Dave is passionate about spending time with young people in wild places. Before coming to Kroka in 2020, he accumulated more than 150 weeks in the field as a Senior Staff Course Leader for the National Outdoor Leadership School, teaching Rock Climbing, Canyoneering, Backpacking, and Backcountry Skiing. He has taught 100 courses for the Wilderness Medicine Institute, and has coordinated semester long wilderness programs for both NOLS and St. Lawrence University. Dave was the Executive Director of Pok-O-MacCready Camps from 2022 until 2024, and is a past President of the NOLS Instructor Association.

Liz grew up exploring the woods and waters behind her house in the D.C. suburbs, rehabilitating injured animals, and donating all of her allowance to conservation groups. In college she dove into outdoor education and began leading trips and managing gear for VCU’s outdoor program. After college, Liz worked for the Student Conservation Association as an Americorps volunteer in the Adirondacks then as a trail crew leader. She led a variety of wilderness and service trips in California, Washington, Alaska and all around the East coast. Liz worked at North Country School for over a decade as a farm intern, science and English teacher, houseparent, coach, trip leader, 9th grade team leader, secondary school placement coordinator, and reading specialist. She earned her MA in Applied Educational Psychology as a Reading Specialist from Columbia University, and received her teaching certifications for English and as Reading Specialist. Liz has managed a high altitude farm and goat cheese cooperative in Telluride, Colorado, ridden her bike 1500 miles across the West, and was a field researcher for a loon conservation program in the ADKs. She lives in Westminster West, Vermont with her husband and two kids where she tends to her two very wily goats and her beloved 3-legged dog.

Whitewater specialist and boathouse gear-manager Emily embodies the unrefined playful spirit of a river otter. A seasoned Kroka teacher and second-grade classroom assistant, Emily’s areas of expertise also include giant ice-castle building, carpentry, and floral artistry.

Emily came to Kroka at the age of 11, then completed Kroka's first semester program in 2004, and has been a devoted Kroka-ite ever since. In between Kroka programs and her own far flung adventures she has taught high school, where she firmly believes in learning beyond the classroom walls. These days, she lives down the road from Kroka on a small farm with her two young children and husband Jacob.

A New England native, Ezra grew up in an intentional community in Amherst, Massachusetts. Highlights from his childhood include a semester abroad in the Basque country in northern Spain, making maple syrup, and building forts in the woods. Ezra attended Kroka’s Ecuador Semester as a high-school student and studied sustainable food systems at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, VT. He completed an MA in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher College (UK) in 2021. Since 2016 Ezra has worn many hats at Kroka including expedition leader, summer program registrar, basecamp manager, and Managing Director.

Our chief carpenter, Hugh is a venerable master of precision and a man of few words.

Originally from Bakersville, California, Jacob is a lifelong student of biodynamic farming, a father, and an educator of outstanding patience. In addition to the cows, goats, pigs, chickens, greenhouses, garden beds, and compost systems of the Kroka farm, Jacob also manages Roger’s Road farm alongside his wife Emily.

Born in Indiana and a longtime resident of Peterborough, New Hampshire, Jennifer makes sure that the hundreds of Kroka students and staff have food in their bellies and food on their plates. From ordering and inventorying the expedition pantry, to preparing on-campus meals every day, to pulling out all stops for formal dinners, festive feasts, and weekly burrito night, Jennifer will somehow always remember to make something special for a staff member’s birthday.

Jessie has lived in the Monadnock region with her five children since 2017. A native to Southern OH, Jessie spent her undergraduate years in Flagstaff AZ studying theatre arts before moving to Austin Texas to raise her children. She is a trained Waldorf educator and a former class teacher. Her bliss moments in life include romping in the woods with her children and dogs, enjoying the company of friends and loved ones, and being with children of all ages.

Raised in Long Island, NY, and a longtime Marlow resident, Linda manages the daunting jurisdiction that encompasses all of Kroka’s non-living nouns. From the camp store, to machinery and vehicles, to hardware and lumber, to tools and all the non-digestible things that eventually run out, Linda keeps on top of this nearly-interminable laundry list. When not at Kroka, Linda can be found on archeological expeditions and local digs.

With a love for nature and the outdoors, I have enjoyed living in several states in the US. Most notably, living Alaska for 7 years. I have been able to see the wonders of the Northern Lights to having moose in my yard. Along with my love of animals is my love for children and seeing them learn and explore new things that will broaden their view.

