Thomas worked for Outward Bound for 15 years, leading canoe expeditions in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, backpacking trips in Big Bend National Park in Texas, and sea kayaking expeditions in the Bahamas. He received a degree in Outdoor Experiential Education from Prescott College in Prescott, AZ. “Wags” currently lives in Asheville, NC and when he’s not teaching classes in wilderness medicine or outdoor leadership, he spends his summers as a commercial whitewater guide on the French Broad River.