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.

Fern lives in Acworth, NH where she builds yurts for year-round living. She joined the Kroka team in April 2025 as a facilities assistant, quickly putting her carpentry and handyman skills to good use. Fern loves to build unique things and find creative solutions to tricky problems.

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.

Prior to landing in Marlow and coming to work at Kroka, Mary lived all over the US, including seven years in Alaska, where she enjoyed the wonders of the Northern Lights and the occasional back yard moose sighting. Mary brings a long history of management and HR experience in the retail sector to her current position as Kroka's Buisness Manager. Outside of Kroka, she is the owner/operator of Marlow Breeders, and keeps busy nurturing several litters of adorable puppies each year.

Nathan has enjoyed a variety of roles at Kroka during the past 17 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.

Tess lives at Kroka with her partner Dave and their rambunctious toddler River. She divides her time between being a mom, supporting programs, and helping out on the Kroka farm. Tess's professional background is in farming and education. She is passionate about helping children of all ages gain knowledge and experience wonder in the natural world.

Abbi lives a nomadic lifestyle between Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Montana, and Mexico, exploring the landscapes through hiking, biking, climbing, and fishing. She joined Kroka in April 2025 as a wilderness leader. Abbi is passionate about working with youth and instilling in them an excitement for outdoor adventure!

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.

Bart hails from Palmetto, Florida where he illustrates children's books and teaches people how to build stringed instruments. He loves snorkeling, bow and arrow making, storytelling, pottery, and making fire by friction. Bart worked for Kroka on the Green River in Utah this spring and is excited to join the summer staff leading canoeing, sailing, and fishing expeditions.

Bri is from Portland, Maine, where she lives on Peaks Island. She completed five summer programs at Kroka and has returned this summer as a food apprentice. Bri loves to hike, forage for wild foods, and learn about primitive skills. She's hard-working, has excellent knife skills, and loves to cook for people.

Originally from Rochester, NY, Bridget is a student at Smith College where she works for the Outdoor Adventure Program and the Smith College Field Station. She attended Kroka for the first time as a 14-year old summer student and went on to complete the 2023 Ecuador Semester. As a Wilderness Leader at Kroka, Bridget is especially excited to help girls and gender minorities feel comfortable and capable outdoors and on expedition.

Caleb was born and raised in North-Eastern Vermont on a large farm full of wondrous places to explore. As a homeschooler, wandering through the woods was just part of his daily education. This was a trampoline of sorts that catapulted him into a lifelong obsession with having fun outside with his friends. This obsession has led him to teach at the Roots School for the better part of a decade, to pursue outdoor adventures all over the world and to study Natural Resources and Outdoor Education at UVM. As part of his studies, Caleb attended an Outdoor Educator semester at NOLS, which pushed his understanding of leadership and its importance in our lives to a new level. Caleb brings these myriad experiences to his teaching style and combines it all into a wild ride of skills, curiosity, introspection and laughter.

When not at Kroka, Carlo splits his time between Italy and Brazil, where he works as an Instructor for both Outward Bound Brazil and Treehouse. Carlo is a graduate of a NOLS Semester Program.

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 Colombia, 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.

Dev lives in community in a small town in Colorado. He runs educational programs, builds houses, plays a lot and dances often. Dev is most passionate about creating moments and connections that help people change and grow.

Eamon lives in Kennebunk, ME and he loves to explore New England through hiking, climbing, and biking. A semester graduate, he first came to Kroka at age eleven for an Intro to Adventure summer program. As a Kroka apprentice this summer, Eamon is excited to share his knowledge of local ecosystems, as well as his passion for whitewater paddling.

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 hailing from Chicago's South Loop neighborhood, Elijah's expedition background ranges from the Sargasso Sea to the Utah desert, and from the jungles of Ecuador to the icy Hudson Bay. A Kroka instructor since 2023, Elijah is a self-taught student of Anthroposophy with a passion for paddling!

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 where she studies Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Science. She is returning to Kroka for her second season as a wilderness trip leader. Emma loves to be outside and is especially passionate about climbing, paddling, and sharing the natural world with children.

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.

Originally from Lahore, Pakistan, Faaria is finishing up an undergraduate degree in economics in New York. Her passion for solo travel has taken her across Europe and now brings her to Kroka, where she is excited to be a part of the community.

Originally from the small town of Hope, Maine, Frankie comes to Kroka with four years of experience working service and wilderness expeditions in Mancos, Colorado, and southern Mexico. As a wilderness leader, she is most excited about guiding in whitewater, empowering youth, building community, and connecting people to the environment.

