Lauren

Originally from Olympia, WA, Lauren spent this last year teaching an outdoor recreation course at her alma mater, Union College, in Lincoln, NE; she also led an expedition to Malawi for pre-med students where they worked in clinics and refugee camps and backpacked around Mt. Mulanje (the same expedition she took as a student!). This spring, she also taught swiftwater, technical rope, and search and rescue courses in Colorado. She’s done rescue and relief work in Florida and Louisiana as well. Previously, she was a camp counselor in Washington, where she worked with kids ages 7–17.

• Education: Union College, bachelor’s degree in international rescue and relief
• Certifications: Wilderness emergency medical technician, rescue 3 international agency instructor, wilderness first responder, swiftwater rescue technician, recreational rappelling operator, rope rescue specialist, ice rescue technician
• Favorite outdoor memory: I think one of my favorite outdoor memories was the day I spent in Yosemite Valley with two of my good buddies climbing all over the park from sunrise to sunset. We were pretty disorganized and not everything went as planned, but it was a gorgeous day and we ended up having a blast!
• Favorite outdoor achievement: I think a big highlight for me was getting to see the girls who were in my first-ever backpacking group with AT get to summit Shasta. They went from feeling apprehensive about the first backpack to absolutely crushing it on Shasta, and it was so cool to see how much they grew in self-confidence and resilience through it.
• Favorite place you’ve traveled: The Grand Canyon is probably the most beautiful, magical, incredible place I’ve ever been. The sheer range of geology, the rapids, the hikes—there’s so much to explore… and my river trip was done with the most incredible crew (isn’t that always what makes a place?).
• Favorite hobbies: I’m a lot more into reading than I used to be, nd whitewater paddling is my FAVE.
• What are you most excited about this summer? I’m excited to learn from my fellow instructors. Every AT instructor has some niche area that they know a ton about. I can’t wait for students to help me expand my Gen Z vocabulary, and I’m most excited for the backpacks! I love the time they allow to talk with and get to know everyone on the trip. SO much fun!!
• Previous Adventure Treks trips include Colorado Explorer, California Challenge 3, Pacific Northwest Adventure, Ultimate Northwest