John Allen

Hi! My name is John Allen. I enjoy hiking, backpacking, swimming, fishing, spelunking, and basically anything that's outside. I joined Cub Scouts at a young age and eventually joined the Boy Scouts to be further exposed to an adventuruous lifestyle. I have gone sight-seeing and camping/ backpacking in a wide variety of areas, from the mosquito infested lakes of Minnesota to the towering Redwoods forest in California. I have even been to South Africa and Namibia on wildlife safaris. I especially love areas that are untouched my mankind and give priority to true wilderness. This is because I find divine beauty in nature and am utterly fascinated by most plants and animals. A great example of such an area would be MOHAB, Montana High Adventure Base. This adventure base gives Boy Scout crews the opportunity to backpack across the majestic, beautiful Montana wilderness. I'm not talking about some paved trail leading back to an air conditioned RV. I'm talking about a week of eating or wearing nothing but what you can carry on your back. On our expedition, my crew and I had to cross waste high, overpowering rivers and sreams, trek across mountains looming over the entire world around you, and sleep staring up at a passionate sky bursting with stars and color. We saw bears, black and grizzly, with their monstrous bulk and furs racing up mountains as if they were less than a slight nuisance, completely ignoring us a mere peons. I have seen Bald Eagles, beavers, moose, elk, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, baboons, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, Cape buffalo, and even lions in the wild in my conquests to find nature; none have ever compared to the power and glory of the wild bears of Montana mastering their domain. It's these sights that will remain with me for the rest of my life and propel me to keep adventuring.