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 graduated from University of California Santa Cruz. Born and raised in the Golden State, she currently lives in Philadelphia, PA, where she works for Outward Bound. At Kroka, Gracie loves leading wood carving crafts, whitewater kayaking, cooking with students, knitting for fun, making music, and hanging out with trees.

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.

Havah started going to Kroka when she was 13 and loved every second of it. After graduating from the 2018 Winter Semester she went on to get a degree in outdoor education at Sterling College. Havah is excited to be back in this hardworking and loving community. Havah's Kroka specialities include singing, bike packing, and sniffing out seldom seen swimming holes. She is excited to be working her first Kroka Semester section in the fall of 2025.

Originally from Ilhabela, 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.

Before coming to Kroka, Jae worked as a Waldorf farming teacher and farm camp manager in the Hudson Valley of New York. She enjoys volunteering as an adaptive ski instructor in the winter and bike touring in the warmer months. Jae is excited to combine her skills in spoon carving, motivating children to muck livestock stalls, and storytelling at Kroka this summer!

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!

Joanna lives in New York City where she studies Computer Science and Public Health at Columbia University. She mentors first-generation low income students and serves on the campus ministry, leading worship and cooking. Joanna first came to Kroka in 2021 with the Summer Search program. As a food apprentice this summer, she is excited to feed the community with excellence while becoming a faster and better cook.

From the accordioned valley-and-ridge country of east Tennessee, Joseph 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.

Jo grew up skiing in the woods of Maine, paddling the lakes and rivers of Northern Ontario, and living under the trees on a retired salt-marsh farm on the coast. She has spent the past fourteen summers in a canoe, typically guiding sixteen-year-olds on summer-long whitewater canoe trips through the Canadian bush to Hudson Bay, and recently with Kroka in the lakes of Maine. After studying ancient languages, linguistics, and poetry at Amherst College, Jo returned to the forest as a wilderness therapy guide with True North Wilderness Programs, skiing nooks and crannies in the snowy mountains when not on shift and beginning a life of year-round outdoor living. Jo has a great love for the transformative powers of extended travel through wild spaces, and is often found skiing the trails around campus, singing in circle, and writing.

Kaia is from Montclair, NJ and will be a student at the University of Vermont in the fall. She first came to Kroka at eight years old while dropping her older brothers off at their summer programs, and she never wanted to leave. This fall, Kaia completed the Legends of the Southwest Semester and she is excited to share the magic of Kroka with her students this summer!

Kaitochi lives in Newark, NJ, where she is a mathematics instructor for children and adults. She first came to Kroka in January 2025 for the Sustainability and Indigenous Peoples learning trip with Rutgers University. Kaito is passionate about helping, learning, and fixing things with her hands.

Keane recently graduated from the University of Vermont where she studied Education and spent his last year teaching in a middle school. He first came to Kroka as a summer student many years ago. Keane loves skiing, backpacking, canoeing, and spending time with family. As a returning wilderness leader this summer, he is excited to share his passion for alternative education and to help his students build resiliency and identity in nature.

Lily comes from Ellicott City, MD where she lives and hikes along the banks of the Patapsco River. This year she will begin studying Biology at Bard College. Lily completed the 2024 Full Circle Winter Semester and has returned this summer to Kroka as an expedition apprentice. An accomplished baker, she loves ecology, primitive skills, and living in relationship to the land.

Lindsay lives in her homemade tear-drop camper "Maple Mae" or in VT. In her spare time she is a jeweler and crafter who loves to go paddling and ride her bike. Lindsay first came to Kroka in 2021 as a Seasonal Staff member and this year she will be leading Kroka's Ecuador semester. She brings to her work a love for helping young people feel empowered.

Originally from NH, Meg is a runner who runs marathons in the tall peaks of Colombia. This summer, she will be doing all things logistics on the Kroka campus. Meg brings her love of salsa dancing, outdoor adventure, and long rambling runs to the Kroka community.

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.

Co-Founder of Nahual Expediciones MATHIAS DAMMER (Thomson River University, Canada) was born and raised at Palugo Farm in the core of the Andes Mountains, where he learned to love nature and developed passion for outdoor sports. Mathias is a professional mountain guide, farmer, and father. Mathias' legendary strength and determination has inspired generations of Kroka students. Mathias is an Ecuador Semester Senior Lead Teacher. He lives with his partner Nicole Marchan and their daughter Ayra in the homemade tent at the top of Palugo Hill. Mathias has been teaching at Kroka since 2004.

