Hailey

Originally from Winnetka, IL, she’s most recently lived in Chicago and Milwaukee. In Wisconsin, she was the “leaders in training” director for a YMCA camp that she attended as a camper herself; she also led week-long backpacking trips on nearby trail systems. She was also the wilderness director for the same camp and taught skills like shelter-building, fire-making, Leave No Trace principles, and more to kids and teens. Hailey has also worked as a gardener educator outside of Chicago, teaching groups how to build edible gardens, and on an organic farm in Mexico. She completed internships for both the Colorado Alliance of Environmental Education and Ocean Plastics Leadership Network.

• Education: University of Denver, bachelor’s degree in environmental science
• Certifications: Wilderness first responder, lifeguard
• Favorite outdoor memory: Explaining how awesome the sunset would be at the last camping spot of a week-long backpacking trip with 12 18-year-olds at section 13 on Superior Hiking Trail. When we got there, it was cloudy, but we still had an amazing time. The same night, someone wasn’t able to find the gumbo, which we also had been saying would be the best meal of the whole trip, and I asked repeatedly everyone to triple-check their bags. The next day, when we got to the van, one student found the gumbo in the bottom of his bag, and we all laughed and cooked it right then and there, even though we had breakfast only an hour before.
• Favorite outdoor achievement: Planning and executing a trip with a friend in the Porcupine Mountains with two days’ notice. One night, we watched lightning and a huge storm above Lake Superior; we weren’t able to sleep well because we were terrified a tree would fall on us, but we survived 🙂 We woke up early next morning to a beautiful sunrise as we swam in the lake right outside our tent.
• Favorite place you’ve traveled: Porcupine Mountains in Michigan
• Favorite hobbies: Building wreaths out of local flowers and plants, trying weird food combinations (I swear beans
  in your cereal is good), biking everywhere, and going for long runs to explore new places. I am very interested in agriculture and farming and helping people learn where their food comes from. That pushed me to be a garden educator where we created edible gardens in people’s backyards, and to do a month-long farming program in Tecate, Mexico. I would love to become fluent in Spanish, which is what led me to live in Spain for three months last year and am currently looking for another immersive experience in South America/ Mexico.
• What are you most excited for this summer? I cannot wait to detach from technology and start connecting with students and coworkers alike. I am super excited to join the Adventure Treks community and cannot wait to learn and grow with everyone!