backpacking trips, scrambles through dense woods and rocky places, rock climbing, wandering down train tracks.
(*) Fantasizing about owning property out in the boonies and building a house mostly with my own two hands. Probably out on the Olympic Peninsula.
(*) Considering the nature of the modern American (and more broadly, world) economy and what qualifies as responsible economic activity (i.e. jobs) in it; what, in our world, is truly "honest labor" that creates true and sustainable wealth - and by 'wealth' I don't mean 'money' but things (both concrete and abstract) that are of value and use to people.

Intending to get to bed early so I can get up early on Saturday for outdoor adventures (or, alas, often work). I usually fail at getting to bed early.

I'm not a terribly devoted environmentalist. I mostly come off as fairly conscientious about it, though, because I abhor waste. It's really more of an aesthetic quality than an ethical or social value, though.
A shameful vice of mine is enjoying really long, warm showers. I really shouldn't use so much water.

On the whole, though, I'm generally willing to tell most anyone most anything about myself. Ask me and I'll probably answer.

You're interested in sharing adventures, particularly outside.
I'm interested in finding someone (or someones) with whom I can share experiences. Ideally we would develop emotional and physical intimacy, too, but that's harder to guarantee.
I appreciate good conversation.
Activities particularly interested in: mountaineering, scrambling, hiking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, board games, learning new skills, watching artsy/intellectual films, contra dancing.