Bruce grew up in south-central Pennsylvania and graduated from The University of Maryland in 1988 with a BS in business. He built homes until 2006, and his dream of walking the Appalachian Trail was realized in 1996. He walked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1999, and in 2002 he started to walk the Continental Divide Trail. Two weeks after reaching the Canadian border he welcomed his son Riley Skye. In 2005 he started The Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rockies. He and his wife Susan spend their winters on the Big Island of Hawaii. During Spring and Fall, they live in Pennsylvania, just a short walk to Center Point Knob.