David has had a uniquely adventurous and idyllic life of working forty plus years in the “mountains”, often in some of the nation’s most remote and pristine wilderness areas. He obtained a degree in forestry from the College of the Siskiyous. Drafted during the Vietnam conflict, afterwards he obtained a pilots license and used the GI Bill to provide additional flight training. In addition to his aviation and maritime licenses David has also possessed several EMS certifications, was a federally licensed General Explosive Blaster and holds an Amateur Radio License (KD0TLY). His “woods” career began with a private consulting forestry firm in northern California. David’s U.S. Forest Service career of 32 years was mostly in Engineering, Recreation and Wilderness management. Unlike many of his peers he worked year round having lived in Southeast Alaska, Washington, Arizona and California. He became a nationally recognized skilled practitioner of traditional tools and techniques.
David loves to teach and became a respected vocational instructor, craftsman and crew supervisor. He wrote a number of technical papers and a book titled Saws That Sing, that remains the primer for crosscut saw users. Becoming a nationally recognized subject matter expert in trails, traditional tools and wilderness issues provided him many invited opportunities to travel, speak and assist other agencies. Among his many accomplishments was the creation of the U.S. Forest Service’s Sea Kayak Wilderness Ranger Program on Misty Fiords National Monument in SE Alaska.
After retiring in 2011 David and his wife Marci moved to the Ozarks near Ava, Missouri. A member of the LDS Church for most of his life he now stays busy as a temple ordinance worker and in local church leadership responsibilities. With a blended family of eight children and fifteen grandchildren, some of whom live overseas, they enjoy traveling, exploring and finding new adventures. David continues to provide limited consulting services and enjoys learning from local craftsmen their traditional skills and lifestyles. Most recently he co-authored a book on “Trail Rigging” that should be published in 2016. David would say of his life: “Splendid has been the trail”.
