Bio coming soon!

Ben was initially interested in the Trailblazers Program because he wanted to meet other people his age, who also had a passion for trailbuilding. He is excited to have the ability to develop his own projects, as well as help with local community outreach in Southeastern Wisconsin. He works as a Mechanical Design Engineer and is an avid cyclist and runner in his free time.

Jess grew up in Southwest Wisconsin, unknowingly hiking various segments of the Ice Age Trail while visiting state parks as a child. It wasn’t until leaving Wisconsin that she realized just how special the IAT was. With experience thru-hiking and working on other National Scenic Trails across the country, the IAT’s strong and welcoming community has continually drawn her back. Now settled back in Wisconsin, Jess is excited to apply her skills in trailbuilding and guiding to help strengthen and grow the trail community. She is passionate about breaking down barriers to make the trail more accessible for all and teaching others the tools of the trade. Outside of hiking, Jess enjoys learning about different cultures, cooking over a campfire, and exploring new crafting skills.

Jessica is excited to be in the Trailblazers Program because she wants to give back to the Ice Age Trail and be part of its continued growth. She wants to bring awareness and knowledge about the Ice Age Trail to a younger generation to ensure the Trail’s legacy into the future. When she’s not hiking the Trail, she is hanging out with her two dogs and reading a good book, preferably in her hammock.

Katie is currently a student at UW-Madison studying Life Sciences Communication and Wildlife Ecology, with a certificate (minor) in Environmental Studies! She chose her majors because she is super passionate about urban ecology and natural resources communications/marketing. Katie sees the Trailblazers program as a great way to support the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s mission and to connect different groups of people who are passionate about the Ice Age Trail. She is most excited to help with outreach efforts and develop her trailbuilding skills. In Katie’s free time, she likes to do various crafts, try new foods, go for walks, and play Mario Kart.

Molly enjoyed hiking on the Ice Age Trail in the Madison and Milwaukee areas, as well as in Northern Wisconsin. She is excited to contribute towards efforts to expand and maintain the Trail for generations to come!

Laura was interested in the Trailblazers Program because she wanted to give back to the Ice Age Trail, while being in a welcoming community of young adults. Laura is looking forward to getting involved with some Ice Age Trail Crew Events near her and using her United States Forest Service sawyer certification for the Ice Age Trail. She has been known to convince youth groups on overnight trips to wake up at 3 am Mountain Time in order to see the sunrise at the tallest point in the park! Laura has also biked down Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park in 30-degree weather at 40 miles per hour, taking only 15 minutes to go down, but then arriving back to the top 3 hours later at a much slower pace. In her free time, Laura enjoys busting some moves on the dance floor, especially Bachata and line dancing.

Since moving from Massachusetts to Wisconsin three years ago, Allie has developed a strong relationship with the Ice Age Trail and the Alliance. After her first-ever backpacking trip on the IAT in 2022, she decided she wanted to section hike and become a Thousand-Miler. So far, she is about 380 miles down and has a bit to go! The Trailblazer program piqued her interest originally to meet similarly aged hiking buddies to keep her company while she completes the Trail. Being a part of the LGBT+ community, she would also like to get more young adult LGBT+ individuals involved, and she is interested in starting an LGBT+ hiking community in the Dane County area in the future. She is a neuronurse by trade and loves to read, travel, and row on Lake Mendota in her free time.

Hannah has been involved with the Ice Age Trail from a young age and when the opportunity came up to give back, she was excited to take it. Hannah works for an agriculture manufacturer and is excited to take her marketing mindset and apply it toward helping volunteer chapters and the Alliance to promote the amazing work they do for our communities across Wisconsin. In her free time, she loves to hike with her dog Millie, bake, and do puzzles.

