Emily R

Originally from Danville, CA, Emily currently lives in Marin Headlands and joins us for her first season as an instructor. Most recently, she worked with NatureBridge in Sausalito, leading students on science-focused hiking trips. She also worked for the Wilderness Youth Project in Santa Barbara, facilitating summer camp programs for kids and teens. Previously, she helped develop ecology curriculum for Kids in Nature, and before that Emily was a camp counselor for Skylake Yosemite Camp. While at UCSB, Emily spent six weeks on a backpacking program in Nepal, studying habitat restoration in mountain environments.

  • Education: University of California, Santa Barbara, bachelor’s degree in sociology
  • Certifications: Wilderness first responder
  • Favorite outdoor memory: There are simply too many to choose from! A memory I will always cherish is a hike with friends to an alpine lake in Sierra National Forest. We were the only people there, there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and when we jumped into the water it was so crystal clear that we could see ourselves plunge all the way down.
  • Favorite outdoor achievement: My biggest outdoor achievement was hiking Renjo Pass in Nepal. It was the most physically challenging hike I’d done and the highest elevation I had been at, and nothing in my life had compared to the joy of hugging my friends at the top and soaking in the sweeping view of snowy peaks and turquoise lakes.
  • Favorite place you’ve traveled: I feel connected to the Sierra Nevada, and my favorite trail I’ve hiked there is the Rae Lakes
    loop in Kings Canyon National Park.
  • Favorite hobbies: I love to hike, backpack, rock climb, and dip into icy-cold bodies of water. When I’m not doing those activities, you can usually find me reading, doing yoga, or cooking a colorful vegan meal.
  • What are you most excited for this summer?