“Adventure Treks’ unique emphasis on the ‘culture of kindness’ and the way they form adolescent students into a true community is what separates Adventure Treks from other programs”
– Patricia Soong
Hillsborough, CA
We are extremely proud of our staff team. For summer 2011, we had an 80% instructor return rate, so our professional instructors also have previous Adventure Treks experience. Read the biographies of every single 2010 instructor here. (The 2012 Instructor biographies will be posted by May 15.)
Over 70% of our instructors return every summer, several for their fifth, sixth, or seventh season. This provides our students with the same continuity and great experience.
Our returning instructors know the wilderness areas that we visit and have the skills necessary to run safe activities. This allows us to use fewer outfitters, enabling us to control the quality of our program.
Safety begins with great instructor selection and training.
Our instructors bring diverse experiences and great accomplishments such as:
Our Director, John Dockendorf
Our Director, Dock, is an integral part of hiring and training our instructor team. Read Dock's full bio and a letter to parents.
Dock is available to speak with your personally at 888-954-5555, or click here to email Dock.
Dave “Dmac” McGlashan
Dave “Dmac” McGlashan is our Educational Program Director, and a fifth-year Trip Leader. He has a Master’s in Recreation and is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School. He is a Wilderness First Responder, Swiftwater Rescue Technician, and American Canoe Association Kayak Instructor. He has climbed and kayaked all over the world, most recently in Southeast Asia
Holly Robinson
Holly Robinson is our Marketing Director for her second year. She graduated from Salem College. Holly has been a sea kayaking guide, rafting guide, supported a Blue Ridge Parkway Thru Bike and Appalachian Trail Thru Hike, and each year she helps organize the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. Holly spends her free time mountain biking and snow skiing with her husband, Rodney, and child, Walker.
Niki Gaeta
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Niki Gaeta is our Logistics Director and Summer Regional Director for the sixth year. She graduated from Clemson University and an Outward Bound Instructor Course. Niki has led trips all over the country, climbed 19,947 foot Mount Chachani in Peru, and is a world-wide traveler, backcountry skier, and yoga teacher. She has earned her Wilderness First Responder, Leave No Trace Trainer, and Avalanche Level I certifications.
Sandy McGlashan
Sandy McGlashan, our Administrative Director, came to Adventure Treks after more than 15 years as a nonprofit professional, most recently at United Way. She has a BA in Business from Queens University and has pursued outdoor recreation for more than 30 years. She enjoyed living on the west coast where she was an active downhill and cross-country skier and a daily runner. In recent years, Sandy shifted to hiking, road cycling and whitewater canoeing. Her free time is spent outdoors with her husband, Ken, and her son, Pete.
Cait Mates
After 3 years as an Adventure Treks student and four years as an Adventure Treks instructor, Cait now serves as our Admissions Director. She has a degree in Creative Writing from Eckerd College and spent the past two winters teaching snowboarding in Vail, Colorado. She is currently teaching 2nd grade in Connecticut and runs hulahooping, gardening, and yoga afterschool programs. She has taught English abroad in several countries and loves traveling to warm places with good surf! She is a certified Wilderness First Responder.
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner joins us for his ninth summer as Regional Director. He is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College and is currently a site director for the NWRESD Outdoor School. Stephen has led trips in Hawaii, and spends his free time surfing, volunteering for trail crews, and helping schools develop service programs. He is a Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard, and Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Dan Flynn
Dan Flynn is a seventh-year Trip Leader and is a graduate of Vassar College and NOLS. Dan has been a Wilderness EMT for ten years and is a Lead Instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates. He is on Ski Patrol in Mammoth Mountain, CA, and enjoys climbing and skiing California's 14,000-foot mountains.
Learn more about how to become an Adventure Treks instructor.
