Our Crew Leaders

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? Born in Boulder, CO (3rd generation Colorado and Boulder native) and live in Westminster, CO

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? 10 years

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? To play in the dirt.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? Need to play in more dirt 🙂 There will always be more trail work to do and it is always so nice to meet new people when we are doing it.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I am easy going and love to teach trail building techniques, I also enjoy learning from our crew members and other crew leaders. As a crew leader, I believe it is important to create a crew environment that is inclusive, safe, and fun. I also take pride in the work each crew accomplishes and value quality work over quantity. When cooking for the trail crew, it is enjoyable to have the crew members join in and help with the camp cooking. Nothing brings together a community like hanging out in the kitchen.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? I would say it was the first one I volunteered for, it set the tone and foundation for a long lasting relationship with the CTF and working with trail crews on the trail.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) The first thing I would buy is all terrain, low-impact, mobile kitchen. It would be fun to be able to set up a trail magic hot kitchen and roll on into a trail crew camp and cook a yummy meal.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? I would have to say I would be a rock bar. Only just used for a while, works hard, then just lies around until needed again. Is also a pain in the butt to go long distances with 🙂

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I have called Colorado home since high school. I live in Erie now, but I also own an off-grid cabin a few miles from the CT. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? I volunteered on my first crew in 2019, which was a wonderful experience.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? I solo bikepacked the trail in 2018, which was one of the most difficult yet rewarding thing that I have done. Volunteering seemed to be best way to pay for that opportunity, and to enable others to share and enjoy the experiences that the trail has to offer.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The community. The pride in working with a team that does the job right. The food. It is a great excuse to spend more time on the trail.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I strive to have every crew member finish the crew with a sense of accomplishment, pride in a job well done, more knowledgeable about trail maintenance and construction, and just plain happier!

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Not a fair question. Which child is your favorite? Each project has had its own highs, its own challenges, and its own crew. I have loved them all.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) Ground-penetrating radar system to find the rock right below the surface with the perfect size and shape for that wall or step. And it could be used to find that close by borrow pit with perfect mineral soil and no rocks.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? A rock bar. I can multiply the force applied by others to move the rock.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I live outside Boulder, originally from upstate New York.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? Since 2018.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? I bikepacked the CT with my 17 year old son in July 2017. We had such an awesome experience we decided to "give back" and join two backpack crews in 2018 (Illinois Creek, S Clear Creek).