Nathan has enjoyed a variety of roles at Kroka during the past 14 years, including Summer Director, Capital Campaign Coordinator, Cartographer, and Managing Director. Prior to coming to Kroka, he had served as a communications officer in the US Navy, taught English for a year in Nicaragua, and worked as a 4th grade classroom teacher in rural New Hampshire. He is the proud parent of two Kroka semester program alumni, and partner of long-time expedition leader and educator Hanah LaBarre. He is thrilled to be returning to full time work at Kroka at this unique moment of transition in the organization.

Rebecca hails from Seattle, Washington and has explored her home state up and down, from Mount Rainier's frosty summit to the Hoh rainforest. With a background in both outdoor education and classroom teaching, Rebecca now coordinates and leads Kroka’s Winter Semester Program. Always curious and always active, both Rebecca’s cognition and physical endurance seem to know no bounds.

While studying at UNH, Tricia went on a NOLS semester in Patagonia that changed her life. She was not only exposed to the harsh elements on extended sea-kayaking and mountaineering expeditions, but the magic that comes from living in nature with community. Driven to be a part of and create these transformative experiences for others, Tricia went on to guide groups of students with Windsor Mountain, Global Routes, True North and NOLS before finding her perfect fit with Kroka Expeditions. Tricia joined the Kroka team in 2018 and has worked as the school programs coordinator and community outreach coordinator, as well as coordinating and leading the Fall Semester Program. Her favorite things about Kroka are the community of creative, passionate staff and the students and children that fill this place with JOY!

Alexis first came to Kroka as a student on a two week summer expedition in 2021. This summer, they are working tirelessly on the farm and in the gardens, supporting our mission by helping to grow healthy food for our students and staff.

Anna first came to Kroka as a summer student in 2014. Since then she has participated in or led more than 15 expeditions, including Paddlers' Journey Up North (twice) and Canadian Expedition (also twice). Anna is a graduate of Kroka's Fall Semester in the Southwest, and loves sharing her passion for white water paddling, and solo canoeing in particular, with Kroka students.

Are comes to Kroka from Brazil, where they have a long history of working with young children of varying ages in diverse educational contexts. This summer, they are excited to be assisting on basecamp programs with some of our youngest, and most enthusiastic, participants.

Originally from the Hudson Valley, Cate has worn many hats at Kroka from summer student to Semester student, and from apprentice to wilderness leader. When not at Kroka, Cate is a student at Warren Wilson College in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where she is in charge of the farm’s 120 berkshire and tamworth pigs.

Chris Knapp has been with Kroka since 1999. He spent many years as a student of Ray Reitze, and as a teacher at Earthways School of Wilderness Living. He has a wealth of wilderness knowledge and experience to share. Chris and his wife Ashirah have been an integral part of Kroka’s development, designing and creating curriculum, as well as teaching the Winter Semester Program on and off since 2004. Chris and Ashirah live with their children at Maine Local Living School. Based on their homestead in Temple Maine, the school teaches a blend of folk arts, wilderness crafts, permaculture, and sustainable technologies.

Having been an outdoor educator at both ReTribe and Crow’s Path before coming to Kroka, Colton brings an immense reverence for community living, the intrinsic value of nature, and the spiritual development of our students. On his days off he can be found running our local trails, biking around Cheshire county, or scaling the cliffs at the Marlow Profile.

A father, a rambling rock climber and a builder, Davicho originates from Columbia, but has lived and raised his beautiful daughter, Violeta, in Ecuador for the last decade. At the age of twelve, he earned enough money selling hot dogs on the street to buy his first pair of climbing shoes. He has gone on to become a professional mountaineering guide as a member of the IFMGA International Federation of Mountain guides Association. In Ecuador, he works as a high-altitude mountaineering guide for Nahual Expediciones. Around Kroka, Davicho can be found collecting poison ivy, while exploring new heights and terrain.

Dylan first came to Kroka on a school trip, and went on to attend three summer programs. Dylan was an apprentice in the summer of 2022, and is returning this year as a wilderness leader, eager to share his passion for rock climbing with students of all ages.

Ela hails from Ecuador, where she is an avid mountaineer and rock climber. She also enjoys wilderness bikepacking. Ela worked for many years as a baker, and is excited to pass on this expertise to Kroka students by helping them to make delicious meals while on expedition.

