Hello all!  Ok, I really am not that interesting, but if you bothered to click on this link, you probably want something here to read, so I guess I will oblige.  I'll be brief, though.
        I am 21 years old, born Sept. 16th, 1978, in the wondrous city of Sacramento, CA.  I grew up in the same city, attending Rio Americano High School.  My parents names are Emerson and Carol, and I have a sister named Lynnea, and a brother named Devin.  I joined Boy Scouts when I was seven years old, and that was how I first was introduced to the outdoors.  I continued with Boy Scouts through the entirely of my childhood, earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 1996.  In High School I was also involved in Speech and Debate, competing in Lincoln-Douglas style maverick debate.
        I attended Wake Forest University my freshman year of college.  I made some incredible friends while there, and also competed as a Novice for their championship NDT debate squad.  I quickly ran out of money while at Wake, though, and as financial aid was not forthcoming, I was forced to leave after only one year.
        I spent the following year attending California State University, Sacramento.  There I took a number of photo classes and developed a passion for photography which you may notice in the photos I have posted from my JMT hike, and photos that will be posted from my PCT hike itself.  I also began working at the Sacramento REI store at this time.  There I met lots of other outdoor enthusiasts, who did a great deal to deepen my desire to get outside and hike.
        The following year I began at the University of California at Berkeley (that's right, 3 schools in 3 years!).  Again, I met a whole slew of great new friends and also competed on the Debate team.  I was a Parliamentary Debater for Cal's team, and had lots of fun competing in tournaments all over the country.  We managed to win First Place in the Team Season Sweepstakes award this season, so I just want to add, GO BEARS!!  If only our basketball or football team were as good.
        On May 13th, 2000 I will graduate with a B.A. in Philosophy from Berkeley.  Immediately following my graduation, I will be starting my Thru-Hike.  I am taking the year off, and I will spend it backpacking, then applying to law school and taking the LSAT, then working.  I am rather burned out on all things academic at this point and am greatly looking forward to a reprieve.
        My former backpacking experience consists of extensive hikes through much of California, including the Trinity Alps, Marble Mountains, Desolation Valley Wilderness, and a Thru-Hike of the John Muir Trail.  I have done no hiking in Oregon or Washington and am looking forward to seeing if they are as beautiful at reputation suggests.
    That's about all there is to say about me.  See ya on the trail!!
--Chris "Shotgun" Mills