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The people! Volunteers are a giving sort, and I've met some incredible people over the years on crews and look forward to seeing them every summer.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I've been described as intense, adventurous and fun. Join one of my crews and you'll not only learn a lot, but also have a great time and leave a worthy legacy for future generations.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? S Fooses, from the start.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) A ticket on a Blue Origin flight.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? The Pulaski. I've got some Polish in my genes, I'm multi-faceted, and I know how to cut through the BS.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? Born in Brooklyn, New York back in 19 and 52. Live in Golden, Colorado, by way of Maryland, Virginia, and Wyoming.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? My first crew was back in 1987. I signed on to crew number 36 at Mount Princeton, led by Jerry Helmke. It happened to be one of the two concurrently run crews (the other being crew 25, Twin Sisters, in the San Juan Mountain Area) recognized as the completion crews who had the honor of finishing the 14-year process of tying many segments of trails together to finally form a continuous and complete (albeit with many more years of work remaining) Colorado Trail. I still have the golden painted spike each crew member received to mark and celebrate the occasion. I enjoyed it so much I have been volunteering for CTF in several capacities ever since. Started leading crews in 1998.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? Although my grandfather, William Wesley Kepler, was a hunter and fisherman and even served as a camp cook at a hunting club in the hills of central Pennsylvania. Those skills and sports were never passed down to me the fourth of five children born to Mabel and Roy. Probably because as a young man my father contracted tuberculosis and lost a fair portion of his lungs while working for the Civilian Conservation Corp back in the 1930’s which certainly limited his physical capabilities. But as a kid I got a kick out of running through the woods of Rockland County, NY. As I got older my buddies and I did some hiking in and around Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain State Park, including little day hikes to swimming holes off local trails which branched from the Appalachian Trail which ran through those parks of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC). So, while not a hunter or fisherman I did develop a liking for the outdoors and hiking. Later, one of my first jobs was working for the PIPC taking quarters from city folks coming to picnic areas to enjoy a summer’s day. While attending Indiana State University enrolled in the Aerospace Technology program, as a Sophomore I took a Spring Break field course to the Grand Canyon. The trip included a river raft trip from Lee’s Ferry to Phantom Ranch (A CCC built site), and from there a hike up to the South Rim. I was one fortunate kid snagging a small airplane ride from the South Rim to Lee’s Ferry to start the river run. That experience changed my life. I loved everything about the trip, and I even earned 1 college credit for my efforts. I realized this is what I wanted to do somehow, someway, I knew it was out there somewhere. To learn some geology and find some sort of work in the outdoors or as close to it as I could come. When I got back to ISU, I decided to transfer back to Geneseo, a college within the State University of New York and changed my major to Geological Sciences. Got my degree there and found my first job with the National Park Service in 1976. My new job was at Federal Hall National Monument, site of the nation’s first Capitol’ located on Wall Street, right cross from the New York Stock Exchange. A fun job especially during the Bicentennial. A perk there was working July 4th, 1976, at the Statue of Liberty where I watched the celebrations including big ships and fireworks. Sounds great. But not exactly the great outdoors. But I was in the Federal Government. I applied for a job as a cartographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland. Met my sweetheart Denice there. Transferred to a Cartographer position with the United States Geological Survey’s Topographic Division’s Special Mapping Center in Reston Virginia. From there I found the job that would take me outdoors and out west. In 1979, shortly after getting married to Denice, I accepted a position as a Geologist in the Conservation Division in Casper, Wyoming. As a young married couple, Denice and I moved out to a very culturally different environment of the high plains of the Powder River Basin. That office ended up closing in 1982 and its duties absorbed into a new Federal Agency, the Mineral Management Service whose headquarters were to be located at the Denver Federal Center. Which brought us to the Denver area in 1983. The new job was interesting but unlike the work in Casper which was Resource Evaluation work outdoors determining Federal Coal Reserves in the Powder River Basin, this was office work, making sure royalties were being paid properly by the mineral industry. I needed to get outdoors again. A March 22, 1987 article in the Rock Mountain News titled “Colorado Trail, 14-year quest nearly finished” drew my attention to the possibility of getting out there on the trails again, and in my mind following my grandfather, and CCC working father, working or at least volunteering in the great outdoors. That article started off with the sentence “ Gudrun Gaskill hopes to see the end of her 14-year quest this summer with the scheduled completions of the 450-mile Colorado Trail that winds across five national forests from Denver to Durango.” That was it, I signed up. I guess you could say it wasn’t just a spark the set me off but a lifelong series of impulses that got me to the volunteer trail work and the Colorado Trail Foundation.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The work, the idea of giving back to the trails, following in the footsteps of other trail builders, and the people I meet each and every year that have the same connection to the trails.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? Well, I don’t like to take charge too much. I like to lay out the plan, often with a first day out look at the work to be done for the week and go from there. I try to solicit ideas and have the crew figure it out, whatever it might be, from moving a rock or tree stump to building a turnpike. This year I look forward to taking out an old trail bridge. Seeing the crew come together is most rewarding for me. And we always end up doing stellar work.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Several. Including working on and being present at the laying of the Gudy Gaskill Bridge and the Clear Creek Bridge, working on many Gudy Gaskill led crews, and one crew up at Cascade Creek where I got to work with USFS Rangers drilling holes in boulders for dynamite and watching from a very safe distance with hard hats on, seeing them blown to smithereens.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) Probably a trip to the Himalayas for a hike up to the Mount Everest base camp.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? In my younger days it was definitely the rock bar because of the enthusiasm needed to weld it to dig out and move rocks and tree stumps. These days I am content as the Silky Saw (Which the CTF presented in recognition many years volunteering with the Foundation (Thank you again. It’s a true treasure.)). The Saw allows for a slower pace of work and allows for taking in the grand views both near and far that the trail offers to all the Friends of the Trail.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I have been living in Colorado Springs since 1970. My father was in the Air Force, so we moved a lot when I was young.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? Since 2013.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? Part of my duties at the Air Force Academy was working on trails with volunteers. I really enjoyed that type of work, so I started looking for opportunities and found a great fit with the Colorado Trail Foundation.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? I think it is wonderful being able to work with great people, make some new friends and then get to work with those friends year after year. Building trails, Oh Yeah!

