Isaac’s inspiration for learning to speak Spanish came from his great-grandfather, an immigrant who stopped speaking the language upon arriving in America. His interest in the natural world was fueled by his grandfather, a marine biologist, ornithologist and college professor who dragged young Isaac around the country “looking at things.” And his passion for rivers was aroused by his father who showed him, at age 12, how to “mess about in boats” on a trip down the Green River. All three patrilineal paths converged when he spent last year “looking at things” in the mountains and “messing about in boats” on the rivers of South America while attending the prestigious Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, (on exchange from California State University de Chico).