Hot off the presses, the fourth batch of summer staff biographies is live! Please read on to learn about our fantastic Maine’s Downeast Explorer leaders.
Leader Name: Kaia Roast (she/her/hers) 
2021 Trip: Maine’s Downeast Explorer
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
School: Whitman College, Class of 2022
Major: Sociology
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, backpacking, backcountry and cross-country skiing, kayaking, climbing
Highlights of 2020: Kaia took a road trip through the Sawtooth mountain range in Idaho, Teton mountain range in Wyoming, and San Juan mountain range in Colorado where she took side trips to hike and backpack.
Where you can find Kaia when she’s not hiking around the West: Tearing it up on her roller blades, hula hooping, or making homemade pasta!
Fast Facts about Kaia: Kaia has been playing ultimate frisbee since she was nine years old! She is also on her college’s improv comedy team, and she can quote the entire Incredibles movie. Before making her way out to Maine for the 2021 summer, she is working on a goat farm in Montana.
Leader Name: Jack Elder (he/him/his) 
2021 Trip: Maine’s Downeast Explorer
Hometown: Basalt, Colorado
School: CU Boulder, Class of 2017
Major: Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology and Evolutionary Biology & Ecology; Minor: Technology Arts & Media
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Backpacking, fly fishing, mountain biking, dirt biking, paddle boarding
Highlights of 2020: Jack spent a lot of 2020 hanging out with friends and family, cooking good food, and watching documentaries.
Where you can find Jack when he’s not fishing or with loved ones: Jack is interested in documentary film-making and currently works as a professional photographer.
An interesting fact: Jack has a birthmark on his scalp that causes him to have a bright-orange patch of hair on the top of his head!
Leader Name: Jack Lifland (he/him/his) 
2021 Trip: Maine’s Downeast Explorer
Hometown: Grass Valley, California
School: Colorado College, Class of 2023
Major: Environmental Science; Minor: History
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Rafting, backpacking, and hiking
Highlights of 2020: Jack practiced Wim Hof, a health and fitness regime that allowed him to develop cold water resistance, which allowed him to spend many days scoping out and chasing cold water in the Sierra Nevadas.
Where you can find Jack when he isn’t plunging himself into the chilliest water: He worked as a river guide on the South Fork of the American River in California, loves role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, and is constantly listening to a huge amount of music.
Truly fun facts about Jack: Jack has climbed Pikes’s Peak (14,115ft) in flip flops!!!
Leader Name: Lindsey Royce (she/her/hers) 
2021 Trip: Maine’s Downeast Explorer
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
School: Hamilton College, Class of 2022
Major: World Politics; Minor: Sociology
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Running, hiking, swimming, biking!
Highlights of 2020: Lindsey road tripped from St. Louis to Park City over the summer with high school friends while continuing her remote internships! She hiked in Arches National Park and various other beautiful spots in Utah and Colorado.
Where you can find Lindsey when she’s not on a road trip or running: Reading historical fiction books and cooking.
Epic fast facts about Lindsey that we love: Lindsey is a three-time Apogee alumni – she participated on our California Mountains & Coast, Alps Explorer, and Europe Coast to Coast trips. Outside of Apogee, Lindsey is a pro Rubik’s Cube solver, she taught English to refugees in the Utica area in 2020, and, maybe most impressively, she can cross one eye and look straight forward with the other.