From the lush countryside of Kent, England, Ellie empowers students to build a relationship with wildness; whether through learning the bushcraft of a bow-drill fire, or the reverence of a granite crag hundreds of millions of years old. Ellie is an expert trad climber and an instrumental founder of the Women's Trad Festival.

Proudly born and raised in Chicago’s South Loop, Elijah has been working at Kroka since the spring of 2023, leading wilderness trips for both school programs and summer students. He excels at connecting with some of our younger participants, who find his enthusiasm for the rivers and forest of New England infectious.

Eliot grew up in a tight-knit co-housing community in Western Massachusetts. He first came to Kroka as a summer student on Expedition Pre-Columbus, and has moved through the ranks from semester student to apprentice to staff for five full summer seasons. Eliot holds a Masters in Education from Antioch University and works as an early childhood educator at the Perkins School in Marlow. Eliot especially enjoys fishing, singing, canoeing, and loves to tell a good story.

Emma is originally from a small town in Wisconsin, but is currently a student at Warren Wilson College in Asheville North Carolina - where she studies outdoor leadership and environmental science. When not studying, Emma enjoys circus arts, rock climbing, paddling, and music. In 2024 Emma chose to come north as a first-year instructor inspired by Kroka’s mission and values of holistic outdoor education. We are thrilled to have her in our community!

Emma holds the one-of-a-kind claim of being the eleven-thousand-one-hundred-and-eleventh person to be named “Emma Smith”. A two-time Kroka semester alumni and recent graduate in psychology and outdoor leadership from Warren Wilson College, Emma returns from the Blue Ridge Mountains to her home state of New Hampshire to share her expedition expertise and love for community living.

Raised in the world of iron-and-concrete where the Providence river meets the Narragansett Bay, this semester alumni, fisherman, passionate chef, and year-round park lover brings a much-needed spirit to the Kroka campus.

Orlando Geovani “Geova” Guatemal hails from the Indigenous community of San Clemente, in the highlands of Ecuador. Both hardworking and easygoing, Geova’s mastery in mountain biking is surpassed only by his mastery of making beautiful stone and wood carvings. A lifelong student of the air, earth, water, and fire that composes our world, Geova helps us learn how los naturales can be our wisest teachers.

Born in Porto Alegre Brazil and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Giovanna “Gia” Bialoglowka’s sanguine enthusiasm brightens the Kroka campus year-round. A whitewater kayaker and scholar of the 2023-24 BOLD Women’s Fellowship, Gia’s sunny temperament is highlighted by her (classic Capricorn) resolute will-force.

Gracie comes to us from the land of towering redwoods and foggy seaside grottos, where she recently graduated from University of California Santa Cruz. Born and raised in the Golden State, she enjoys sea kayaking, backpacking. At Kroka, Gracie loves leading wood carving crafts, knitting for fun, making music, and always brings the sunshine of “like, such Cali vibes, you know?”

Grant has been both a Semester Student and Apprentice, and returns now to lead programs in his own right. He grew up in Southern Maine with his four siblings building forts and crafting in his backyard. As a young homeschooler he began studying with Chris and Ashirah Knapp at Koviashuvik Local Living School, where he apprenticed and worked, furthering his wilderness and crafting skills.He enjoyed three years of summer trips at Kroka as a camper before becoming an apprentice and completing the Winter Semester. He has a strong belief that everything he uses should be beautiful as well as functional and strives to apply this philosophy to all of his pursuits. Grant enjoys canoeing down quiet rivers, carving wood, tanning hides, blacksmithing, and singing songs. He can often be found wandering the wild woods, a handmade knife on his belt and an axe in hand, throwing a song to the wind. A masterful craftsman, he infuses every project with a reverence and wonder which are felt by all around him.

Hanah was born in a country below sea level, toddled on the flanks of the Himalayas, crawled through English and New English thickets and, after a detour in the jungles of New Jersey, set out running on The Great Plains. She gained full height and began growing her roots in the fertile Finger-Lakes region of New York State, sailing the mighty Hudson River and rambling deep shale ravines. In preparation for Kroka Expeditions, she guided wilderness trips with Longacre Expeditions, The Chewonki Foundation and The Shackleton School. After earning her M.Ed. at Lesley University, she embarked on a teaching voyage of several decades in local public schools …but she won’t be kept indoors! These days, Hanah relishes life on the rivers and mountain trails and in the Kroka community with her partner Nathan.

