Camp Dodge Staff 2008

Meet the Staff at AMC Camp Dodge for the 2008 summer season!

We have put together another all-star staff to run the Camp Dodge Programs and the North Country Volunteer Vacations. Many of our staff have had experience with the Camp Dodge programs or have even been volunteers in our programming.

This experienced and energetic staff is really looking forward to a summer on the trails. Take a look at our staff line up below and be sure to say hello when you are around Camp Dodge. You might even be lucky enough to spend a week or more with several of the outstanding individuals.
From the office of the North Country Trails Volunteer Programs Supervisor - Have a great field season on the trails! - Alex

North Country Trails Volunteer Programs Supervisor

Alex DeLucia
I have been working with AMC Trails and the Camp Dodge Volunteer Trail Crew Programs since 2001. Originally from New Haven, CT, I attended Unity College in Maine and have a degree in Adventure Education/Art.

My main interests have always been working with people and and contributing solid effort towards beneficial goals. The AMC Trails Volunteer Programs allow me to work with amazing people that really contribute to the recreational and natural resources in the northeast.

I am very much looking forward to another safe, successful, and productive summer season. I wish the Camp Dodge Staff for the 2008 season the best of luck. and I hope to get on the trails with many of our volunteers this year.

(For more info on Alex DeLucia - see the Trails Department Staff posting)

North Country Trails Volunteer Projects Coordinator

Ali Kosiba
April, 2008 marks one whole year working as the Projects Coordinator/Field Supervisor/Jill-of-all-Trades for the Trails Department at the AMC. Considering my transient past, this is not only a big deal for me, but speaks highly of the program and mountains here.

Originally from Massachusetts, I first got into the joys of trail construction working in 100 plus degree heat in Southern Utah. Miraculously, I’ve found that I really like hard labor and inclimate weather. Since then I have worked at a number of conservation-based non-profits and government agencies around the country and even taken these skills abroad.

By far the best part of my job is seeing the dramatic changes in eating habits of our teenage volunteers after a few days in the field: tortillas filled with trail mix, dried apricots, tuna, peanut butter and Oreos. If you volunteer for the trails in the Whites this summer you’ll indubitably see me out on the trail in my white hardhat.

Trails Volunteer Programs Assistant

Kelsey Heeringa

Kelsey Heeringa hails to AMC from a little of everywhere. She is originally from Michigan (Great Lakes, Great Times) and is excited to be in the Whites for the first time ever. Before arriving here, she spent time teaching Deafblind students in Boston, working with urban youth in California, and sustainably farming in Iowa. She also has dabbled in playwriting and directing, social justice, and has a degree from Aquinas College in Community Leadership. She loves local food, with a special place in her heart for butternut squash.

Camp Dodge Cook/Facility Coordinator

Anya Skibbie
This summer at Dodge will be my eighth season with the AMC. I have worked in a number of other departments and I am psyched to get involved in the Trails department. I am a native New Hampshirite and I have been tramping around the Whites since I was an infant in a backpack.

I first decided that I would like to work for the AMC when I was eleven hiking with my family, and started up as soon as I could. Since then I have become very interested in cooking and have spent time cooking for big groups of people during a season at a restaurant in Gorham, a season on the croo at Mizpah, and a stint cooking at the Buffalo Field Campaign in Montana.

I can’t wait to have Dodge open and running this season, and I am stoked to cook for all of the hungry crews. Now that the snow is melting and the buds are popping all that Dodge needs is volunteers to make it feel like summer, and I am ready for barbeques and volunteers! See you all at Dodge!

Head Trail Crew Leaders

Leslie Ham

A transplant from Tennessee, I have been living the transient life since graduating from college in 2006. My travels have brought me to the Adirondacks, Antarctica, New Zealand, the Whites, and Utah. I caught the trail work bug while doing an internship in the Adirondacks for the Student Conservation Association. The hard work, community atmosphere, and closeness to nature involved in trail work immediately had me hooked.

Last summer was my first initiation to the Whites and I fell in love with the alpine zones and history of the area while working on the Randolph Mountain Club's trail crew. I stayed on in the Fall to caretake, but spent the winter learning to ski in Alta, Utah. I can't wait to get back on the trail and get the Dodge season movin'.


Nick Scott

I’m definitely the new guy in town with the trail crew staff at Camp Dodge this year. Even though I’ve grown up in both Maine and Vermont, somehow I’ve managed to not do much exploring on foot in the Whites. The past couple of years I’ve enjoyed the spring skiing at Tuckerman’s and Gulf of Slides, and have been captivated by the ample above tree-line terrain that the Whites offer.

Here’s a little bit about what I’ve been doing leading up to this field season. I grew up in Newport, Maine until my family moved to Woodstock, Vermont when I was in 5th grade. I went to Bucknell University and graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies in 2004. Since then I’ve traveled back and forth across the US a couple of times pursuing seasonal outdoorsy jobs, new mountains to explore, and new friendships to be had. I’ve worked for the Maine Conservation Corps as both a member and crew leader. I worked at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area as a lift operator. I went to Oregon and California to be a raft guide on the Rogue, Klamath, and S. Fork American rivers. I skied and built houses in my spare time in North Lake Tahoe. I worked in Gold Hill, Colorado as a camp counselor/horse wrangler. Lastly, I’ve spent the past two winters as a ski patroller at Killington Ski Resort. So that is some of what I’ve done but you’ll have to come up to Camp Dodge and work with us to find out what I’m like (and then tell me so I’ll know what to write for future bios). I will let everyone know beforehand that I’m officially addicted to both skiing and trout fishing so don’t get me started on those topics unless you want to be tied up for a while.

