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Your reverence for the natural world shines through in your work. When did that fascination begin, and how has it been nurtured throughout your life?

You could almost say that conservation and a connection to the natural world is in my blood. I grew up on a ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at the foot of the Teton Mountains. It truly is a wildlife paradise where on any given day of the year you can find herds of elk, moose, bears, eagles and even wolves trotting through the forest. 

My family’s connection to the ranch began when my great-grandparents established it as one of the first conservation easements in the region, forever protecting it from development. Growing up on the ranch I formed a deep connection to nature and developed a personal understanding of how hard it is to save. My interest in conservation grew as I began to travel and see firsthand how wildlife and traditional culture continue to be threatened everywhere, and that the two subjects are inextricably linked. Whether I try to or not, almost all of my archaeology and journalism work always comes back to the natural world and our complex relationship with it as humans.  

Why did you choose to pursue archeology and paleoecology as a career?

Early on in my education I discovered that archaeology offered a unique and spectacular way to see the world. To fully understand an ancient site, you are required to consider everything around it, including the landscape, environment, geology, ecology and modern-day inhabitants. There is perhaps no better way to more fully immerse yourself into a location, its people, and their fascinating histories. 

I was introduced to archaeology when I was 12 years old. A team from the University of Wyoming was excavating a 10,000-year-old campsite near my middle school, and my parents arranged for me to help volunteer for an afternoon. That afternoon turned into two weeks of work at the site, which subsequently transformed into a 20-year career, as I kept in touch and continue to work with many members of that team today. In high school I was introduced to the allure of travel and exploration in archaeology when I was invited to join Dr. Robert Ballard (of Titanic fame) on an expedition to discover shipwrecks in the Black Sea off of Ukraine. 

I am a bit of an oddity when it comes to archaeology, as I am not completely enamored with the past. I am very interested in it but can’t spend days in museums like most of my colleagues. Rather, I am drawn to the forensic and problem-solving aspects of the discipline and love the challenge of combining various scientific techniques and lines of evidence to try to answer questions about ancient sites, cultures and artifacts. 

Your focus on human adaptation to high elevation landscapes is quite specific—what is it about that particular subject that interested you?

When I was 13 years old, I went on a backpacking trip at summer camp into the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. While out collecting firewood one night near camp I found an obsidian arrowhead and was curious about the people who made it, and what they were doing in such an extreme landscape. During my freshman year at �ʼһ���, I had an opportunity to finally study this topic and realized that it was a niche in archaeology that very few people had ever looked at, anywhere in the world! Most people thought that alpine landscapes were too harsh for ancient people to live in, so nobody looked and as a result, mountains across North America offered an incredible “blank-spot” on the map to explore. With the help of professors Bill Ringle at �ʼһ��� and Rich Adams at the University of Wyoming, I found myself on an incredible journey into the relatively new field of high-elevation archaeology. 

What’s the strangest, most interesting, most enlightening thing that’s ever happened to you in the field?

• During a deep-water archaeological survey of the Black Sea, the research vessel we were on (crew included) was confined by the Ukrainian and Russian navies. It turns out that during our detainment we were the first American ship to enter the Russian Black Sea Naval base in Crimea since the second world war. 
• I have an unusual knack for running into heads of state during my travels and assignments. I’ve met a few different prime ministers of Greece at the beach during rest days on archaeological projects, and two years ago, while pursuing a story for National Geographic Travel about tea in Kuala Lumpur, I asked a man on the street for breakfast recommendations only to find out a few minutes later that he was the Malaysian prime minister. 
• One of the most special memories was when I was photographing wild orangutans in Sumatra. As a rainstorm approached an orangutan mother wove an umbrella out of leaves and held it over her newborn’s head as the rain began to pour. Watching that was truly wondrous. 
• There was also that one time I got my mom tear gassed in Greece. The year after graduating �ʼһ���, my wife and I got a job working at the British School in Athens. During a family visit, my parent’s hotel was targeted by a massive demonstration, firebombed and had to be evacuated. We were there having lunch with them and had to escape out the back kitchen and into a street battle between the Athenian police and a large group of protestors. 

What do you always carry with you when you are in the field?

On a typical trip I try to travel light but am not very good at it. I always try to bring a few books that are connected to where I will be working, a satellite phone, computer, two Sony cameras, and anywhere from a few to an entire suitcase full of lenses and flashes. I also try to bring a box of huckleberry chocolates from Wyoming everywhere I go ... it is a great way to say “thank you” when you need an extra hand. 

What’s your favorite place in the world?

Out of everywhere in the entire world I’ve visited, I always find myself returning to Greece. I lived in Athens for several years with my wife and have fallen head over heels for the country, its warm people, amazing landscapes and incomparable food. I already have a growing list of wildlife and culture stories that I’d like to pursue in Greece once we can safely travel again. 

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?

Hmmm, this one is tricky. While I’ve had quite a number of memorable dishes around the world, ranging from camel burgers in Casablanca to self-caught piranhas in the Amazon, the most unusual and exciting in my mind goes to an evening in the Wyoming mountains where we tried to recreate ancient recipes over the campfire. This multicourse meal included roasted hand-dug flower bulbs, raw moose bone marrow, bighorn sheep and chokecherry stew, antelope heart soup, BBQ marmot, and pan-fried crickets with garlic (the garlic wasn’t authentic, but we had to draw the line somewhere!). 

Is there somewhere you never want to visit again? 

No, not really. I greatly enjoy visiting any place, even tourist traps or locations that I’ve been to several times before. There are stories and interesting things to discover everywhere, even in the most unlikely places, and sometimes it is just a matter of training ourselves to recognize them. 

Is there a destination you haven’t seen but are hoping to travel to in your lifetime?

I would really like to spend time in Ladakh in northern India. Nestled amongst the Himalaya and Karakoram mountains, Ladakh is home to several isolated villages and Buddhist monasteries that have preserved an incredible mountain culture for hundreds of years. It is also one of the best places in the world to see snow leopards in the wild. 

If you could travel back in time, to where and to what time period would you want to go?

Over the past 10 years working in the Wind River Mountains, we discovered two dozen prehistoric villages high in the alpine tundra. I think it would be absolutely fascinating to see how families lived in these high-elevation communities and the different ways they interacted with the mountainous landscape. 

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?

Seeing an endangered orangutan family in the wild for the first time was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. However, I am also a sucker for sunsets. Even though I have seen hundreds of breathtaking ones while camping and working in the Wyoming wilderness, I am stunned and humbled every time. 

Is there something you wish you could capture in a photograph that has eluded you?

I would really like to take a nice picture of a wolf. I see them a few times a year when they pass through our ranch, and even hiked alongside a little black wolf pup for a few miles once in the Tetons, but each time I’ve been without a camera. 

This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2021 print issue of the �ʼһ��� Journal Magazine; for more, please see the �ʼһ��� Journal section of our website.