Camp Staff

Known Superhuman Powers: Jenanigans is a super-human trickster. Don’t be fooled by what appears to be a calm and cool woman, she’s got a story, practical joke or curious natural object in her magic *satchel of shenanigans that she’s just waiting to share with you - surprise it’s Jenanigans!

*The Satchel of Shenanigans is a bag of curiosities that may include stories, jokes, mischief, songs, silliness and pranks. Items magically appear in the satchel of shenanigans as people around the possessor of the bag provide clues as to what they may need the most. How Jenanigans came into possession of the satchel of shenanigans is unknown at this time and is likely to remain a mystery.

Abilities: Jenanigans is naturally curious with an engaging personality and has the extraordinary ability to find adventure in any experience. These attributes, along with the satchel of shenanigans have proven to be a winning combination for Jenanigans and for those individuals and groups that are lucky to be in her vicinity to receive her gifts. Some of the gifts she has been known to provide to others are: a continuous smile no matter what the circumstance, hot drinks that seem to appear out of nowhere on a cold day, and a campfire complete with a guitar and a song. Her abilities have shown to be especially effective when performing camp office tasks such as telephone and online communications with campers, camp parents, and camp staff and when performing other camp logistical duties such as detailing trip itineraries and securing trip permits.

History: In her youth, Jenanigans was fully engaged in the practice of enjoying nature, she was often found outside turning over rocks and pebbles in the streams of Western North Carolina in search of exotic creatures such as salamanders and crawdads. She found daily happiness exploring the Appalachian mountains from sun up to sun down. When not exploring the mountains, Jenanigans could be found feeding the ocean waves with sand from her hands and turning over what ever she could find on the ocean floor on the coast of North Carolina. As a young adult and well on into adulthood Jenanigans curious nature led her farther and farther away from her homeland to distant locations such as Africa where she learned to carefully turn over rocks because the exotic creatures were much bigger over there, and to Europe where she discovered her love for history, historical artifacts and architecture, and to South America & Antarctica where she fully engaged her abilities in adventure travel. Jenanigans was eventually led by her curiosity to the Western US where she earned her BA degree in History from the University of Colorado at Boulder. While out west she worked as an outdoor instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Then, in the summer of 2006, an extraordinary thing happened to Jenanigans, she fell in love with Montana where she has worked as an operations manager at Adventure Life Journeys, as a lead wilderness guide for Girls Using Their Strengths, as a snowboard instructor at Big Sky Resort and as recreation leader for the City of Bozeman Recreation Department. Jenanigans is a certified NOLS Instructor, Leave No Trace Master & Wilderness First Responder.
    
Current Base & Operations: Bozeman, Montana. Jenanigans is currently undertaking a new endeavor in graduate school at Montana State University and is working hard to earn her MS in Mental Health. In her free time she can be found snowboarding, trail running, practicing yoga, trying new recipes, climbing rocks, or enjoying outdoor adventures with her dog Emma and her husband Mike.

Known Superhuman Powers: Zippy has the superhuman power to be two nearly opposite things at once... she can move fast and stay calm, she's enthusiastic and at the same time she's patient, she can crack a great joke while being encouraging, she is spontaneous and at the same time reliable. You'll know when Zippy is coming to save the day, just listen for her "whooshing" sound that precedes every Zippy appearance!

Abilities: Known for her highly motivational personality, Zippy whizzes past bystanders and enlists go-getters to join her in pursuit of health and fitness through outdoor adventure! Happiness tags along with Zippy's activities rain or sun, morning or night, winter or summer. If you fail to hear Zippy's "whoosh" when she's passing nearby, you are sure to hear her singing, she's able and willing to sing a song for any occasion!

History: At age 11, Zippy could be heard running (not seen running, she was way too fast) through the woods of Southeastern Connecticut. As a young adult runner and outdoor enthusiast, she dreamt of pairing her passions of fitness and outdoors when it came time to decide on a direction for schooling. She ran collegiate cross-country and track while attending a small university in New Hampshire where she earned her bachelors degree in Health Promotion & Fitness with an independent study in Outdoor Education. She was elected track Team Captain and focused her education on outdoor oriented wellness. Zippy worked as a High Ropes Challenge Course Director for youth in Connecticut before moving to Flagstaff, AZ where she received training in and was employed as a Challenge Course Team Building Facilitator, Youth Recreation Specialist, and Montessori School Teacher. Zippy holds current certifications in Challenge Course Facilitation, CPR, Wilderness First Responder (wilderness medicine), Lifegaurd and she is a Leave No Trace (LNT) Certified Trainer.

Current Base & Operations: When Zippy is not running around the woods with teen girls at Alpengirl, she works full-time as a Montessori Teacher in Flagstaff, Arizona. She incorporates an Outdoor Education Curriculum in her teaching and leads the kids drama club after school. When not working, you'll most likely find Zippy singing, running, hiking, backpacking, doing hours of yoga, camping, cooking Greek food or seeking a new hobby to take up. Zippy recently ran a half marathon and raised $1000 for the Girls On The Run organization. She'll be on an adventure travel trip in Thailand before camp with Alpengirl and she's recently taken up birding, canoeing and reading and writing young adult novels!

Known Superhuman Powers: She can transform her body to become gusty winds, winds strong enough to bear her aloft for free air travel to her many far away destinations.

