Michael Ream has been an avid hiker since his parents first took him onto trails in California at age two. An Iowa-based writer, he earned a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and has written for publications including Midwest Traveler, Southern Traveler and Saveur, as well as several guidebooks. He met his wife on a hiking trip, and first brought his daughter hiking when he carried her down the trail on his back. He and his family live in Des Moines, Iowa.