I can’t wait for all the new rewards and challenges in the field with the AMC volunteer trails program. I’m looking forward to meeting all my new co-workers, the volunteer crews, and seeing this beautiful mountain range from a whole new perspective. Hopefully my personality, background, and skills will complement the rest of the staff that has already started working at Camp Dodge.

Assistant Trail Crew Leaders

Everett "Ack" Moore
"Hey I'm Everett, but some people call me Ack. I was born in Sherman, Connecticut, but my heart has always been in the White Mountains. I volunteered with AMC the past two years and am looking forward to a chance to lead. Next year I'm off to Green Mountain College to major in Adventure Recreation, which should be a blast. My favorite thing to do is think, but i don't mind backpacking, climbing, and biking either. I'm pumped to be in the mountains this summer!"

Caitlin Johnson

Hello! I am a native Mainer finishing my sophomore year at Penn State. I am a special education major, minoring in English and dance. I got into trail work by volunteering with EcoAction, an organization promoting conservation around Penn State campuses. I spend most, if not all of my spare time running, hiking, swimming, and dreaming of becoming a pro-tap dancer. After working in the lovely Pinkham storehouse last summer, I am wicked excited to spend this season with all of you outdoors!

Sally "Mercedes" Hartzell

I'm from North Carolina and a sophomore majoring in studio art at Kenyoncollege. I'm especially interested in illustration. I have been in love withthe white mountains ever since I first hiked Mount Washington when I was 5. Ihave a 1 year old spoiled rotten golden retriever named Charlie, who recentlychewed the tongue off of me new hiking boots.

Teens To Trails Conference 2008

Last Saturday, April 5^th, Alex, Emily Mitchell, the AMC's Education Programs Coordinator, and I went to the Teens To Trails conference at Windham High School in Windham, Maine. Teens To Trails is a nonprofit based in Maine with a mission of increasing opportunities for teenagers to experience outdoor activities and strive to have every high school in Maine to have an outing club.

This year, the second annual Teens to Trails conference showed a marked increase in participation in both exhibitors and teenagers. The three of us had a booth set up to promote our programs that get teens out of doors: Teen Wilderness Adventures, A Mountain Classroom, and Volunteer Vacations. There were good number of other exhibitors comprised of summer camps, environmental agencies, colleges and universities in Maine, land managers, nonprofit groups, and gear companies.

This year Teens To Trails also included a variety of “how-to” workshops ranging from fly fishing to wilderness first aid. Emily offered a workshop on White Mountain Mammals and was equipped with a variety of skulls and pelts. In the afternoon, Alex and I conducted an awareness workshop on Leave no Trace ethics in which we introduced the seven principles of minimal impact camping through a few games and activities.

Little Lyford Pond Camps - Ski Trails

4/2/2008

I just returned from a trip up to AMC's Little Lyford Pond Camps (LLPC) in northern Maine. This is my last get-away before the summer really picks up. Sara DeLucia and I went up there together for the last two days that LLPC was open for the winter season. We had such a great time skiing that I thought I would share our ski trail experiences with the AMC Trails Community.

We made arrangements to meet Chuck, one of the LLPC Camp

Managers at North Woods Outfitters in Greenville, ME. It took just under 4 hours to drive from Gorham, NH to Greenville, ME. From Greenville, we followed Chuck on dirt... well, snow-covered roads for 10 miles east to the winter parking lot. From there Chuck took our gear in on a snow machine and Sara and I skied in the 6.5 miles to the camps.

Since I was last there in the winter, just about 5 years ago, the new Hedgehog Gate Trail had been constructed. This is the primary ski trail in and out of the camps and is worlds better than skiing in the road. The Hedgehog Gate Trail was full of twists and turds through the mixed forest with a good mix of ups and fun down hills. Along the way, we even ran into a moose. He seemed to really be struggling in the deep snow, so we moved on trying not to bother him too much.

After settling into our cabin, Grey Ghost (many of the cabins are named after flys used for fly-fishing) we took a walk around to see the new additions and updates to the camp. The most notable addition is the new heated bath house and sauna. There was a sauna there in the past, but now the sauna is much larger and attached to the bathrooms and shower building.

Our full day there we skied as much as we could. After a great breakfast we headed down the Pleasant River Trail to link up with the Head of the Gulf Trail all the way to Gulf Hagas. Once we arrived at Gulf Hagas, we dropped our skis and walked the Rim Trail and dared to peer over the edge in several places.

Turning back and following the Head of the Gulf trail we then skied back on the Upper Valley Road to access the Indian Mountain Circuit Trail. This ski trail leaves the Upper Valley Road very close to LLPC's access road and head up and around Indian Mountain. The Indian Mountain Circuit Trail was a great ski trail with great terrain and with a bit of new snow falling the skiing just got better and better.

We followed the Indian Mountain Circuit Trail to a major road crossing then followed the roads north towards Pleasant River Trail-North. This trail took us along the east side of both of the Lyford Ponds as we skied south back to camp. We walked into our cabin just after 3:30pm and took a well deserved nap before dinner.

Before we knew it we were on our way out and leaving LLPC and the great ski trails behind. If you have not yet been up to Little Lyford Pond Camps or the Maine Woods yet, what are you waiting for. This has been a great winter and although we are all looking forward to spring, we will be talking about the snow we have had for years to come.

We want to say thanks to Chuck and Rose, the LLPC Camp Managers, to Brian and Katie, Camp Crew, and to Kevin, Staff Carpenter, for all of their help, hospitality, and great food. I look forward to a return visit to LLPC some time soon.

Until then, the summer Volunteer Trails Programs in the Whites are just about to get going!

See you on the trails,

-Alex

North Country Trails Volunteer Programs Supervisor