2006-05-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland

At age 12, Duke decided he wanted a life of adventure.

His love of international travel was firmly established after a USO tour through Europe while in college. His passion for wilderness travel began with a 23 day Outward Bound course in the woods of North Carolina in 1976. Since then he has taken 40 extended backpacking, canoe or biking trips. He has explored much of the United States, and 24 other countries.

Duke and David, Belize

Duke is a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the state of Nebraska. For 26 years he worked at the Independence Center, a hospital-based alcohol and drug treatment center. He served as chairperson for the State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Committee, and in 1998 was awarded Substance Abuse Professional of the Year for Nebraska. Duke had been Director of the Independence Center for six years when he resigned his position in order to fulfill the dream he had since he was twelve years old. He traveled continuously for two and a half years, and then devised a system to seek out temporary counseling jobs to continue to finance his adventure lifestyle. As a temporary employee, he takes on positions in drug courts, psychiatric units, Native American treatment centers, employee assistance programs and the Katrina Assistance Project.

Duke is a storyteller by nature, and has had opportunities to teach others in many training venues. He won several Toastmaster competitions, and is a sought-after presenter on topics such as alcohol and drug counseling, and creativity. While traveling, Duke realized his greatest joy is hearing stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. His current collaborative project invites others to spend time in natural surroundings, while tapping into their own storehouse of creativity.

He is now passionate about helping others pursue joy while living creatively.

Duke's Digs