Backpacking School Handbook 2011 Supplement
DIRECTOR & INSTRUCTORS Director Joe Vella Assistant Director TBD Senior Instructors Steve Billig (Director 2000/2001) Robin Commons Chris Greene Tim Kisch (Director (2010) Wendy Lien John Lindner Elizabeth Moroney Dan Peterson (Director 2008/2009) Art Hogling Gyorgy Kereszti Dan Kinzie Assistant Instructors Nathan Atkins Tracy Atkins Brenda Czaban Jeanette Kehoe Anne Kelley Lisa Roth Vicki Catalina
Backpacking Instructor Bios 2011 John Aldag E-Mail: John_Aldag@msn.com John came to Colorado and started hiking in the Rocky Mountains in 1998. He joined the CMC in 2005. He is a Senior Instructor in the Wilderness Trekking School (WTS), Co-Director and Senior Instructor in the Winter Camping School (WCS) and a CMC Trip Leader. His CMC Training includes WTS, WCS, Leadership, Avalanche, Wilderness First Aid, Knots and Basic Mountaineering. John has summited about half the CO 14ers and Mt. Rainier. He s led numerous trips into the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wildeness and backpacked in national parks in TX, MT and UT. He especially enjoys hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park and hiking in the winter. Nathan Atkins E-mail: atkinsnw@gmail.com Nathan joined the CMC in 2009 when he and Tracy relocated from Austin TX. He has completed Wilderness Trekking School, Alpine Scramble School, Backpacking School, Wilderness First Aid, Back Country Ski School, and Avalanche Awareness School. He has been an assistant instructor for WTS for the last two years as well. Nathan grew up in New England where he hiked and climbed most of the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He is now actively working to complete the 485 mile Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. Tracy Atkins Email: tracy.atkins@gmail.com Tracy joined the CMC in 2009 soon after moving to Colorado from Austin. She has completed Wilderness Trekking School, Backpacking School, Alpine Scramble School, Backcountry Ski School, Avalanche Awareness School and Wilderness First Aid. Tracy was an associate WTS instructor in 2010 and 2011. Tracy grew up hiking and camping and is fortunate to work for the National Park Service as a planner and project manager. She looks forward to BKPS this fall. Steve Billig School Director 2000/2001 E-mail: billig@vnccolorado.com This is Steve's sixteenth year instructing Backpacking School. He has also been an instructor in Basic Mountaineering School, High Altitude Mountaineering School and Winter Camping School and was a councilor on the CMC Denver Council. Over the past years, Steve has climbed/attempted some challenging mountains including: (Rainier (2 for 2), Orizaba (1 for 1), Denali (0 for 2), Grand Teton (1 for 1). Robin Commons E-mail: Commons5280@msn.com Now in his eighth year as an instructor for Backpacking School. Robin is currently in his 2nd term as co-chair of the CMC's Colorado Wilderness Families Group. He leads several backpacking and group car camping trips each summer for families. Those of you with kids should talk to Robin about CWF's year-round activities including day hikes and weekend trips, wall climbs, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. He has also been an instructor in the Winter Camping School.
Vicki Catalina E-mail: spacatalina@gmail.com Vicki has been a long time member of CMC since 1993. She has taken the Wilderness Trekking School, The Wilderness Survival School and was just involved in the Backpacking school last year. She loves the outdoors! She enjoys backpacking, skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Brenda Czaban E-mail: blczaban@yahoo.com Brenda joined the CMC in 2006 after moving to Colorado from California. She completed Backpacking School with the CMC, as well as Winter Camping School, Basic Mountaineering School, Anchors Seminar, High Altitude Mountaineering School, and Advanced Crevasse Rescue. Brenda first became comfortable in the outdoors during a solo thru-hike of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2000. She missed the outdoors during medical school and residency but joined the Backpacking School as an instructor in 2009. In 2010 she climbed Mount Rainier and in Fall of 2011 is planning to climb to the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Chris Greene E-mail: cgreene_5@netzero.net Chris has been an active member of the CMC since 2000, and has taken Backpacking School, Basic Mountaineering School, Advanced Relaxation, and High Altitude Mountaineering School. He enjoys kayaking, backcountry skiing, and backpacking. He lost count of the Colorado Fourteeners several years ago, recently completed the Haute Route on tele boards, and enjoys Ben & Jerry s ice cream. Art Hogling E-mail: ahogling@ddrcco.com Art is a lifelong backpacker. His wife and he like to pick an area and hike all of the trails in it. A couple of favorites they have completed are the Mount Evans Wilderness area and RMNP. Art is a graduate of BMS, HAMS, BRCS, MOFA, Advanced Crevasse Rescue and Wilderness First Responder schools. Art is a D trip leader who has climbed in Mexico, Argentina, France and Canada. Art is a past board member and officer of CMC. Tim Kish School Director 2010/2011 E-mail: timfkish@comcast.net Tim joined the CMC in 1997. He has graduated from the Backpacking School, Wilderness Trekking School, Winter Camping School, Basic Rock Climbing Seminar, Avalanche Awareness School and Mountain Oriented First Aid Course. He is an instructor for the Wilderness Trekking School, Wilderness First Aid, the Winter Camping School and the Wilderness Survival School, and was previously a director of the Winter Camping School. His passion for backpacking and survival started as a pre-teen and both skills were honed in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, in many years of backpacking and through the many schools in CMC. His enjoyment of the outdoors has never waned and he enjoys sharing his love of it with others. Some of his other activities and enjoyments include Astronomy, Paleoanthropology, Philosophy and Psychology.
