It’s that time of year! We’re ready to unveil our spectacular lineup of trip leaders for our 2026 summer adventure camps. Read on to learn about our Alps Explorer, Maine Coast Junior, Pyrenees Mountains & Coast, and Dolomite Mountains & Croatian Coast trip leaders!
Name: Megan McKeown (she/her)
2026 Trip: Alps Explorer
Prior Apogee experience: Maine’s Downeast Explorer ‘22, New England Mountains & Coast ‘22, Alps Explorer ‘23 & ‘24
Hometown: Verona, New Jersey
School: University of Vermont
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, canoeing, biking, birding, flying kites, swimming, and looking for critters
Highlights of the past year: Megan is an avid birder, and this year she hit a major milestone — she spotted her 400th bird species! The bird that pushed her over the top? That would be the Barbados bullfinch (try saying that five times fast). When she wasn’t out scanning treetops, she was busy completing her first handmade quilt.
Where you can find Megan when she is not out birding: She’s likely in the kitchen, cooking up delicious meals for friends and loved ones or baking sourdough bread. She also loves a good craft – knitting, quilting, and sewing are some of her favorites.
Further proof of Megan’s awesomeness: Megan is finishing up her sixth year of teaching; she currently teaches outdoor science and preschool at a school in Vermont. Before becoming an educator, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Dance. When she’s not working with young learners, she’s probably crafting or out for a run (in shorts, no matter the season!). This summer marks Megan’s fourth with Apogee and her third in the Alps. She’s thrilled to be back and can’t wait to take in stunning views, delicious baguettes, and unforgettable adventures with her amazing groups and co-leader.
Name: Mark House (he/him)
2026 Trip: Alps Explorer
Prior Apogee experience: Pacific Coast Support ‘17, Costa Rica Language & Community ‘18, Europe Coast to Coast ‘19, ‘22, & ’23, America Coast to Coast ‘21, Summer Housing and Warehouse Specialist ‘25
Hometown: Troy, Michigan
School: University of Michigan
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Skiing and biking
Highlights of the past year: After spending last summer working in Apogee’s office headquarters in Maine, Mark headed across the Atlantic to work with our friends at Parallel Adventures leading trips in Sardinia!
Where you can find Mark when he is not adventuring through Europe: He’s probably solving a Rubik’s Cube, playing basketball, or watching videos about black holes. His interests and skills truly span the universe.
Just a few more reasons why we think Mark is amazing: This will be Mark’s eighth summer working with Apogee. He has biked across both Europe and the United States, studied Spanish in Costa Rica, and spent last summer in Maine as part of our office team. When he’s not busy being an Apogee legend, you can likely find him on the ski slopes, where he has perfected a 360 on both skis and a snowboard. He also recently officiated a close friend’s wedding and is an ordained minister! Mark really can do it all. He is so excited to be back at Apogee again this summer and cannot wait to explore the Alps with his co-leader and their amazing groups!
Name: Cat Bergland (she/her)
2026 Trip: Alps Explorer
Prior Apogee experience: Colorado’s Rocky Mountains ‘23, Golden State Adventure ‘23, Northwest Explorer ‘24
Hometown: Medfield, Massachusetts
School: Middlebury College
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, biking, and doing cold plunges
Highlights of the past year: Cat has had quite the year. She spent a semester studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she took full advantage of her time in South America, including an unforgettable trip to Patagonia. Back at Middlebury this fall, she completed an epic bike ride to various farms around Vermont and even joined an a cappella group.
Where you can find Cat when she is not biking or hiking: She’s probably dancing with her college dance group or grabbing a coffee with a friend.
Other reasons Cat is the niftiest: Before Cat attended Middlebury, she took a gap year that included a semester‑long NOLS course in Baja Mexico, where she kayaked, soaked up the desert coastline and even spotted a whale. She also has many years of camp life under her belt – both at Apogee and with other organizations. One summer before working with Apogee, she even invented a new waterskiing move at her summer camp: waterskiing while eating an apple. We’re not sure how she’ll top that this summer… backpacking while eating an apple, perhaps? Cat is incredibly excited to return to Apogee for her third summer. She can’t wait to explore the Alps, enjoy plenty of fresh baguettes, and reunite with the amazing leader community.
Name: Sam Butler (he/him)
2026 Trip: Alps Explorer
Prior Apogee experience: New England Mountains & Coast ‘24, and Maine Coast Junior ‘24
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
School: Pomona College
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, mountain biking, and climbing
Highlights of the past year: Sam has spent his senior year at Pomona making the most of California’s incredible landscapes. Between classes and track practice, he’s explored Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, and Big Sur – a pretty unbeatable list for one year, if you ask us.
Where you can find Sam when he is not exploring California’s beauty: He’s probably out on a run with his college track team, strumming his guitar, or reading a really good book.
More reasons to love Sam: Sam re-joins Apogee as a brand‑new Pomona graduate with a degree in Math. During his junior year, he spent a semester studying abroad in France, where he coached a local soccer club. When he’s home (or on campus; they go to the same school!), he spends lots of time with his twin sister. He’s also mastered the art of juggling while running, which feels like the perfect warmup for his next challenge: juggling while hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. Sam is thrilled to return to Apogee this summer. He can’t wait to build a community with his students and co-leader, take in the Alps in all their glory, and enjoy every European dessert he can get his hands on.
