pascal here,
great to meet you!
about me
Hi, Pascal here
Welcome! I’m Pascal, and I’m The International Brit. I was born in Britain (London), but now live in the USA for the active adventures. But how (and why) exactly did I end up here? There’s a very good reason for me living in America, but more about that shortly…
Active adventures have been a constant in my life. They are the absolute best! Whether it involves hiking, cycling, swimming, climbing, skiing, trail running, mountaineering. Count me in for any outdoor adventure.
I’m passionate about using my knowledge and experience to help others plan their own active adventures in the USA – big or small. So I created this website! Read on to find out all about how I ended up in America.
(Spoiler Alert: It involves many active adventures and much smiling along the way).
As you can see from my big smile in the picture above (Joshua Tree National Park), being active in the outdoors makes me happy. I love it! It’s so good for both physical and mental health, outdoor adventure has been a constant in my life.
But before we get into my life story, let’s set the scene with a few facts.
Going on active adventures is epic. Fact! Being in the outdoors is good for the soul. Fact! I don’t always fact check my facts before including them on my site. Fact!
I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed active adventures all over the world, on every continent (apart from Antarctica, but watch this space on that!). The one place that I’ve returned back to again and again is the USA. I’m hooked.
In fact, I’m so hooked that I moved here. Living here allows me to explore every corner of this great country.
It has it ALL! It has ALL the scenery, ALL the climates, ALL the views, ALL the landscapes. ALL of the active adventures are available here.
The Early Years
You know that kid who always seems to be covered in mud? Yep, that was my childhood right there! I believe the word is feral.
As a feral child, I split my time between England (British dad) and Switzerland (Swiss mum). This meant access to a wide range of exciting outdoor environments to explore. So I did!
On the weekends and after school, my parents took the approach of launching me out of the door with the instructions, ‘Just make sure you’re back by the time it gets dark!’. It was terrific.
Learning to ride a bike was a game changer. This gave me extended range, the world was officially my oyster.
I could suddenly get to lakes to swim in, hills to climb, forests to explore, slopes to ski down. I’d often strap camping gear to my bike frame and go for days.
The active adventures seed had firmly been sown.
Becoming an actual adult
It happens to us all!
From reading the above, you will be relieved (and probably surprised!) to hear that my parents managed to get me educated. Post university, I was keen to ensure that my career did not restrict my ability to enjoy ongoing active adventures in the outdoors. But what would enable this?
Introducing, a career in the military!
Reading through the advertising brochures at the military careers office in London, something stood out. Actually, two words stood out.
‘Adventurous Training’.
I liked the sound of those two words, and so I joined up. To be clear, I did take other things into consideration – a career in the military is not to be taken lightly. As an example, the fact that you get sent to war zones quite a lot, is also a key consideration.
Between my regular visits to war zones as a military helicopter pilot, in my many years in the military I have been able to achieve A LOT of Adventurous Training. It turns out, the brochure wasn’t lying!
To explain ‘Adventurous Training’ to non-military folk. As part of their wider professional development, military personnel are able to gain leadership qualifications in a whole array of outdoor activities. It’s a fantastic perk, and helps balance the months/years we spend on the frontline away from friends and family. Plus, it helps keep us all fit and healthy.
Over the years, I’ve achieved leadership qualifications in the following outdoor activities:
- Whitewater kayaking
- Alpine (downhill) skiing
- Endurance cycling
- Canoeing
- Climbing (indoor and in the mountains)
- Hiking
- Trail running
- Expedition leading
- Advanced first aid
Active adventures in the USA
If you’re still with me at this point, you clearly have endurance and resilience! This bodes well for your own active adventures.
I’ve spent a significant amount of time in the USA throughout my adult life. Starting way back, when I studied in America as part of my university (college) degree. At a college called Purdue in Indiana (Go Boilermakers!! If that means anything, to anyone!)
Since my studying days, I’ve spent years of my life working, visiting and completing expeditions in the USA. And now I live here! At every opportunity, I’ve made active adventures happen, throughout the country.
My highlights have been many and varied, but to give an idea about the type of active adventures I’ve ticked off:
- Back Country skiing in the Colorado Rockies
- Hiking sections of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and Appalachian Trail (AT)
- Kayaking the crystal clear rivers of Florida
- Surfing along the North Carolina coast.
- Mountain biking in the Arizona desert.
- Back country camped out in Death Valley.
- Ticked off the big National Parks of California.
- Tubing down the rivers of Alabama.
Helping others with their active adventures in the USA
I’m passionate about using my knowledge and experience to help others experience outdoor adventures in the USA.
Ahead of my own active adventures, I would spend hours researching options in the internet. Looking for suggestions, hints and tips. Through this process, I began to truly appreciate people who had taken the time to provide feedback and guidance to others, based on their own experiences.
I’m on a mission to help others plan their active adventures in the USA. No matter how big or small.
Whether you’re looking for a park to cycle around with the kids during a city break, or you want to cycle across the entire country. Or indeed anything in between. I’ve been there and done it (caveat: I have not cycled around every city park in America, clearly!), I can help.
This website is a ‘labour of love’ for me, I really care about active adventures in the USA.
Explore my website, then explore America.
Get Active!
Pascal
PS: Head across to my Contact page if you’d like to drop me a message with feedback or suggestions. I’m ALWAYS available for some adventure based chat!