Drumroll, please… It’s time for the second installment of Apogee’s Summer 2026 Leader Bios! Read on to learn more about the outstanding leaders who will be guiding our New England Mountains & Coast, Iceland Mountains & Coast, and Europe Coast to Coast!
Name: Cleo Whitney (she/her)
2026 Trips: New England Mountains & Coast and Iceland Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Caribbean Service: Virgin Islands ‘25 and Maine Coast College Essay ’25
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
School: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, paddling (in all of its many forms!), and having a good snack with an even better view
Highlights from the past year: Cleo traveled far and wide this year, visiting friends in Colorado and Mexico. She also spent time in the midwest during the fall semester writing articles about saunas for a magazine – talk about a hot scoop! (Sorry… we had to.)
Where you can find Cleo when she’s not jetting off to visit friends in faraway places: She is probably on the hunt for someone to play cards with, celebrating her latest score on the New York Times Crossword, or trying a new ice cream flavor.
Other reasons we think Cleo is the coolest: Cleo has been Irish dancing since she was about five years old, competing in both local and international competitions. She still teaches youth classes and dances with her college team—ask her to teach you a jig! She’s also ready at any moment to break out her line‑dancing skills or the Footloose choreography she memorized from Just Dance Kids 2014. Before joining Apogee as a leader, Cleo spent five summers as a kayak, canoe, and paddleboard guide in the Boston area. At school in Wisconsin, she gets her outdoor fix as a Backpacking Leader for the Hoofers Outing Club. She’s also a five‑year Apogee alumna! Her trip résumé as a student includes Colorado Rocky Mountains, California’s Mountains & Coast, Scottish Highlands, Pyrenees Mountains & Coast, and Northwest Explorer. Cleo cannot wait to explore New England and Iceland this summer and is looking forward to cheffing up some delicious camp meals every night!
Name: Ian McClure-Chute (he/him)
2026 Trips: New England Mountains & Coast and Iceland Mountains & Coast
Hometown: Portland, Maine
School: Pomona College
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, hiking, climbing, and kayaking
Highlights of the past year: Ian had a busy year of traveling and exploring! He road‑tripped and hiked around Lake Van in Türkiye, herded goats along the Georgian–Russian border, and scrambled across the rocky cliffs of Maine’s Bold Coast.
Where you can find Ian when he’s not traveling the world: He’s probably reading a good book, exploring Google Earth in search of his next great adventure, or learning a new song on guitar.
A few more fun facts about Ian: Ian has worked as a squash coach in Portland, Maine, for several years, including coaching students entirely in Arabic. He has spent many summers as a camp counselor and has also worked with kids as a writing tutor. He’s even seen the northern lights over a Maine lake not once, but twice (will there be a third sighting this summer in Iceland…? Only time will tell!). Ian is thrilled to join the Apogee team, and can’t wait to explore Casco Bay and Iceland with his students.
Name: Emeline Moss (she/her)
2026 Trips: New England Mountains & Coast and Iceland Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Caribbean Service: Virgin Islands ‘25 and Maine Coast College Essay ’25
Hometown: Houston, Texas
School: Dartmouth College
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, backpacking, swimming, kayaking, and taking long walks in nature
Highlights from the past year: Emeline explored Costa Rica over spring break, interned at Dartmouth’s Hood Museum of Art – where she researched and curated her own exhibit – and took daily dips in the Connecticut River during spring semester, a beloved senior tradition.
Where you can find Emeline when she is not cold plunging: She’s probably baking zucchini bread, playing card games, sitting on benches chatting with friends, listening to music, or trying new ice cream flavors at Hanover’s own Red Kite Creamery.
More reasons to love Emeline: Throughout her time at Dartmouth, Emeline has been deeply involved in the school’s “first‑year trips” program for incoming freshmen, both as a trip leader and behind the scenes. She loves facilitating these trips and welcoming small groups of incoming students to Dartmouth and its traditions. Emeline is also a lover of knick‑knacks, with collections ranging from piggy banks to paper birthday hats—because every day deserves a little celebration. Outside of her love for the outdoors, Emeline has always been passionate about art and art‑making; in high school, she even ran her own small business painting custom dog portraits. She cannot wait to be back at Apogee this summer, making more amazing memories and exploring breathtaking places with her students and co-leaders!