Name: Kaelyn DeCorte (she/her)
2026 Trip: Dolomite Mountains & Croatian Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Cape Cod & the Islands ‘24, Vermont to Montreal ‘24, Iceland Mountains & Coast ‘25
Hometown: Southampton, Pennsylvania
School: Wake Forest University
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, hiking, and waterskiing
Highlights of the past year: Kaelyn has been soaking up every moment of her final year at Wake Forest. One of her biggest highlights was leading a backpacking trip for incoming first‑years on the Appalachian Trail in the fall. She also celebrated her brother’s wedding!
Where you can find Kaelyn when she’s not on the trails: She’s usually spending time with friends and family, heading out for a run, watching soccer, catching a concert, or getting lost in a good book.
Facts that will make you say, “Wow, Kaelyn is so cool!”: Kaelyn is fluent in French thanks to two study‑abroad programs in France. And France isn’t the only place she’s lived abroad; she spent part of her childhood in Australia and will be heading back there after spending this summer with Apogee. She also comes from a big, lively family: she’s one of five kids (with four brothers!) and has 23 first cousins. At Wake Forest, she leads outdoor trips all over North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, sharing her love of adventure with students across campus. Kaelyn is beyond excited to return to Apogee. She can’t wait to hike the Alta Via 1, play endless rounds of cards, and spend her summer exploring the Dolomites and Croatian coast with her awesome groups and co‑ leader.
Name: Benna McDermott (she/her)
2026 Trip: Dolomite Mountains & Croatian Coast
Prior Apogee experience: New England Mountains & Coast ‘23, Maine Coast Junior ‘23, Iceland Mountains & Coast ‘25
Hometown: Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
School: Dartmouth College
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Skiing (backcountry, nordic, and downhill), hiking, and running
Highlights of the past year: Benna has been on the move this year, literally. She completed a beloved Dartmouth tradition: hiking 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 24 hours, finishing right in the middle of campus. She also planned and executed an unforgettable spring break trip to Machu Picchu with friends.
Where you can find Benna when she is not crushing miles on the AT: She’s usually deep into a board or card game, sampling every ice cream flavor she can find, or tackling the full lineup of New York Times games.
A few more reasons that Benna rocks: Benna is savoring her final semester at Dartmouth, including another campus tradition: swimming in the Connecticut River every day of the spring semester. In the colder months, she volunteered as a ski patroller, combining her love of snow with her knack for helping others. She’s fluent in Spanish after semesters in both Guatemala and Argentina. Benna is no stranger to Apogee, either – in addition to being a trip leader in 2023 and 2025, she also participated in three trips as an Apogee student: Vermont to Montreal, Pacific Coast, and Europe Coast to Coast. Benna can’t wait to devour Italian food, explore the Dolomites and Croatian coast, and sleep in the same trusty sleeping bag she used on her own Apogee adventures.
Name: Aria Heyneman (she/her)
2026 Trips: Maine Coast Junior and Pyrenees Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Alaska Mountains & Coast ‘24, Costa Rica Mountains & Coast ‘25
Hometown: Sheridan, Wyoming
School: Wake Forest University
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, skiing (both alpine and nordic), hiking, and swimming
Highlights of the past year: After leading for Apogee last summer, Aria headed back home to Wyoming to work at her local newspaper, covering everything from sports to government and everything in between. She then hit the road, exploring the Southwest and California and stopping along the way to visit many Apogee friends.
Where you can find Aria when she’s not embarking on an epic road trip: She is likely playing soccer, doing yoga, reading, spending time with loved ones, planning new travel adventures, or scrapbooking.
Other reasons we think Aria is the bee’s knees: Aria has spent nearly every summer since she was eight at one summer camp or another! The only year that she did not spend the summer at camp was when she went to Salamanca, Spain, to participate in a cultural immersion study abroad program. She still keeps up with her host family and speaks with them regularly. In the fall, Aria plans to pursue a graduate degree in magazine writing at Northwestern University. She cannot wait to meet her students and spend her summer in Acadia and the Pyrenees, sharing lots of laughs with her awesome groups!
Name: Sara Litteken (she/her)
2026 Trips: Maine Coast Junior and Pyrenees Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico ‘24, New England Mountains & Coast ‘25, and Alaska Mountains & Coast ‘25
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
School: Boston College and Boston College Master of Social Work
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, skiing, and backpacking
Highlights of the past year: Sara spent the last year exploring her new home state of Colorado on foot, bike, and skis. She also loved spending time with her Apogee leader friends who live in and around Denver, and even some who were just passing through!
Where you can find Sara when she’s not hiking around Colorado: She is probably on a run, playing basketball, reading a good book, or baking fresh loaves of bread (yum).
Super fun facts about Sara that will make you smile: Sara has spent the last five years working with adolescents in a variety of roles and is currently a therapist for at‑risk youth in Denver. During college, she led outdoor trips and worked as a graduate assistant for Boston College’s Outdoor Adventure program. On the side, she also enjoys performing sketch and improv comedy! This summer will be a full circle moment for Sara, because she was an Apogee student herself and completed the Pyrenees Mountains & Coast trip when she was in high school, way back in 2019. She’s thrilled to return to Apogee this summer and is excited to have a ton of fun with her groups, explore the coast of Maine, and reconnect with the magic of the Pyrenees.