Terry was born in 1954 and grew up in Northcentral Pennsylvania amidst farm country and the rolling hills. He spent most of his younger decades outdoors: helping farmers bring in the hay; wandering the creeks, valleys, and hills; fishing in the local waterway, lakes, and ponds; hunting for rabbits, grouse, pheasants, deer, and other animals with a rifle, shotgun, handgun, and a bow and arrow. Terry spent years trapping muskrats, mink, and other animals; and sleeping out under the stars and building shelters when needed.

 

Terry had a 10-year career with military weapon systems as a technical illustrator. He spent decades in the heavy construction equipment industry as a technical writer, editor, manager, director, and international director. At the end of his career, Terry supported the North American electric power grid as a technical editor and manager for eight years where he and a team of electrical engineers and cybersecurity experts provided highly technical documents to help keep the electric grid up and running.

 

Terry was a fifth degree blackbelt and built a 2,000 sq ft martial arts school for “Campbell’s School of Tae-Kwon-Do and Self-Defense” where he also taught ground fighting and sparring. Terry trained thousands of men, women, and youth. He also designed and helped build his home in the Appalachian Mountains, raised chickens, and enjoyed life in the mountains.

 

Terry retired in January 2024 and began writing this book by drawing on his professional skills and his decades of experiences in the wilds of nature from Central Georgia, Pennsylvania, and up to the Northern border of Vermont.