Dan grew up in Sandstone, MN and has been an outdoor enthusiast from an early age. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in biology before working for the MN Department of Natural Resources, the Arizona Game and Fish Department then two years of service with the US Peace Corps. The Peace Corps inspired him to go to medical school at the University of MN. He worked for American Field Service as well while applying for medical school. He completed a residency in Family Medicine then worked for Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Africa for 1 1/2 years before returning to the US to complete a fellowship in Emergency Medicine. Dan is the founder and president of the international medical benevolence organization World Altering Medicine.

He has had the opportunity to travel and work in North, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. He is inspired and humbled by Mike and Kate's goal of walking around Lake Superior. He will provide medical guidance during the expedition.