Name: Lila Gilmer (she/her)
2026 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Colorado’s Rocky Mountains ‘24, Pacific Coast ‘25 and Alaska Mountains & Coast ‘25
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
School: Colorado College
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, running, and backpacking
Highlights of the past year: Lila was moving and grooving this year, from backpacking in Wyoming’s Wind River Range to studying abroad in Scandinavia. A standout moment was discovering – and staying in – one of the coolest Airbnbs around: a converted school bus tucked away in Colorado.
Where you can find Lila when she’s not running: She’s usually testing out a new recipe, making a cup of matcha, grabbing ice cream (at least once a week!), or catching up with friends either in person or over FaceTime.
Other things about Lila that will make you say “whoa!”: Lila is a triplet! Growing up, she nannied and taught swim lessons, so working with kids has always been a big part of her life. At Colorado College, she has spent three years as a Residential Advisor and is the captain (and resident “hype‑woman”) of CC’s cross country and track and field teams. She also currently coaches high‑school cross country and track, and in the fall she will begin a graduate program at Smith College where she will coach their collegiate running teams while pursuing a masters degree in exercise science. Lila is so excited to return to Apogee this year and cannot wait to reunite with her co‑leaders, meet her students, and explore Europe by bike.
Name: Seth Grauer (he/him)
2026 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee experience: Cape Cod & the Islands ‘24, Vermont to Montreal ‘24, Pacific Coast ‘25 and Alaska Mountains & Coast ‘25
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
School: Carleton College
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Biking (mountain, gravel and road), skiing, ultimate frisbee, hiking, running, and broomball (if you know, you know)
Highlights of the past year: Seth’s adventures took him to some incredible places last year. He studied food systems and agriculture in Oaxaca, Mexico, walked across Chequamegon Bay when it was frozen solid, and visited his co‑leaders on a trip to Colorado. Finally, although it hasn’t happened yet, he anticipates graduating college in June will be a big highlight, too!
Where you can find Seth when he’s not out on a frozen lake: He’s likely reading, playing Wii Sports with friends, rewatching Friends, cheering on the Detroit Lions, or cooking up something delicious.
Additional super awesome facts about Seth: He has worked with the Carleton Food Recovery Network for the past three years, helping recover over 2,000 pounds of food each week! He also competed in a D1 ultimate frisbee tournament with his collegiate club team. On top of that, he has worked for the past few years as a peer coach at the Carleton Career Center, supporting his fellow students one‑on‑one as they searched and applied for jobs. Seth cannot wait to cycle through Europe with his group, eat more baguettes than he can count, and cook incredible meals every day.
Leader Name: Henry Hamilton (he/him)
2026 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee experience: New England Field Leader ‘22 and ‘23, Iceland Mountains & Coast ‘24, Pacific Coast Support Leader ’25 and Maine Coast Junior ‘25
Hometown: New York City, New York
School: Skidmore College
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, biking, running, and competing in triathlons
Highlights of the past year: Henry hit the ground running this year—literally! He completed the New York City Marathon in the fall, which was his first ever marathon. He also hiked in Chile’s Atacama Desert, visited his co‑leaders in Colorado, and road‑tripped through the Scottish Highlands.
Where you can find Henry when he isn’t on the move: Henry is always looking for his next Lego project, keeping up with the latest from NASA’s space program, or trying out new restaurants with friends.
Stuff about Henry that will make you smile: Henry currently teaches third grade in New York City, and he is excited to begin a Masters program in Special Education at Columbia University in the fall. In addition to this being Henry’s FIFTH summer leading with Apogee, he was also an Apogee student for many years; he completed our Pacific Coast, Europe Coast to Coast, and Coast to Quebec biking trips. Henry is looking forward to supporting all of the epic bikers in Europe and spending another summer with his amazing co-leaders!