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I want all the crew members to enjoy their experiences and come away with a good feeling of accomplishment. I like for the trail work to be done right and everyone to know how and why we do it that way. So when we are done with the project you can look back with pride and say "I did that''!

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Illinois Creek. Physically challenging, High Altitude, Great Scenery and some BFR’s!

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) A new paleo-pick. My old one broke!

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? A paleo-pick because getting down on your hands and knees and working in the soil and rocks is a great feeling.

1. I grew up in central NY. Small town called Rome. At age 20 I took a leap of faith and moved to CO. Lived there for 46 years. Raised my family. Then a couple years ago I took another leap and moved to Wilmington NC. But I come back to CO to lead the Women’s Crew each summer.

2. I started trail crews on the CT in 1987 and have done at least 1 crew nearly every year since except the year I was too pregnant. I started leading trail crews about 17 years ago.

3. My spark was, I was single and knew I wanted to spend more time in the mountains. I heard an ad on a radio station soliciting volunteers to help build a new trail. So I called and was hooked on my first crew. And it did what I wanted, got me in the mountains. And I have lifelong friendships because of it.

4. What keeps me coming back? The people, the comraderies, the scenery, the work and physicalness. And I feel like I really make a difference and a contribution.

5. Why you should come on my crew? Well see previous statement. As a leader I try very hard to make everyone feel successful and that they have made a difference. And my menu is great.

6. Favorite project. Hard to pinpoint, but I was on maybe 5 successive years building the new Winfield section so I really feel attached to it. I adopted it in fact for several years.

7. If I won the lottery, I would first buy a small camper van. I love road trips and I would probably start a very long one.

8. If I were a trail tool, I'd be a pulaski. Light and agile, it can do a lot of things.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I am originally from Illinois, but I have lived in Colorado for just over 30 years. I currently live in Westminster, CO.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? My husband (Scott Smith) and I participated in our first volunteer trail crew in 2013. Shortly after that, we were asked to become crew leaders, and who can say no to that! We were crew leader apprentices in 2014 and lead our first crew together in 2015.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? I have been a volunteer for the City of Westminster Open Space for a long time and have had many opportunities to do work on urban trails. This combined with the fact that I love hiking, made it logical to take the next step and try my hand at working on hiking trails. My first experience was in Denali National Park in Alaska, followed the next year by a stint in Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. After those experiences, it was time to stay a little closer to home and start work on the Colorado Trail. This was a promise my husband and I had made to ourselves as a way of giving back to the trail we so loved hiking (we have segment hiked the whole trail). Because Scott and I come as a team and we both have food backgrounds we do both the crew leading and cooking.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? We have been told we are not allowed to quit. But, seriously, I wouldn’t want to quit. Leading trail crews is a wonderful way to spend a day or a week getting dirty with a bunch of fun-loving dedicated volunteers that I am honored to call friends. It is so rewarding to see a bridge get fixed, a trail appear where there was none before, or an existing trail get an upgrade to make it something that will last for many years to come.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? It is hard for me to turn off the teacher and life-long learner in me, so I enjoy helping newbies learn trail building skills and, in turn, I always learn something new from seasoned veterans. I am easy going, patient, and love to collaborate on projects. As a dietitian, I am always happy to go the extra step to make sure that you have delicious foods to fuel your hard work, even if you have “challenging” dietary needs or restrictions. I must warn you that because I am also a personal trainer, there will be stretching that happens every morning before we head out to work…and whining won’t get you out of doing it!