A year-round Kroka resident and wearer-of-many-hats, Hope embodies the quintessential Kroka duality between humble earth living and daring adventure sports. From leading evening reflections, to cooking delicious meals, to ski mountaineering, to Waldorf-style pedagogy, to wilderness medicine, to spearheading the officework behind summer programs, this soft-spoken force-of-nature can do it all.

I want an epic journey with a community of enthusiastic people. This is what I've spent my teenage years looking for. Last week I hiked Mount Mansfield with a five-year-old on my back. He loved it so much that we're planning to do it again this Tuesday. -- Huck grew up in Richmond, Vermont and has been involved with nature programs and forest schools in Vermont since he was a young child. He loves plants, people, and play and has had ample opportunities for these to come together joyfully throughout his life. He enjoys practicing and teaching friction fire, carving, fiber arts, coal burning, improv theater, and music.

From the mountains of northern California, Ecuador semester alumna Iris Karina O’Connor has a notable background in both wilderness expeditioning and large-group gourmet cheffing.

Originally from Ilhaebela, Brazil, this year-round Kroka leader brings a steady clearsightedness amid the rollicking Kroka summer. With an educational background in geology, Jack also brings a fervent stoke for linguistics and mountain biking. In the fall season, Jack leads Kroka’s Ecuador semester.

JACKSON also known as WABUSH, related to the Innu word for rabbit, came to Kroka at age eleven. He has been back every year since. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, he completed the Kroka whitewater progression and embarked on five Canadian Expeditions, which brought him from the wildernesses of Ottawa, Quebec and Labrador to the Arctic Ocean. For the past few years, Jackson has worked as a teacher on White Water Paddling programs at Kroka. He is an American Canoe Association certified Whitewater Kayak Instructor and a Wilderness EMT. When not paddling whitewater or hopping around, Jackson runs track, mountain bikes and climbs. Jackson is a student at Williams College in Western Massachusetts, where he also teaches paddling, leads trips for the outing club, and spends time doing schoolwork outside.

Jamie has worked at Kroka since the year 2000. He also has Waldorf class teacher certification from Antioch University, is a capoeira angola teacher (Afro-Brazilian dance/fight/game), and a yoga teacher trained at the Himalayan Institute for Yoga Science and Philosophy. He has worked on small organic farms in Vermont, on wheat farms in Oklahoma, and did inspection work for the Northeast Organic Farming Association. He has worked with 'at risk' youth in residential settings, school settings and outdoors. He has been a restaurant manager, waiter, and cook in Greenwich Village, NYC, and went to cooking school. As a teenager he went to Interlochen Arts Academy, a fine and performing arts high school and has performed in many plays. Originally from Minneapolis, he now lives in Hawaii!

From the accordioned valley-and-ridge country of east Tennessee, Joseph now brings his love of outdoor education to the woods of New Hampshire. He is a bard of the banjo, can-jo, and harmonica, and makes the campfires of Kroka ring with the foot-stomping melodies of southern Appalachia.

Lucas had an amazing time last summer on the Boys Rites of Passage program and is excited to do more. He loves being outside and using tools to make things he needs. Lucas plays guitar and does archery and generally likes to make and repair things.

From his home in Greenfield, Massachusetts and stomping grounds of southern Vermont, Luke now studies at Thompsons River University as a guide-in-training in the snowy peaks of British Columbia. A fervent cryptozoologist, unabashed omnivore, and Kroka semester alumni, Luke specializes in guiding Kroka’s whitewater expeditions.

Marcela, also based in Palugo Farm is Colombian born but based in Ecuador for more than 25 years. She has been working with Kroka for eight years as a lead teacher both for the Ecuador Semester, as well as school and summer programs. Before this, she was based in New Zealand, where she worked with a small, experimental theatre company. She has been part of several projects in ecological reserves and communities in Ecuador involved in restoration and alternative agriculture. She has a diploma in Waldorf education from Taruna college in New Zealand. She is currently immersed in many farm projects, runs an artisanal cheese and yogurt industry as well goes on wonderful expeditions with Michael and Koru.

A New Hampshire local, Kroka semester alumni, and honorary leader of Kroka’s no-leader staff running club, Meg can remember the days when Kroka’s basecamp was still in Newfane, Vermont. Her passion for immigration activism has taken her to humanitarian organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, and the American Southwest. In the fall, Meg begins a Fulbright Fellowship teaching English in Bogota, Colombia.

