Gabriel grew up in Virginia and started hiking at the mere age of 2 weeks. He has fond memories involving nature, such as that time when he was 3, when he chopped down a sizable pine tree with a hatchet. He continued to love nature as he got older, hiking the Appalachian Trail, roaming his grandparent’s mountain and carving secret paths through the brambles and bamboo behind his house. He has applied his skills working as a mountain man camp counselor, naval engineer intern, metal worker, greenhouse laborer, dog pack wrangler and as the Champlain Valley Hawks wrestling coach. Gabriel just graduated from UVM this May with a degree in Natural Resources. He is most interested in knife making, woodcraft, hunting, how different materials behave and solving problems in creative ways.