Before It's Gone Journey
  • home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs
    • Himalayan Livin'
    • The B.I.G. Cycle Journey
  • Get Involved!
  • Advice and Reviews
    • Apps

Casey and Matt Kohn

Before It's Gone Journey Co-founders

Contact Us

A Bit About Us:

We currently reside in Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge with our black and white and treat-obsessed cat, Hippie. We have worked for NatureBridge, an environmental education non-profit, for the past six years. We often refer to this as our "accidental settlement period" since we initially expected to be here for no more than two. Despite being blessed with an idyllic existence in California, our perpetual restlessness has once again called us to the open road, and this time with a markedly more demanding tone.

While not yet leading the life of the full-time worldwide wanderers we dream of being, summers off of work have afforded us the opportunity to do some adventurous exploring that has only served to whet our appetite for more. A few summers ago, we took SCUBA courses in the Bay Islands of Honduras while the country was in the midst of a military coup. Another memorable one was spent trekking in the Andes of Bolivia and “guiding” Matt’s parents through the diverse environments of Peru and Ecuador. Of course, we have also many wonderful memories from long weekends in California and road trips stateside to visit friends and family, documented in photos at californiakohns.weebly.com.

However, the way we wish to approach travel was revolutionized by the ten weeks we were privileged to spend in Iceland. Funded by the Matthew Baxter Memorial Award, a life-changing adventure grant through our workplace, we challenged ourselves to bicycle the perimeter of the country, having never pedaled more than twenty miles to anywhere before. With just one successful cycle tour under our belts, there was no looking back, we were hooked! And in more ways than one…We also got engaged on Grimsey Island, the wee bit of Iceland that crosses the Arctic Circle. (Read the full story and our complete Iceland travel blog.)

The Iceland cycle tour was not only the inspiration for our bicycle-based honeymoon in Hawai'i, but also serves as the foundation of our confidence to dream bigger. The result is the Before It's Gone Journey, currently in its early preparatory stages, but with a scope and duration of which we have never previously dared to commit. And the most exciting aspect of all is who knows where this will lead us next…

Timeline of Relevant Work and Life Experiences:

  • December 2013--Matt became the Mentor Teacher at NatureBridge Golden Gate
  • March 2013--Casey became the Field Science Operations Manager at NatureBridge Golden Gate
  • Summer 2012--Bicycle-based honeymoon in Hawai'i
  • July 7, 2012--Married in Whitefish, Montana (A classic Schwinn tandem played a key role in the ceremony.)
  • September 2011--Participated in the Climate Ride from Eureka to San Francisco, in conjunction with an independent cycle tour from Bend, OR to Eureka
  • Summer 2011--Matthew Baxter Memorial Award cycle tour of Iceland
  • Summer 2010--Independent travel in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador
  • Summer 2009--Certified as Advanced Open Water and Rescue Divers in the Bay Islands of Honduras
  • Summer 2008--Become Field Science Educators at NatureBridge Golden Gate
  • Winter 2007-8--Ski bummed in Breckenridge, CO
  • Fall 2007--Educators at Glacier Institute in Montana
  • Spring-Summer 2007--Casey was a Costa Rica Program Instructor for Ecology Project International, while Matt was a leatherback sea turtle research assistant at Pacuare Reserve
  • Fall-Winter 2006--Independent travel from Mexico to Costa Rica
  • Summer 2006-Present--Casey serves as an Expedition Leader with Global Explorers for nine programs in Peru, Costa Rica, and Tanzania
  • Fall 2005-Spring 2006--Program Instructors at Keystone Science School in Colorado
  • May 2005--Casey and Matt meet at an environmental education conference in Winter Park, Colorado while working for Walking Mountains and KSS, respectively…
  • ...and the rest is history, or at least too long ago to remember!


Instagram
Back to Top
You pass through places and places pass through you, but you carry 'em with you on the souls of your travellin' shoes. --The Be Good Tanyas