Don J. Scarmuzzi grew up in northeastern Ohio, graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in New York, and has lived in eight different states, his favorites being Colorado, Alaska, and Oregon. Part ski bum, part chef, part bartender and waiter, he long ago gave up mountain biking to hike full-time and wrote two popular guides for Southwest Colorado. In his first year abiding in Portland, Oregon, he hiked every conceivable trail in Forest Park (largest urban forested park in the US) while getting familiar with the region and especially the Columbia River Gorge. Also a passionate photographer, Don has always documented his explorations while constantly upgrading his cameras and thus skills at taking pictures from precarious positions on the sides and tops of beautiful mountains and landscapes. Don also works vibrant maps into his guides, and has held up his promise to only publish guidebooks with maps and photos in full color.