Kent Ratliff

Originally from San Antonio, TX, Kent has spent a lot of time traveling between California and Vermont as a contractor building eco-friendly tiny houses. Prior to coming on board the AT team full-time, Kent worked on a data science project about energy equity with the University of Michigan, along with helping take care of his nephew and website development. During his time at Middlebury, Kent was the school’s Outdoor Programs training specialist, coaching new guides to lead kayaking, canoeing, and rock climbing trips. He also led hiking, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, and rock climbing trips for students as the Middlebury Mountain Club head guide. Our year-round operations director, Kent will returning to his role as regional director this summer.

• Education: Middlebury College; bachelor’s degree in computer science and geography
• Medical certification: Wilderness first responder
• Favorite outdoor memory: Hiking Trailriders Wall Trail in the Pecos Wilderness on my first expedition planned and executed without parental supervision in high school. You get 360-degree views all day long!
• Biggest outdoor achievement: Climbing Community Pillar in Red Rock in Nevada. It was an all-day climb and over 700 feet tall, winding up through vertical caves.
• Favorite place you’ve traveled: My family lived in Romania while I was in high school. It’s such a unique culture, but since it’s a romance language I found it fairly easy to learn and communicate. We were in the mountains of Transylvania, and while we didn’t see any vampires, the peaks and valleys made for some beautiful pastoral scenes. The people, while less accustomed to tourists than more popular western European destinations, were welcoming and excited to share the local dishes and traditions.
• Favorite hobbies: Environmentalism, woodworking, guitar, cooking, board games, rock climbing, and kayaking!
• Best advice you’ve received: The people around you are often much more concerned with themselves than anything you’re doing. Don’t let the perceived judgment of others change you, and do things that make you feel like you.
• What do you hope to learn this summer? I hope to learn from our students this summer! Getting to make these friendships across a generational gap has me constantly learning new fads, trends, and just how our students learn and process.
• What are you most excited for this summer? I’m most excited to see the wonderful communities that form on these trips come to life this summer. I love getting to drop in on a trip and seeing how much the dynamic has changed since day one!
• Previous Adventure Treks trips include Alaska Expedition, Ultimate Northwest, California Adventure, California Challenge, Pacific Northwest