We're not like the others.... we're your friends _______________________________________________________ Okay... listen up Ladies and Gents -- There are times in life when you find yourself in the company of people you have never met, and for a while you must live with these people and rely upon them. Regardless of how the lot of you came together, you are a team, a group, a crew... and no matter how things pan out, you are stuck with one-and-other (watch the movie O' Brother Where Art Thou if you don't understand). That, my friends, is part of the adventure we are about to embark upon here at Expedition4am.com. Since the expedition is preparing to get underway, I have not met the three other guys I'll be hangin' with for the next month or so. However, a bit of paranoia is always healthy... so I did some digging and contacted the authorities to gather a some intel. After all, if I'm going to put myself in harm's way out in this crazy world, I want to know that these blokes have the skills to get us through sticky situations. You never know what the world is going to throw at you... so you gotta have skills. And being away for a month, I guarantee there's gonna be a sticky or two! So based on my research, here's a little sketch of "The Crew" I'll be following around the wilderness... Romolo A. Marcucci "To preserve the values of the sunburn, the blister, the muscle cramp, the hangover, and all the other things that come from good times outdoors" Rom, as he's apparently called, ventured west from the North East in search of adventure and fortune. Having grown up in New Hampshire and schooled in Vermont, he has explored the eastern hills and honed his skiing skills. Now he's in the west, living out of his car as he goes from adventure to adventure. His latest exploits found him skiing in Mammoth for 3 weeks and then venturing up the coast to grab a couple final runs on Mt. Hood. Other outdoor activities he favors are Mountain Biking, Backpacking and Hiking. A quick background check on Rom revealed he has 3 outstanding parking tickets in Providence, Rhode Island and a string of Indecent Exposure charges in Daytona Beach. This kid is gonna be trouble... I can tell. Adam L. Gospodarek "Whether you're sick, tired, hungover, or still drunk, you need to just continue doing what you're doing." With guitar in hand, Adam has traveled a great deal. During his college years at the University of Wisconsin, he somehow found time to hit up Europe for extensive rail trips from country to country. Later he did some time trippin' around Central America. He has left a trail of good times and mayhem in his wake, and his sensual guitar playing has wooed women from Holland to Columbia (and a couple a weren't prostitutes). Mountain Biking and Tele-skiing top Adam's outdoor skills. Now here's where it gets weird-- Believe it or not, Adam is an aspiring accountant. That's right, he recently graduated with a master's degree in bean counting and looks forward to his official CPA rating. As a betting man, I would say this whole out-of-doors lifestyle is Adam's alter ego-- the Superman to his Clark Kent. A quick background check revealed that Adam is an outlaw in Belize. Details were sketchy, but there was mention of a goat. Cody Munger "The last thing I want is a real job." If any one member of the 4am Lifestyle Crew could be classified as an Outdoor Jedi, it would be Cody. Having grownup in Boulder, he has amassed the following outdoor resume: Mountain biking, Climbing (5.9 trad leader), whitewater kayaking (class V-/IV+ junkie), Mountain Unicycling (bikes are too easy), Snowboarding (Trees and bumps only), back country skiing, the ability to locate a free camping spot no matter what the area. To earn his keep and pay his bills, Cody is a web designer for a kayaking forum site. Very interesting-- he writes code and his name is "Cody." Coincidence? I think not. Aside from his outdoor and javascript skillz... it's his kayak teaching skillz I am most interested in. I know absolutely ZERO about kayaking and have... shall we say, "legitimate concerns" ... about being upside down in a boat. Particularly the breathing part. A background check with local and national authorities turned up some unique results on Cody. Apparently the RCMP (Canadian Mounties) have been after him since before he was born. Now if you're on the same wavelength as me, this points to obvious time travel violations! I'll be keeping an eye on his behavior and ability to predict news and events. If things look favorable, and Cody is willing, I'll call my bookie to see if we can't make a few extra bucks during the next month. That's the main crew. Perhaps I'll throw out some background info on myself a bit later. For now, feel free to check out my Profile "Rob the Reporter" in the members section. Cheers!