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? This is a hard one to answer because every trail crew has been special and memorable in its own right. However, I hold a special place in my heart for the Hancock area, just because we spent so many years working on that reroute.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) I would buy a really fancy greenhouse. I love to garden in the summer and go through “withdrawal” in the winter. And few things would make me happier than to have fresh tomatoes and strawberries all year round.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? I would be a pick mattock…I like to think I am pretty versatile and can do a lot of hard work without giving out (although I am not prone to losing my head like a pick mattock can!).

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? After living in Colorado Springs for 20 years I moved to Durango where I have been living for the past 28 years, I call it my home.
2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? Maybe about 17 years.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? Friends and my constant use of the trails.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? Satisfaction.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? Crews should be fun while being safe and getting the job accomplished. Communication and training is important. Crew members should know the schedule, plan of the day, and how they will make that happen. My crews have been wilderness backpacking and if a crew volunteer shares that passion they should come work with me!

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Clearing Avi #4 on Elk Creek was one of my recent favorites because we were working side by side with the Forest Service Wilderness crew. Learning from them and sharing the project was a great experience.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) After my huge donation I can't think of anything I really need but I would definitely quit my day jobs and just travel and volunteer with boundaries!

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? Katana Boy for tree cutting because it is light, compact and efficient. Rogue Hoe Travis Tool for tread work because it is an all-in-one tool.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? Kansas, currently Salida, soon to be Dolores

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? 1999 - Segment 28 adopter work with Bill Manning and Trails 2000!

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? Love of trails

4. What keeps you coming back each year? Wanting to keep making the trail better

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? Passion for good work, good (corny) sense of humor, high standards, nerd (trails and in so many other ways!), enjoy meeting people passionate about trails. Work with me if you want to work hard and have fun in spectacular places and hopefully learn a few new things (goes both ways).

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? CTF Crew 0619 - rebuilding a broken bridge on Segment 7. Epic conditions on the first day of summer with freezing temperatures (and snow!), but a dedicated group of volunteers that stuck it out and got it done!

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) Battery-powered chain saw to use on our adopted section of the CT!

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? Trail Boss 3-piece handle with Rogue Hoe 70AR head

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? Originally from Dunellen, New Jersey, I moved to Colorado in 2016. Currently I'm living in Southern Jefferson County, close to Deer Creek Canyon park.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? I started volunteering with the CTF in 2018 as a trail adopter.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? I volunteered with the Konnorock trail Crew in the Grayson Highlands State Park while thru hiking the Appalachian trail and loved it!

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The CTF has so many dedicated volunteers, and I love meeting more of them each year.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I'm also a crew leader for Trail Runner Volunteers, a small trail work group that focuses on offering evening trail work opportunities in Jefferson County. Although the crew leaders are all trail runners, we welcome all types of trail users to come out and work with us! Trvols.org

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? I adopted the western half of segment 7 right before an avalanche took out a small foot bridge. I waited 3 years for conditions in that area to finally clear up (the snow took forever to melt!) But I was able to be a part of the CTF trail crew that replaced the bridge. What a fun weekend!

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) I would buy a house in Salida, my favorite town in Colorado!

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? I would be a pick mattock. It's a handy tool, able to be used any time: from cleaning trail drainage to rock work to breaking trail.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? Four Corners, currently live in Salida, moving back to Dolores this spring

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? Since 1999 (crew with Bill Manning, Trails 2000)

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? enjoying trails

4. What keeps you coming back each year? Always trail work to be done

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? Loves dirt

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? new trail construction on Segment CW04 Hancock

7. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? rogue hoe travis tool, great multipurpose tool

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? California originally. Living in Colorado Springs since 1972

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? (Possibly) First trail crew in 2001 with Chuck and Linda Lawson in Lost Creek wilderness. First crew lead 2004 Columbia Creek in Collegiate Peaks wilderness.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? CFI crew doing a re-route/trail resto on Mt. Humboldt 1997 & VOC doing a project with Denver Urban Gardens on Mt Evans in 1998.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The importance of public land stewardship.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? (Less than) excellent pun-manship!

