Hi! I am Anne McGarvey, and I live in Maryland, where the Chesapeake Bay's influence is prominent on all the residents.  From the seafood I eat, to the kayaking and canoeing I do in the bay's rivers, I am qualified as a true Marylander.  The Appalachian Trail cuts through the western part of the state, which creates a whole different aspect of outdoor activites.  As the landscape rises, so does the level of hiking and rock climbing.  Even though the trail through Maryland is only 40 miles long, I aspire to thru-hike all 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine as soon as I can.

I run cross country and play lacrosse year round.  I hike, rockclimb, kayak, canoe, and ski whenever I have a free chance.  Also, I have a knack for learning about survival skills; I never leave the house without my trusty paracord bracelet.  Two people I am inspired by are both survival experts in their own ways: Bear Grylls and Aron Ralston.  Bear Grylls is a survival expert who shows through his TV show just how far he is willing to go to show how to survive.  Aron Ralston, who, when trapped by a bolder in a slot canyon in Utah, survived for five days on day-trip rations, persevering through dehydration.  In the end, he ended up having to cut off his arm.  Both of these people are, to me, true role models.

I think it would be the coolest thing to go wingsuit flying.  High-intensity adventure like that, along with kite-surfing, cliff diving, bungee-jumping; anything that gets the blood pumping.

Some day I want to travel the world, working in places like caves discovering new life or in Africa harnassing wind power.  I have always been an environmentalist.  From the moment my parents took me on my first camping trip, to my last years as a camper at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, I have always respected and admired nature.  Now, I work at camps at Arlington Echo as a counselor to teach kids about the Chesapeake Bay.

Last year, I was co-vice president of my school's Eco Club.  Our club is trying to green the school mainly by making the students more aware of how much trash they could be recycling.  Also, this year I will be a co-treasurer for my school's Model UN club.  I am going to be helping plan trips to colleges around the country, like ours last year to Yale University.

A persevering team player, I want to spend the rest of my life outdoors, not stuck behind a desk.