Trailblazers

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.

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.

Maddy is a High School teacher and leads the school’s Outdoor Pursuits program, which gives students the opportunity to connect with many local organizations and experience outdoor activities in their community. She wanted to be part of the Trailblazers to continue her own passion for learning and giving back to the Trail, and also to find new opportunities to involve the younger generation in the local trail community.

Maddy enjoys all things outdoors: in her free time, you can find her mountain biking in the Kettle Moraine State Forest, canoeing local rivers and lakes, cross-country skiing the trails at Lapham Peak State Park, or planning her next road trip with her soon-to-be husband. You may also run into Maddy hiking the trail at Lapham Peak State Park, as she is a Segment Steward for the Lapham Peak section of the trail from the Tower to Highway 18!

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.

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).

McKenna joined Trailblazers to have the opportunity to connect two things she loves – the outdoors and giving back! She is interested in raising awareness about the Ice Age Trail and is passionate about getting various audiences out on the trail such as youth, foster families, and more. She has worked for various nonprofits over the years and is grateful to be able to work with Girls on the Run International. In her free time, McKenna enjoys hiking, camping, running, spending time outdoors, hanging with her kiddos and family, and enjoying salty snacks!

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.

Seth, a Baraboo, Wis. resident, is excited to be part of the 2024 Trailblazers cohort! He views it as an opportunity to promote the Ice Age Trail, a way to advocate for why volunteerism is vital and to support all of the Alliance’s efforts towards this remarkable trail system. Outside of being a Trailblazer, Seth is a professional archeologist and holds an executive role for a non-profit tourism organization in Baraboo. He enjoys all things outdoors: hiking, kayaking, climbing, cycling, and skiing (just to name a few).