Bode grew up out in the mountains of Washington State. He did his undergrad at the University of Redlands in Southern California where he found his love for Outdoor Leadership. In his Junior year there he switched from Pre-Med to Environmental Science and Psychology. He took a break after undergrad to lead trips full time getting to play in around 20 US states, 4 Canadian provinces, Central and South America. After a few years he went back for his Masters in Environmental and Outdoor Education at SUNY Cortland. Upon Graduation he was hired as the Outdoor Activity Specialist where he taught before joining the COE Team.