It’s a rainy afternoon up here on the coast of Maine.  What better way to while away the time than to snuggle up and read about the super-cool cats who will be leading our Pacific Coast and Northwest Explorer trips this summer!   

Tim Hunt

We are thrilled to welcome back Tim Hunt this summer to lead our Pacific Coast trips.  Tim’s diverse interests range from cycling (of course!) to white-water kayaking to renaissance a cappella music, and they include pretty much everything in between.  Tim hails from Oakland, California, where he was a member of the Pacific Boychoir Academy for eleven years.  With this world-renowned choir, Tim toured through Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and China.  Tim is now a rising senior at Bowdoin College, where he’s studying Neuroscience, plays trombone in the Jazz Combo, and runs for both the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams.  At Bowdoin, Tim satisfies his passion for the outdoors by spending weekends on skiing and hiking trips with the Outing Club.  Needless to say, Tim is an experienced outdoor adventurer; he’s backpacked through Death Valley National Park, along the famous Pacific Crest, and through New Hampshire’s Presidential range.  He’s an avid cyclist, both road and mountain, and loves to surf.  Tim has just returned from a semester abroad in Paris, where he sang with the a cappella group he co-founded, and picked up useful French phrases such as “I miss nature” and “Yes, I am planning to eat both of those baguettes.”  After leading two fantastic California Mountains and Coast trips with Apogee last summer, Tim is looking forward to picking up his bicycle and again sharing his love for his home state with his Apogee groups this summer!  Tim is a Wilderness First Responder and certified in CPR.

Ally Bolger

After spending last summer working with Apogee in the office, we can’t wait to welcome Ally Bolger to the pantheon of leaders this summer!  Ally is a New Jersey native with a serious passion for the outdoors.  She was a mere babe of eighteen months when her family took her on her first camping trip, a month long road trip across several states.  It was on this trip that Ally’s impressive 44-state visit tally began, and since that first camping trip, Ally has traveled with her family all over the country, stopping to hike, kayak, and camp in National Parks on every journey.  Her outdoorsy and adventurous upbringing fostered hobbies like alpine and nordic skiing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, scuba diving, and swimming. Ally graduated this spring from Colby College, where she studied Russian and Geology.  At Colby, Ally was an officer in the Outdoor Club and rowed on Colby’s varsity crew team.  During a semester abroad in Nepal, Ally completed a two-week backpacking trek through the “Khumbu” – the stunning region surrounding Mount Everest.  Ally has led pre-orientation backpacking trips for freshmen at Colby, and worked as a camp counselor near her home in New Jersey.   She tutored middle school students in high school, and now mentors a middle school student in Winslow, Maine with the “Colby Cares about Kids” organization.  She can’t wait to combine her love for kids with her passion for the outdoors as she leads her groups down the Pacific Coast. Ally is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR.

Mia Taggart

Back after an outstanding summer leading Apogee’s Coast to Quebec trip in 2012, Mia Taggart is sure to make her mark on the Pacific Coast and Northwest. There is a decided sense of déjà vu in the air as Mia returns to the Pacific Coast after her 2007 ride with Apogee as a student! Now a rising senior at Bates College, Mia is happy to be studying education in her home state.  On campus, Mia loves to sing with her all-female a cappella group, the “Merimanders.”  Additionally, Mia is the president and founder of Slow Food Bates – with whom Mia arranges farm visits, film screenings and community dinners.  In 2011-12, Mia had a decidedly adventurous year away from the classroom.  She spent the fall in Guatemala, working as an art teacher with the remarkable Safe Passage organization, dedicated to improving the lives of the at-risk children whose families live off of  the Guatemala City dump.  Mia returned to Maine for the winter where she split her time between working with us in the Apogee office and volunteering as a Nordic ski coach at the Freeport, Maine Middle School.  Spring found Mia in Italy, working as a farm intern at Tuscany’s Tenuta di Spannocchia, a 13th-century estate that practices sustainable farming.  Now looking to this summer, Mia can’t wait to get out and hit the roads and trails of the northwest, first riding the Oregon and California coasts on our Pacific Coast trip, then heading north and donning her hiking boots for our Northwest Explorer trip.  A woman of varied, deep interests, Mia loves to sing, cook, sculpt, ski, cycle and hike.  She is eagerly looking forward to sharing those passions with this summer’s groups.  Mia is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR.

Jeremy Cronon

Born into a family of outdoor enthusiasts, Jeremy Cronon is no stranger to the wilderness.  Growing up in Wisconsin, Jeremy traveled with his family to raft the Grand Canyon, took a 10,000 mile road trip in the American West, and spent summers swimming and paddling on Lake Superior.  Through all of his travels, Jeremy has developed quite an adventurous spirit.  Before graduating from Bates College this spring, he spent a year studying in Barcelona, and was able to travel throughout Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Hungary.  At Bates, Jeremy majored in History and worked as a teaching assistant, served as Safety Director of the Outing Club, and played Ultimate Frisbee on the club team.  Additionally, Jeremy has been skydiving in New Hampshire and completed a National Outdoor Leadership School course in Wyoming.  Jeremy spent his last six summers working as a sea-kayak guide on Lake Superior – sharing his love for the outdoors and of adventure with folks young and old.  This year, Jeremy can’t wait to spend his summer on the Pacific Coast and Northwest Explorer trips.  He’ll be working with great young people and bestowing upon them his knowledge of Elvish (seriously!). Jeremy is a Wilderness First Responder and certified in CPR.