Allison Sturm is a writer living in Baltimore County, Maryland. Her love for travel and the outdoors has taken her on hikes all over the world, including Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Saba, where she spent her honeymoon hiking up a volcano with her husband, Steven. She loves exploring all of the wonderful recreational options in and around Baltimore, and looks forward to instilling a spirit of adventure in their baby boy, who joined the family in fall (a month after finishing this third edition!).

Evan Balkan teaches writing and literature at the Community College of Baltimore County. His fiction and nonfiction, mostly in the areas of travel and outdoor recreation, have appeared in numerous publications throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, England, and Australia. He holds degrees from Towson, George Mason, and Johns Hopkins universities, and he lives in Maryland with wife, Shelly, and daughters, Amelia and Molly.