An amateur filmographer, prop and costume builder, and an outdoor enthusiast, Max hails from Montclair, New Jersey and is a graduate of the 2024 Winter Semester. At Kroka, Max can be found captivating students with a fable around the campfire, or a nighttime tale inside our earth lodges. He enjoys caving and whitewater canoeing, and hopes to one day reduce a patella.

Mia has lived all around the Northeast working as an outdoor educator and ceramics artist. She arrived at Kroka this spring as a seasonal staff member and wilderness leader. Mia loves the ocean, running through the mountains, and reading literature about the natural world with her students.

A lifelong family friend of the Kroka community, Tashi now helps teach our Ecuador Semester. Though widely traveled, Tashi finds the heart of the “wilderness experience” to be not merely in the remote corners of the earth, but as an immediate and powerful quality intrinsic to our existence as moving, breathing, deeply wild human beings.

Nathachi is from Brazil where she works for Outward Bound and other outdoor adventure programs, guides forest bathing excursions, and travels everywhere by bike. She loves nature, art, graphic design, and sharing her outdoor skills with other people. Here at Kroka, Nathachi is especially excited to help with biking programs and programs for girls.

Accomplished climber, Galapagos guide, herbologist, and mother, NICOLE MARCHAN (BS, Biology, Universidad Catolica, EC) has a deep respect and knowledge of Andean nature, people and traditional ways. She teaches yoga, studies the magical healing properties of herbs and coordinates the Ecuador Semester Program. Nicole lives with her partner Mathias Dammer and their daughter Ayra in the homemade tent at the top of Palugo Hill. Nicole has been teaching at Kroka since 2008.

Olive was born and raised in Wisconsin. Since joining the Kroka community in 2022, she has lived in North Carolina, Maine, and California, where she's stayed busy farming and teaching at various outdoor facilities. Olive is a bringer of music. Her joy and love for the earth, her community, and her students shines through the brightest when she is sharing her voice.

When Prema is not at Kroka, she lives in Santa Fe, NM and attends school at St. John's College. She spends her free time working on a horse ranch and a goat farm; and biking, skiing, and climbing in the surrounding mountains and canyons. Prema first came to Kroka in 2022 as a student on the Legends of the Southwest semester. As a returning wilderness leader, she looks forward to bringing her love of biking, singing, goats, and river swimming to Kroka.

Originally from Germany, Rapha worked as a physiotherapist before setting off to cross South America by bike. Passing through Ecuador, he found himself at Finca Palugo, the home of Kroka's sister school, Nahual. That was in 2021, and Palugo has been his home ever since. These days Rapha is a full time outdoor educator and guide, leading Nahual and Kroka Expeditions focused on bike packing, climbing, mountaineering, and making music. Rapha is proud to be leading the 2025 Ecuador Semester.

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.

Hailing from central Vermont, Russell has spent the past few years doing as much backpacking and as little high school as possible. A graduate of the Full Circle Winter Semester, and a Kroka summer student since he was nine years old, Russell is stoked to join the staff team as an apprentice. He looks forward to bringing his photography and musical skills to Koka and he can't wait to get back out in the wilderness!

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 is passionate about helping his students build confidence and community while climbing in nature.

Una lives on a homestead in East Montpelier, VT where they spend a lot of time on the farm taking care of their goats, chickens, and gardens. A graduate of the 2024 Full Circle Winter Semester and many summer programs, Una first found out about Kroka through a school trip. They have always felt very connected to the natural world, and are passionate about the environment and sustainable living. Una enjoys working with kids and sharing the beauty of our world with them.

Originally from Sewanee, TN, Verena currently attends Warren Wilson College where she studies Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Science, and works on an Adventure Programs crew. She has been participating in summer programs at Kroka since 2017 and she completed the Ecuador Semester in 2023. Verena is an avid wood carver who loves sharing skills and songs around a fire.

When Vivek is not at Kroka, he works as an outdoor educator in Hong Kong, teaches ice-climbing, and competes with a team in adventure races. He is returning to Kroka as a wilderness leader. A skilled instructor in climbing, backpacking, bike packing, and expedition education, Vivek is excited to share his love for simple living and feeling at home in the wilderness.

Willow lives in Northern California, gleefully enjoying the ocean, trails, sunshine, and flowers. She especially appreciates home after thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail last year. A graduate of two Kroka semesters, Willow first came to Kroka on a school trip with her 8th grade Waldorf class. She is excited to share her passion for creating sacred home spaces on expedition, as well as her joyful spirit along the journey.