 Ray Metcalfe was born on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, where he lived until he left home at the age of 15.He spent the next few years hitchhiking around the country, attending high schools in multiple cities and states until graduating from Billings Senior High School in Billings, Montana in 1969.He then hitchhiked to Alaska, arriving June 5, 1969 with a bedroll, a backpack and $52.00 in his pocket.