Born in Connecticut, the author graduated high school and entered the U.S. Army in 1956. Smith served in Tokyo, Japan for 2 years where his passion for outdoor hiking experiences began. He hiked extensively throughout Japan and on two occasions hiked to the summit of Mt. Fuji. Following military service, Smith attended the University of Hartford and earned his Bachelors degree and Masters degree from the University of California, Long Beach. Smith lived on Maui for 25 years where he conducted hiking, backpacking and bicycle trips on four major islands. He also taught journalism at the University of Hawaii and wrote feature articles for Hawaii Magazine for 15 years. While living on Maui he wrote five hiking guides covering the 6 major islands in the 50th state. Smith currently lives in Huntington Beach, California.