Paul grew up in the Colorado Rockies before landing in Idaho by way of a few other mountain ranges and some flat states. Along the way, Paul graduated from Concordia St. Paul, took a PNW Outdoor Educator Mountaineer course, a Fall Semester in the Rockies, Leave No Trace Master Educator, and completing his first WFR on the semester in 2003. Paul began teaching rescue skills in 2004 with the Red Cross and American Heart Association, completed his NR-EMTB (and WEMT) in Stanley, Idaho in 2009, and completed the ITC in 2010. Paul also runs Idaho Rescue Training hosting NOLS Wilderness Medicine classes in 4 states and 2 countries each year. When not trekking in Nepal or climbing a volcano in the Cascade Mountains, he enjoys the whitewater of Idaho and local treks with his family, including his two boys (the cat stays home).