As an avid long-distance backpacker, Zak has always been fascinated with the way that small, unique sections of trail come together to make the larger, epic journey. He has thru-hiked multiple long-distance trails including the Appalachian Trail, Colorado Trail, and John Muir Trail. He is hoping to use this opportunity as a Trailblazer to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work performed by the Alliance that goes into making each of these distinct sections of the Trail. A special area that Zak wants to focus on is finding ways to contribute to smaller volunteer chapters, which have miles of challenging trail to maintain. A fun fact about Zak: he’s had multiple sandwiches named after him at the local deli (sadly none were popular enough to remain).

Samira is an educator, nonprofit professional, outdoor enthusiast, and crocheter. She has a professional background that spans social work, education, and the nonprofit sector. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Samira never saw her place in outdoor activities. She fell in love with the IAT during grad school, and has since begun section hiking the Trail. She is a volunteer leader for Outdoor Afro and leads monthly hikes that center on Black joy and connection in nature. She is particularly excited to share her love of the Ice Age Trail with others who are just getting started outside.

Linden (she/they) is the Director of Education at Riveredge Nature Center, and specializes in insects, parasites, and diversity and equity in STEM. She has spent time teaching at Cedar Point Biological Station, Southern Illinois University, the Milwaukee Public Museum, and most recently, the Tamarack Waldorf School, and also has experience in museum exhibit fabrication, collection ethics, and statistics. In her spare time, Linden enjoys spinning and knitting, flying kites, fishing and trapping, and foraging for natural materials to make baskets. If you see her, ask her anything about turkey vultures – they’re her favorite animals!

Erika first encountered the Ice Age trail while perusing a state park trail map in 2020. A glance at the distinct yellow blazes and one Google search later, and she was ordering the guidebook and atlas and starting to plan out segment hikes. She is making slow, but steady, progress on the miles, completing most hikes as an out-and-back with her husband and her tiny trail dog, Hero.

She gets contentment and energy from hiking the trail and was looking for a way to give back when she heard about the Trailblazers program. It seemed like a great way to invest some time and energy and spread the word about what a gem the Trail is, and how lucky we are to have it in Wisconsin. She is looking forward to getting more involved in the Ice Age trail community and learning all kinds of new skills from trailbuilding to advocacy. When not hiking, Erika is probably in a state park or forest spending time mountain biking or camping, or at home playing word games, solving puzzles, or embroidering.

Katie works in the world of environmental regulations, and has been lucky enough to visit and learn more about the Ice Age Trail and other valuable natural areas across the state through her job. No surprise, but Wisconsin is one cool place! Katie is excited to join the Trailblazers Program and do her part to support the future of the Trail through trail maintenance and other Alliance outreach efforts. Growing up in northern Minnesota and spending much of her youth fishing the Northwoods of Wisconsin, it is in nature she feels most herself, at peace and inspired to facilitate the same for others!

Lindsay holds a deep love for the outdoors, and in her free time, you’ll most likely find her camping, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, fishing, snowboarding, or just hanging on her porch with her cats. She spent three years in Oregon exploring the Cascades and has hiked all over the US, including many segments of the Ice Age Trail. In 2016, she completed the Southern half of the Appalachian Trail and plans to hike the Northern Half of the A.T. in 2025. Lindsay first started volunteering on the Ice Age Trail last year and discovered her love for trailbuilding, especially tread and rock work. After hearing about the Trailblazers at a crew event, she thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to get more involved, collaborate with like-minded peers, and contribute to the tail that has brought her so much joy.

Katia is an avid Ice Age Trail enthusiast, trail runner, and environmental engineer. She first became involved with the Trail as a volunteer maintainer for the Parrish Hills Segment. While the remote northern segments hold a special place in her heart, she also loves the Kettle Moraine for its unique geography and topography. Passionate about raising awareness of the Trail—especially among her peers—she is dedicated to maintaining and building new sections to help preserve this great footpath for future generations. When she’s not on the Trail or working, you can find her playing board games with friends, baking, or reading a book in a hammock.

Bio coming soon!