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? The newest one.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) A 36-hour day.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? Folding saw, easy to pack and can use on the trail to clear corridor and improve user safety.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? My family traveled while I was a child, but we always seem to return to Central Iowa. My wife and I live in Lone Tree, CO.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? Since 2016

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? A way to pay back the great experiences I have had backpacking.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? Meeting new people and working with friends.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I am a railroader and work all over the country from Alaska to Mexico. I would like to think I am fun to work with and try to make the crew a fun experience for all.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Hancock reroute.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) Buy a beach house.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? Silky Saw....they cut efficiently.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? Colorado Front Range, born in Houston TX came to CO in 5th grade, not leaving. Currently Evergreen

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? 5 years or so?

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? Unknown, must be stupid or somthin.
4. What keeps you coming back each year? The crew members.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? Everybody learns something new and if you don't have fun on my crew there's probably something wrong with you. I mean, I do backpack crews so we know you're a bit off already if you choose one of mine anyway.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? The next one.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) Honestly, don't give that kinda thing much thought. It's just stuff, I'd probably start a land conservancy or something.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? Rogue Hoe, it's the best.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I’m originally from PA. I moved to CO in 1992, where I subsequently raised 3 children.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? I’ve always been a lover of the outdoors. I became involved with the CT Foundation about 8 years ago when I sparked the idea of one day completing a thru-hike of the CT.

3. What was your spark for getting into trailwork? I became involved with the CT Foundation about 8 years ago when I sparked the idea of one day completing a thru-hike of the CT. From there I was totally hooked! Since then, I’ve participated in CT Crews yearly (with the exception of the year I did my thru-hike).

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The friendships and bonds I’ve built during my years involved in the CTF are wonderful. I’m proud to be one of the strong women working with similar interests for the benefit of us all in the outdoors. Many of these ladies have become my fellow ‘Adventure Buddies’!

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? In my years of “giving back” I have learned SO MUCH from my fellow volunteers and dedicated staff at the CTF. Trail-building is an art…and I’ve now worked on projects including water mitigation, bridge building and new trail building.

6. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? As for my favorite tool….I’d likely say the smaller Pulaski. So versatile and easy to handle for me, with less overall fatigue.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I was born in rural Western Pennsylvania, and then I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for 15 years prior to coming to CO. Today I live in Golden, CO.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? I began volunteering with the CTF in 2021.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? After moving to CO I got involved with a professional organization, the American Society of Civil Engineers, who are the adopters of segment 3.2. Volunteering with them was what prompted me to want to do more trail maintenance and improvement work.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The knowledge that the trail maintenance work that I help perform is meaningful and will improve others experience while hiking the trail.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I think that people appreciate working with me because I'm a very motivated and driven person, but not at the expense of making sure that everyone is being safe, having a good time, and feeling included. I'm also very willing to listen to other people’s input and learn about the things that I don't know.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Helping to maintain segment 3.2 as a trail adopter and the ongoing Fooses Creek project.
7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) I would hire a full-time nanny for my dog, Leo.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? I would be a shovel because I think that they're underrated as a trail tool - moving loose dirt off the trail without one is a pain and there never seem to be enough shovels around!

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I am Fort Collins, CO born and raised! I am currently a senior at Colorado State University.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? This is my first year volunteering with CFT!

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? After completing the Colorado Trail in 2021, I've been completely inspired to give back to the foundation.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The beauty, life lessons, and comradery found on the Colorado Trail unmatched. I am elated at the opportunity to re-experience its beauty every summer!

