Mike is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. He lived in the Ventana Wilderness as a monk at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery where he was shuso, or head monk, in the fall of 2024. Mike also served as the Director of San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center temple. He’s a devout backpacker and brings to these pilgrimages a love of the untamed that stretches back to his time as a young waterman growing up in coastal Connecticut. He’s been lucky enough to explore the islands of Hawai’i, the Inca Trail, the Cascades, the Oregon coast, and many National Parks. You can find him walking about Big Sur, the Sierras, and Santa Cruz.