Richard grew up on Long Island where his parents Rick and Marie Wiese still live after 50+ years of marriage. His father, also an adventurer, was the first person to solo the Pacific Ocean in an airplane. Richard’s first taste of adventure came when he was 11 years old when he and his father climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Since then Richard has led over a dozen expeditions to this very same mountain. Inspired by a favorite Uncle Dr. Richard Lanza of MIT’s Nuclear Engineering Department, Richard graduated Brown University with a science degree. He now shares his uncle’s passion for getting young people engaged and enthusiastic about science and the wonders of the great outdoors. Richard and wife Nicci currently reside in Weston CT. Together Richard and Nicci make a very dynamic family. Originally from South Africa, Nicci is the founder of the Africa Foundation and leads safari tours through her boutique travel company, Young Safaris. 3 toddlers Sabrina, Richard IV, and Alexander now represent the Wiese tribe.