“Grabbing life by the horns and tickling it behind the ear.”

Before and during his time studying engineering, Dwyer built skis in his garage, tinkering and learning the process. Soon after he landed an outdoor-lover’s dream job - working with Black Diamond Equipment. He put his head down and got to work. The next thing he knew, he was building a ski manufacturing facility from scratch, in China, for Black Diamond. After leading a team of engineers to reach mass production, he returned home, satisfied with his work, but with wanderlust in his heart.

The book, Across Island and Oceans by James Baldwin—a book about a youngish guy who quits his job, sells his stuff and sails away—became a companion on his flights halfway across the world. He took the book as a beacon, a call to arms.

Then, in his mid twenties, he bought a 30-foot sailboat. He learned to sail it in the San Juan islands - west of Bellingham, Washington. Then, with the goal of skiing directly from his boat, he navigated it more than 12,000 nautical miles down the west coast of the Americas—to Chilean Patagonia. A good bit of adventure ensued along the way - from hurricanes to volcanic eruptions and more than a bit of ice-breaking.

In the time since his voyage, Dwyer has focused on building a homestead in the hills of Vermont. He and his wife live in a 500sf timber frame with their dog Spruce. They've planted several hundred fruit and nut trees and are looking forward to growing their family, surrounded by an abundant food forest.