“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 always extremely proud of our instructor team. For summer 2012, we will again have over a 70% instructor return rate. Our average instructor age will be 27 years old. Our professional instructors have significant, education, outdoor education or professional outdoor experience. Virtually everyone is a college graduate and many hold masters degrees. Simply put, these folks are outdoor professionals, not camp counselors, and you'll get six of these incredible instructors on a typical trip! Read the bios of every 2012 Adventure Treks instructor here.
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 Executive Director, John "Dock" Dockendorf, 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.
Niki Gaeta
Niki Gaeta is our Director and seventh year Regional Director. She graduated from Clemson University and an Outward Bound Instructor Course. Niki has led trips all over the country, climbed a 6,000 meter peak in Peru, is a world-wide traveler, backcountry skier, and yoga teacher. She has earned her Wilderness First Responder, Leave No Trace Trainer, and Avalanche Level 1 certifications.
Dave “Dmac” McGlashan
Dave “DMAC” McGlashan is our Associate Director and sixth-year Regional Director. He has a Master’s in Recreation from The University of Tennessee 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.
Mike Paruszkiewicz
Mike is our Educational Program Director and second year instructor. He grew up Chicago, Illinois where he earned a B.A. in Film from Columbia College. He spent five years as an editor and graphic artist before fleeing to the Pacific Northwest in 2007 to work for the US Forest Service, teach at NWRESD Outdoor School, and earn a second degree in Economics at Portland State University. Mike has climbed, surfed, and backpacked in several countries and is a Wilderness First Responder.
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. Sandy is an active hiker, road cyclist and whitewater canoer and has lived on both coasts. Her free time is spent outdoors with her husband, Ken, and her son, Pete.
Scott Sullivan
Scott Sullivan is our Admissions Director. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, focusing on Art, Psychology, and Business. After a stint in Advertising, Scott shifted his focus to Outdoor Education, and moved to the mountains of western North Carolina. During the ensuing years he worked as a mountain biking instructor, trip leader, and senior staff at a summer camp. He also worked as a senior field instructor at a wilderness therapy program and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. Scott believes in the teaching and healing power of nature.
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.
