The countdown to this summer’s leader training is well underway (we’re at 25 days to be exact – not that anyone is counting…) and we are gearing up by posting more amazing leader profiles. First up, we have Erinn Geyer and John McBratney – these superstars will be spending their summer exploring the hills and shorelines of Acadia National Park and downeast Maine, and challenging their students as they work up to the summit of Mt. Katahdin on our Maine’s Downeast Explorer trip. On deck, we’ve got the indomitable Jessi Crowley and Jonathan Sit. These two will be splitting their summer between time on their bikes and on the trail as they lead Vermont to Montreal and, like Erinn and John, an itiration of our Maine’s Downeast Explorer!
ERINN GEYER 
This summer’s Maine’s Downeast Explorer students are going to love getting to know Erinn Geyer! A native of Concord, Massachusetts, Erinn has since moved a few miles down Route 2 and is now a rising Senior at Tufts University in Boston. At Tufts, Erinn is majoring in Clinical Psychology and has taken on double majors in Childhood Development and Communications/Media. Her real love, however, is the outdoors – and her significant exposure to the backcountry was on Apogee’s own Northwest Explorer in 2008. Ever since, Erin’s been hooked – and she loves nothing more than sharing her passion with others. At Tufts, Erinn is the Vice President of the Tufts Mountain Club, the largest student-run organization on campus. She is also deeply involved with Tufts’ Wilderness Orientation program for incoming freshmen. After participating before her own Freshman year, Erinn led trips before her Sophomore and Junior years. Erinn also chases adventures off of campus. A graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, Erinn has hiked throughout the Alps, the Grand Canyon, and California’s High Sierras and Yosemite National Park. Additionally, Erinn has spent the spring of 2015 studying abroad at the University of Otago in New Zealand – where, naturally, she’s also found time to enjoy New Zealand’s stunning outdoors. Erinn also has an artistic side as she is a member of Tufts’ Dance Cooperative and a writer on one of Boston’s food blogs. Erinn is excited to “give back to a program that helped shape my identity and my passion for the outdoors” as she helps her Apogee students nurture their own passion for outdoor adventure and respect for the environment this summer.
JOHN MCBRATNEY
We are thrilled to have Chicago’s own John McBratney join us on our Maine’s Downeast Explorer trips this summer! John epitomizes what it means to be adventurous and outdoorsy – and he especially thrives around bodies of water. John has spent a number of recent summers bobbing around on Lake Michigan where he served as a sailing instructor and camp counselor in his home town of Evanston, Illinois. John comes from a family of five that loves to travel. Their supportive and fun household has traveled to all ends of the globe together – from Canada and Scandinavia to Hawaii and the Mediterranean. A rising Senior at Hamilton College in upstate New York, John is Captain of Hamilton men’s water polo team and serves as a trip leader for Adirondack Adventure, the college’s outdoor-oriented pre-orientation program. In his free time at Hamilton, John is a founding member of an a capella group for “shower singers,” and an aspiring architect and interior designer during moments of procrastination. Vibrant, energetic, and passionate about the outdoors – John perfectly represents the Apogee spirit and can’t wait to meet his fellow travelers this summer.
JESSI CROWLEY
We can’t wait to have Jessica “Jessi” Crowley join the Apogee family this summer as she leads our Maine’s Downeast Explorer and Vermont to Montreal trips! Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Jessi feels right at home in the outdoors. Growing up, Jessi spent much of her free time camping, hiking and climbing around the glorious wilderness of Washington with her parents and two brothers. Jessi continued to explore her passion for the outdoors at Hamilton College in upstate New York, where she is a rising Senior. When she’s not working towards her psychology major, you might find Jessi leading pre-orientation trips in the Adirondack wilderness for incoming freshmen or singing as a dedicated member of an anonymous a capella group that does flash mob performances around campus. Additionally, Jessi loves playing Ultimate Frisbee and has been an avid player for much of her life. Over the years, she has transitioned from being on a nationally-ranked youth team to being a co-captain of the Hamilton Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Last spring, Jessi proudly led the team to Nationals for the first time in the team’s history. On top of it all, Jessi enjoys travel and working with kids. In high school, Jessi went on a global service trip to Uruguay where she taught math, science, and dance to 11- and 12-year olds! Jessi is fun, kind, and filled with infectious enthusiasm, and her Apogee students are going to have a great time getting to know her both on the trails of Maine and along the backroads of Vermont.
JONATHAN SIT
Ever eaten chicken feet or cow intestines? Our Maine’s Downeast Explorer and Vermont to Montreal leader Jonathan Sit has – and he liked them, too! Jonathan’s love for the unique extends far beyond food and applies to travel, culture, and people. Jonathan is a recent graduate of Brown University where he studied biology. A young man with a real a knack for learning and teaching – Jonathan worked in a cognitive neuroscience lab at Brown and spent most of his free time teaching 8th-grade Chemistry to underserved middle school youth in Providence. Jonathan’s natural curiosity about the world has led him to travel and explore in the outdoors; Jonathan’s life was shaped by his three-week Outward Bound experience as a teenager. He’s switched to the leadership side of the equation in recent years and has led a number of backpacking excursions through Brown’s Outdoor Leadership programs. Jonathan indulged his passion for adventure and community service when he voyaged overseas to Botswana, Africa to work on a spinach farm and help with building projects at a local school. Jonathan is vibrant, and enthusiastic and eager to share the adventures with his Apogee students this summer!