Jeanette Kehoe E-mail: j-kehoe@comcast.net Jeanette s first experience backpacking was a 2 ½ month trip in Yosemite in 1980 where she learned that pup tents are not the best tents in a snowstorm, that glass jars of jelly in your pack will break, and that bears do not like sesame butter. Jeanette is a graduate of Basic Mountaineering School, helps instruct in the Wilderness Survival School and is the director of Wilderness First Aid. For her day job Jeanette works as a firefighter and training officer for the Golden Fire Department. Gyorgy Kereszti E-mail: doktorbuboka@yahoo.com Gyorgy started mountaineering and rock climbing in Europe before moving to the United States. Living in Florida, he longed after the mountains which made him join the CMC in 1982, but became active only after residing in Colorado in 1986. Since then, Gyorgy s lead numerous trips, taught in Basic Mountaineering School, High Altitude Mountaineering School, Winter Camping School (currently rotating director) and organized the Denver Juniors Group for over a decade. His experiences and unique perspective spanning countries, cultures and technological developments in mountaineering help to assess situations, challenge himself and enhance students learning and practicing without compromising safety. Anne Kelly E-mail: annekelly72@hotmail.com Anne has been a member of CMC since 2007 after escaping to Colorado from New York City. She graduated from the Backpacking School in 2009 and conquered Basic Mountaineering School this year. She loves climbing, riding, traversing, overcoming anything. As a junior instructor, she keeps the ol' guys in line. Wendy Lien E-mail: cowi80@gmail.com Wendy Lien joined CMC in 2004 after moving to Colorado for the pure reason of playing in the mountains. Since then, she has graduated from Wilderness Trekking School, Backpacking School, Avalanche Awareness School, Wilderness Survival School, Basic Rock Climbing Seminar and flunked out of Cross Country School due to lack of coordination on skis. She also is an instructor for Wilderness First Aid. After extensive undercover work for the CIA and PUG organizations I have decided to break my cover to dedicate more of my time to the Backpacking school of the Colorado Mountain club. My goal is to provide a warm and friendly environment in the wilderness through positive personal hygiene experiences. John Lindner Phone 303-431-7575/303-0919-0922 E-mail: jlinder@tristategt.org John has been an active member of the CMC for 36 years and a trip leader since 1981. He began teaching in the Wilderness Trekking School in 1982 and was the school s director for six
years. For the last 15 years he has served as the Director of the CMC Wilderness Survival School and taught in the BKPS for the same period. John has completed numerous courses in avalanche, survival and mountaineering both in and outside the CMC to include military survival training. In recent years he has contributed to five popular books on survival. Also, for the last 24 years John has co-owned a company that conducts winter survival training primarily for government agencies nationwide. Elizabeth Moroney E-mail: egmoro@msn.com Elizabeth just loves being outdoors as much as possible! She has completed Backpacking School, Wilderness Survival School and trail crew leadership training. In addition to backpacking and hiking, she is an avid runner. Elizabeth looks forward to helping others learn new skills and hopes they will enjoy Backpacking School as much as she did! Carl Moudy E-mail: chelseaoilman@q.com Carl is originally from New England where he was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club starting in 1992. Thru the AMC he took both the spring/summer and fall/winter backpacking courses. He also took the leadership training course so he could co-lead hiking/backpacking trips with the AMC. He is a four season hiker who has climbed all the 4,000 footers in New England, Backpacked in Canada and hiked the John Muir Trail in California. After retiring Carl moved to Colorado and joined the CMC in 2010. Thru the CMC he took the Wilderness Trekking and Backpacking Schools. He is currently working on completing the Colorado Trail. Daniel Peterson School Director 2008/2009 Phone: 720-981-9840 E-mail: dan.peter@comcast.net Dan has been an active CMC member since 2000 and this will be his 9th year instructing Back Packing School. He has also graduated from Basic Mountaineering School, High Altitude Mountaineering School, Mountaineering Oriented First Aid, and Wilderness Survival School. Dan has been backpacking for enjoyment for 45 years, and professionally for 35 years. His passion is being outdoors and in nature. Activities that allow him to indulge in these passions are hiking, climbing, boating, fishing, skiing, and outdoor photography. He looks forward to another year working with the students and instructors in BKPS. Lisa Roth E-mail: sqeekey@yahoo.com Lisa has been a member of the CMC since 2004. She graduated from WTS, BMS, Rock Seconding School and Winter Camping School. She has assisted as an instructor for WTS, RSS, Winter Camping School and Backpacking School. According to Lisa, "This school is the best school in the CMC." This is her sixth year as a Backpacking School instructor and is looking forward to spending time with students and having a wonderful experience. Joe Vella School Director: 2011
E-mail: Jvella@hikingdenver.net Joe joined the CMC in 2003, his first activity was BKPS and had so much fun he never left. Joe has enjoyed backpacking and fly fishing from a very young age in the Sierras and Cascades in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. He s enjoyed many trips within Colorado and at Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier Parks. He is also a gourmet cook and is known for supplementing food supplies with wild food on backpacking trips.