Medical Support Team. Vipul Lakhani is a physician from North Carolina.

****2004 Update****

American Frontiers caught up with Vipul Lakhani, Medical Support for the South Team from North Carolina, just as he was headed into the mountains to participate in a University of South Carolina Wilderness Medicine Course – and escape Hurricane Isabel. “Life has been good,” he said. Looking ahead, “I am planning to do an Endocrine Fellowship at Duke in 2004.”

Looking back, Lakhani said that “the American Frontiers experience opened my eyes as to how much of the U.S. is actually open to the public. Living on the East Coast, we sometimes forget the vastness of our country, and I certainly was not aware the amount of public lands we had. I would not have believed that a Mexico to Canada trip could have been planned traveling only on public lands. American Frontiers has expanded my knowledge of these great treasures we have. I found myself just the other day telling several co-workers about this and they too were surprised. I definitely keep my ears open and eyes peeled to current events surrounding public lands in the news, more so now than before.

Because of American Frontiers, Lakhani said that “I think I have learned that good communication and responsible use of these public lands will hopefully allow many generations to partake of this genuine gift we share as Americans.”

Without hesitation, Lakhani said that the American Frontiers trek was certainly a success. “If it only educated those directly involved, I am certain that their lives have been influenced in teaching their fellow Americans about our many public lands. Additionally, the many teaching expeditions during the trek will have educated many adults and students. I will undoubtedly be talking about my experiences for years to come.”