Marga comes to us all the way from Cuenca, Ecuador to share with us her amazing talents on the cliff face and in the kitchen. She is one of the top climbers in South America, and is always looking to share her knowledge.

Michael is one of the founders of the NH-Ecuador Semester and has been involved as teacher, coordinator, and climbing specialist for all Ecuador Semesters and many Kroka summer programs. Born and based in Palugo Farm, he has been a key part of Kroka for many years. In both places he has been a driving force for the development of education systems. He has been involved in agricultural initiatives and sustainable and traditional building projects. Michael is a professional mountaineer and rock climber. He lives with his partner, Marcela and sons Koru and Antu in their handmade home in Palugo farm.

Though born in the lively metropolis of Brooklyn, NYC– and most recently from New England’s gridlocked vacationland in Bar Harbor, Maine– Minu brings a tranquil groundedness to Kroka’s wild adventures. An artist, wilderness teacher, and a champion of unique expression, Minu can be found working to bring nature’s mysteries to pen and paper.

Nick lives the old-time traditional bushcraft lifestyle that beard-oiled flanneled hipsters on the internet merely play at. From woodworking to leatherworking to basketry, Nick is a wellspring of knowledge, expertise, and excitement for all things concerning simple New England living. When not leading Kroka’s Bushwack expedition, Nick lives and teaches at Maine Local Living School near Temple, ME

Patricia, better known as “Pati”, brings the warmth and spirit of her coastal Brazilian homeland to the mountains of New Hampshire for her third year this summer. Whether steering a voyageur canoe on the Maine coast, hauling the mainsail on the wooden tall ship Shenandoah, or snorkeling at her native beaches of Sao Paulo, Pati loves to share her admiration and fascination with the sea.

A seasoned Kroka teacher and avid whitewater kayaker, Rimai is a fervent disciple of the power of water. To most of us, water is a fluid and a natural resource, but to Rimai water is also a mindset, a teacher, and an invigorating ionizing force.

Roberto’s seasonal migration habits resemble that of Piranga olivacea– the scarlet tanager dividing his time between the Kroka village and his family in the Indigenous community of San Clemente, Ecuador. Many-time winner of the all-staff Kroka Adventure Race, Roberto’s strength, stamina, wits, and expedition expertise stand out even among our most seasoned leaders.

Hailing from Colorado’s Front Range, Sam is a tall-ship sailor, mountain biker, backcountry skier, and homemade sauerkraut savant. As a semester teacher for Kroka’s Full Circle Winter Semester, Sam’s expeditionary wheelhouse includes telemark skiing, whitewater canoeing, and road biking. When not at Kroka, Sam can be found working on a masters in outdoor education and social work at New Hampshire College.

Born and raised in Chester, Vermont, Sarah is at home in these verdant, mossy New England backwoods. A former Kroka summer student and Winter Semester graduate, Sarah now brings her love of the forest and the magic it has to offer to her teaching. When not at Kroka, Sarah studies outdoor and environmental education at University of Vermont in Burlington.

Veritable stone-master Ulises “Carnalito” Fierro has rock-climbed mountains and cliffs across the western hemisphere, and now brings his climbing talents to the granite crags of New England. Ulises comes to us from Mexico City, Mexico, and joins Kroka's ever growing Spanish speaking staff community.

Hailing from the indomitable summits of the Hymalayas, in Uttarakhand, India – where the heavens themselves snag on the venerated peak of Nada Devi – Vivek now makes his humble home in the comparative flatlands of New Hampshire. Whether leading youth expeditions in Vietnam to ice climbing in Nepal, to emceeing Kroka staff talent shows, to shoveling compost, Vivek can always find a reason to smile and laugh.

A semester alumni and former Kroka apprentice, Zef brings his passion for mountain biking to his work at Kroka. Zef is a graduate in environmental management at Indiana University and three-peat champion of the Derby City disc golf tournament, and can be seen doing one hundred push-ups at the pond each morning before chores.

Zoe grew up in the woods of Guilford, VT, and first came to Kroka as a summer student at the age of 13. She is a graduate of the 2017 Winter Semester and joined the staff community in 2018. She has worked at Kroka in many different capacities, although her passion lies in working with young children and learning from them all the magic the world has to offer. Zoe spent two years living and studying linguistics in France and enjoys traveling and discovering new places.