The Ice Age Trail Alliance is excited to welcome Lisa Szela as its Volunteer Support Coordinator.
Some of you might have already had the pleasure of meeting Lisa. Before her new role, she actively volunteered along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, amassing an expansive repertoire:
- Trailbuilding at MSC events
- Leading guided hikes
- Assisting with the Alliance’s Dane County Chapter’s trail maintenance activities
Lisa grew up in a small town north of Green Bay, Wis. Still, she did not get into what she calls “REI outdoor activities” until she was an adult. As a kid, she enjoyed running around on her grandma’s farmland.
She attended Winona State University in Minnesota, where she received her undergraduate degree in biology. Lisa then attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison but ultimately decided it was not the right fit. Lisa says after leaving medical school, “I felt a little lost and unsure, but I found outdoor activities, like rock climbing and hiking the Ice Age Trail.”
However, Lisa remained in healthcare, working in public health as a medical/social science researcher and doing overdose prevention. During this time, her passion for the outdoors continued to grow.
She volunteered with several outdoor/environmental groups: The Sierra Club, North County Trail Association, Wisconsin Climbers Association, Badger Betties, and (of course) the Ice Age Trail Alliance.
Lisa also continued to hike the Ice Age Trail: “I created a goal to hike all the segments in Dane County—I wanted a Dane Drifter patch—and then decided to hike the whole Trail.”
As an aspiring Thousand-Miler, she has already hiked 900 miles! “I joined Facebook groups and followed other Ice Age Trail hikers on Instagram to make hiking friends and find group hikes. Sometimes you show up and don’t know the person you will be hiking with. They might be 40 years older than you, but after 12 miles, you’ve found something to talk about,” Lisa says.
When asked what her favorite segment is, Lisa responded, “I know this sounds cheesy, but it is usually whichever one I just hiked. But I especially love the segments in the Northwestern part of the state.”
Lisa has yet to convince any friends to join her on her Thousand-Miler journey. Still, she is occasionally able to get friends to go on shorter hiking trips with her. A memorable backpacking adventure with friends included tackling three Lincoln County segments in mid-June: Alta Junction, Harrison Hills, and Parrish Hills. Although their trip, filled with ticks, mosquitos, mud, and being completely wet, was in the moment a “suffer fest,” in retrospect, Lisa says, it was fun.
Lisa expects her Volunteer Support Coordinator role to evolve to best-fit volunteers’ needs. Overall, she will be the volunteers’ initial contact and support person to help “centralize that communication process.” Currently, she is meeting with members of the Alliance’s 19 chapters. Lisa says, “The chapters’ feedback will help inform what projects I address first.” She already has a whiteboard in her office with a list of long-term goals.
Working at an organization that encompasses her passions is important to Lisa. And the mission and vision of the Alliance fit her criteria. She also believes the community – hikers, volunteers, members, donors, and partners – makes the Alliance what it is: full of warm welcomes.
We look forward to working with Lisa to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the Ice Age Trail!
