About the Author

Kevin P Conley Jr. has a unique admiration and love of the great outdoors, along with a true passion to help others. After becoming a wildland firefighter in 2017, Kevin worked on an engine crew in Helena, Montana, later going on to work on the elite Snake River Hotshot crew in Pocatello, Idaho. His passion for protecting the land he loves, along with the people and the infrastructure, made the 2,000+ hours of work in five months very rewarding. Kevin finished his last season fighting fire working in Yosemite National Park. Kevin has been inspired to help others since he was a child.

While hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Kevin raised over $10,000 for underprivileged and poverty-stricken children in Washington D.C. in connection with a charity called For the Love of Children, who later presented him with an Above and Beyond Achievement of Excellence Award.

Kevin also created his own project in Seattle that he dubbed “Burgers and Love.” Burgers and Love raised thousands of dollars to help homelessness with Kevin hand-delivering over 2,000 cheeseburgers to people in need, as well as giving out warm clothing and gear. Continuing his efforts to help those less fortunate, Kevin rode his bicycle from San Francisco to San Diego six times (600 miles) and, down the Pacific Coast from Canada to Mexico (1,850 miles), raising over $2,000 in 29 days to help the homeless in Seattle.

In 2017, Kevin left his fire job to raise money to help those affected by the devastating Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur, Texas. He hand-delivered food, water, and supplies door-to-door to over 1,000 people in the poorest city in Texas.

In October of 2021, Kevin decided his battle with his mental health needed to be tackled head on. Suffering from depression and severe, crippling anxiety, Kevin made the decision to ride his bicycle 3,500 miles from California to Florida, to find peace and overcome his illness, and to spread awareness about mental health and to raise donations for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. Kevin finished all 3,500 miles and raised an astounding $20,000 along the way. In addition to his philanthropic achievements, Kevin has logged thousands of miles long-distance hiking. He trekked the entirety of the famed Appalachian Trail (all 2,150 miles), during which he broke his foot two times, contracted Lyme disease, and was bitten by a black widow spider. He has hiked the John Muir Trail four times, and also completed the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles) – this time he broke his foot in three places and finished the long trail in a whopping four to six feet of snow! Additionally, he completed an ultra-marathon, where he ran/hiked rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon, finishing 48 miles in 16 hours.

Kevin is quick to help a stranger in need and is known for being selfless on his spontaneous and long adventures.  It his debut memoir 'Above The Ashes', Kevin hopes to raise more donations for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation as he donates 5% of profits directly to them.