Abilities: She excels at table tennis and snowboarding and is an above average singer and dancer.

History: Gusto, a native from Sweden, has taught outdoor education based sea kayaking expeditions in Alaska, Mexico, Chile, Canada, Honduras, Greece, Croatia and Scandinavia since 1986. As a former sea kayaking program coordinator for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), she was responsible for leadership, risk management, program and instructor development. In 1996, Gusto and her husband Skier Dude, founded Crossing Latitudes, which specializes in reindeer trekking and sea kayaking trips in Scandinavia, Greece, Alaska and beyond. Gusto is a Wilderness EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) who volunteers for the local Search & Rescue group in Bozeman, Montana. For the last 10 years Gusto has worked for the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS and teaches wilderness first aid courses and Leave No Trace (LNT) courses. Gusto (or one of her trusty gusty cohorts) co-leads the Alpengirl Scandinavia trips. The next Alpengirl Norway trip is offered during summer 2012.

Current Base & Operations: Bozeman, Montana & the world at large. She's busy movin' & shakin'; she's always on the GO!

Known Superhuman Powers: Tenaci-D! has a superhuman capacity for tenacity! While hiking in the Andes Mountains, Tenaci-D! stumbled upon previously undiscovered reservoirs of untapped tenacity from which she drank. This drink sustained her and powered her up to superhuman levels of determination that would offer her the strength to become a human bridge over which, others could cross to meet the wild side of our natural world, leaving iGadgets and all that is known behind.

Abilities: Tenaci-D! is a woman of purpose, her determination is showed in every move. She’s a natural human bridge who offers people sturdy passage to cross over to the wild side and become in tune with nature; she’s a connector for people and their natural surroundings.

History: Tenaci-D! grew up in the woods of upstate New York where her love of the outdoors began. As a young person roaming through local forests, she learned self-sufficiency, teamwork, compassion, toughness and deep confidence based on who she was in a larger picture of life. Tenaci-D! has made a series of strategic moves throughout her lifetime that places helping kids to not only appreciate, but to love the outdoors as a life priority. She has worked as an environmental educator in the U.K., in New Hampshire for the Appalachian Mountain Club, in Colorado as a wilderness instructor, in Bozeman, Montana as a Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) and Bridger Nature Center Camp instructor and has lectured around the country as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year after finishing a two-year 7800-mile through-hike of the Andes Mountains. (http://www.acrosstheandes.com) Tenaci-D! has received two degrees from Washington University in St. Louis in 2003: a BFA in Visual Communications & a BA in Earth and Planetary Science with a focus on environmental sustainability. Ultimately, Tenaci-D!’s goal is to connect people with a different and healthier relationship with the natural world. And, in order to do that, Tenaci-D! finds ways for people to experience the natural world first hand in order to gain a real understanding of the natural world. Tenaci-D! is skilled in high-altitude mountaineering and survival techniques, and she is fluent in Spanish and is Wilderness First Responder and CPR certified.

Current Base & Operations: Bozeman, Montana. Tenaci-D! is finding ways to combine art with field work and education by pursuing an MFA in Montana State University’s Science and Natural History Filmmaking Program. She is super excited to take a break from computer work and get back out into the woods and mountains this summer to play! Check out Tenaci-D!’s website at www.deiaschlosberg.com 

Known Superhuman Powers: Wild Woman is something ancient that has survived. She has a super heightened awareness of self, others and her wilderness surroundings and is ready and eager to serve and empower those under her guidance.  In the wild, she is visible, yet invisible, she is Wild Woman, a Woman at home in the Wild.

Abilities: Wild Woman has a long list of abilities that allow her to be one with the wilderness environment, she is a wilderness survivor and has the skills to prove it! Elk tracking, woodworking, blacksmithing, plant identifying and artistic interpretation just to name a few.

History:  At a young age, Wild Woman was influenced by strong women with a passion for the natural world. Wild Woman lived in Kentucky on a horse farm that her mom built from the ground up and on vacations Wild Woman enjoyed going on hikes amongst the high alpine lakes of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains with her grandmother, a fourth generation apple farmer.  As a teenager, Wild Woman attended high school in Wisconsin and spent many days wandering the rolling woodlands of the glacially carved Kettle Moraines. Lewis & Clark College brought Wild Woman to Portland, Oregon where she studied Painting and Fine Arts and earned a degree in Studio Art. In college, Wild Woman’s art brought her deep into clearcut forests to paint the changing light on the new bare landscapes. In the Pacific Northwest Wild Woman has solo hiked while tracking elk, led children and adults on day long silent wilderness walks and on moonlit snowshoe hikes around Mt. Hood. These treks and professional leadership experiences have taught Wild Woman more about life and the lives of others than a book could ever teach, Wild Woman is very much at home in the wilderness. Wild Woman is a certified Interpretive Guide and Wilderness EMT.

“I am honored to be able to be present at moments in girls’ lives where their perspectives can shift, their minds can expand, and new bonds with friends and the environment are forged.” ~ Wild Woman 

Current Base & Operations: Portland, OR. You can find Wild Woman busy doing things like blacksmithing, making knives, chopping wood, painting landscapes and animals, night snowshoeing, running in the rain in the woods with her dog, biking backroads (cyclocross) and just looking around under stumps and things in her backyard - an old growth forest.