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? As I’m sure many crew members do, I love to work hard and play hard! And by play hard I mean…

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? N/A

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF)
I have a long-time dream of filling a huge swimming pool with Jell-O. If I won the lottery, I would be so quick to rent a city pool and invest in copious amounts of Jell-O packets.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? I would absolutely be a rock bar! I might not be fancy, but I get the job done!

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? I'm originally from Wisconsin, but I moved from Florida to Colorado in 2021. I live far east of Denver, it's basically Kansas.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? I started volunteering for the CTF in the summer of 2021.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? I've wanted to get involved with trail crews when I found out that volunteer trail crews were a thing. I saw a sign that the trails were maintained by volunteers while I was on a section of the Florida trail in 2019.

4. What keeps you coming back each year?I enjoy the work/impact made, meeting new people, seeing new places, and doing my part in sustainability.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I like to document the adventures via video/photos. For my personality traits, I'm high in openness and conscientiousness. Medium in the extraversion (I enjoy socializing, but also enjoy my alone time) and lower in agreeableness and neuroticism. Is that what you're asking about? I think people should come work with me because I'm excited to meet you. We can have a fun time, learn new things together, go through these experiences, and have a few laughs. Plus, I like to bring dice and plays some games at the end of day/winding down.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? I have yet to be on a bad project with the CTF. Each project is different with diverse terrain and the people you meet. Plus, the end of the year holiday party is a blast!

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) Hmm, I'm not too sure. I'm usually frugal/responsible with my money, so I'd probably save it. But, if we're talking no restrictions here - I'd probably use the money to go on trips or adventures I would normally save up for.

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? The Pickaxe (or is it the Pick mattock?) because it's easy to handle, good at breaking ground, making a definitive critical edge, and starting trails.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? - I have lived in Texas my whole life. I grew up in Northeast Texas and I currently live in Carrollton, TX, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? - 2021 was my first year.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? - I met a trail crew in Oregon while backpacking and they told me about their volunteer group. They inspired me to do something like that and the next summer I signed up for my first CTF crew.

4. What keeps you coming back each year? - It is an opportunity to get outdoors, meet great people and give something back to others who will use the outdoors in the future.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? - I enjoy traveling and having adventures, whether that be outdoors or doing something new for the first time. I like to think I am funny, but as my jokes are dad jokes and puns, it is hit or miss.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? - Hancock Lake

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) - A trip around the world

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why? Mcleod - It is multi-purpose, can be adapted in almost any situation and is a little awkward.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I was born in Virginia and spent most of my life living up and down the eastern US. Currently I live in Omaha, Nebraska.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF?
Since 2022

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work?
I've always loved the outdoors and thru hiking. Getting to improve that experience for everyone sounded rewarding and important.

4. What keeps you coming back each year?
Getting to see the progress made to improve the trail with all volunteers.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you?
I have Bob Ross energy.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF?
In 2022 I was on Illinois Creek II. It was my first project and I enjoyed it enough to commit to coming back for a while.

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF)
Probably somewhere to live much closer to the CT!

8. If you were a trail tool…what would you be and why?
Definitely a Rogue Hoe. It's the most versatile tool.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? My family has lived in Colorado for over 200 years, I am currently in Littleton.

2. How long have you been volunteering for CTF? My late husband and I started working on crews in 2004.

3. What was your spark for getting into volunteer trail work? After first crew we were addicted!

4. What keeps you coming back each year? The pleasure of seeing friends from years past and enjoying the variety of tasks to come brought us back every year.

5. What new crew members should know about you? Your personality traits? Why come work with you? I guess I am passionate about the trail, the cooking, teaching, being outside with a bunch of wonderful people, and hopefully honoring the ones who started everything and continue to support the CT.

6. Favorite project you have been a part of with CTF? Hard to pick “a project”, all unique and learning experiences. Darin will tell you I have stories!

7. First thing you would buy if you won the lottery? (Besides a huge donation to CTF) I would buy a new bigger pickup to haul more people and stuff to crews!