A native of Sonoma County in California’s wine country, Christopher "Bubba" Suess grew up hiking the trails on his home turf as well as those in the famed Sierra Nevada. His first backpacking trip at age five sparked a love affair with granite and rushing water. Deeply influenced by his parents to appreciate the outdoors and by his older brother to always strive and persevere, Bubba was further moved to value the conservation of wilderness during his time in the Boy Scouts. A four year sojourn in Texas for graduate school forced Bubba to find beauty in more subtle places and areas that are generally overlooked. Now a resident of Mount Shasta in far northern California, he loves living a rural life, centered around time spent with his wife, Harmony, and three children.