About

Our Team

Jenna "Mittens" Carroll, Assistant Manager; Sales and Marketing
Jenna is a formerly Washington, DC-based corporate queen turned artsy outdoor enthusiast. She completed a northbound Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2021, and it totally changed her life. For her, hiking is one of the most joyful ways to gain confidence, channel creativity, and build community with other people. When she's not in the woods, you can find her hanging at a coffee shop in West Asheville or performing spoken word poetry at a local open mic. She is so jazzed to go hiking together!!

For marketing inquiries, you can reach Jenna directly at jenna@blueridgehikingco.com.

Melissa Watkins, Private Trip Coordinator
Melissa grew up in Florida where she spent many hours watching wildlife and guiding kayak tours. She has also guided many backpacking, canoeing, and rafting trips in Western North Carolina and loves nothing more than sharing the outdoors with new friends. A former college professor, she is an educator at heart. When not at work, she loves to paddle, bake, teach her young son about the outdoors, and bask in the sunshine.

For private backpacking trip inquiries, you can reach Melissa directly at melissa@blueridgehikingco.com.

Hannah "Chaco" Brock, Guide
Born and raised in Georgia, Hannah’s love of the outdoors began while digging for worms in the mud and playing in the red clay. Her passion for being in nature has grown since then and she has backpacked over 3,500 miles including a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2013, sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, and many smaller backcountry trails in between! In her free time she also enjoys paddleboarding, biking, enjoying the Asheville music scene, completing home improvement projects with her partner, and cross-stitching. Let’s go for a hike!

Matt "Gnome" Dobson, Guide
Having moved around the world pursuing other professional interests, Matt has decided Western North Carolina is the place for him and helping to expose others to our natural world is the perfect way to spend his time. Matt has over 12,000 trail miles on his legs, including thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, John Muir Trail, and Long Trail. He has a Plant Sciences degree from the University of Tennessee and has spent many of his hours in nature studying its science and history.

Mel “SassyFrass” Gibson, Guide
Melissa grew up in Virginia Beach, VA in the quiet of woods and marshes. What are her favorite things? Walking in the woods and sharing stories with friends old and new, singing spontaneously, and learning about the natural world - especially foraging and native plants. She is an AT section maintainer and boy, does it give her even more appreciation for the trail! A love of travel has taken her to 24 countries, “swamping” on the Colorado River, walking the Camino de Santiago, and to China and Belgium as an expat. She has completed three 28.3-miles-in-a-day Trailblaze Challenges for Make-A-Wish Foundation and is now a Trailblaze volunteer. She has section hiking the AT and getting on the CO Trail in her sights, and she’s thrilled to be newly inducted into the Grandma club. Being in the woods makes Melissa feel like a kid again. Come out and play!

Adam Kampouris, Guide
Born in the Catskills of NY and raised in the Blue Ridge of NC, Adam has always called the mountains of Appalachia home (well…except those 6 years in NYC, but we don’t talk about that). Having survived a childhood of blissful, unsupervised galavanting through the local woods, creeks, and hollers, he derives great joy in sharing his love of the natural world with others, and has yet to meet an outdoor activity he doesn’t like! A jack of all interests and master of none, his curiosities include local flora & fauna, mineral identification, folklore, Shakespearean verse, group singing, and pickin’ on his mandolin. When not on trail, Adam identifies as a professional stage actor, an amateur chef, and an hapless goof.

Bev MacDowell, Guide
Backpack with a contemporary!  Bev has been a hiking and backpacking leader for adults and youth for more than 10 years.  She is an AT Trail Maintainer for the Max Patch section, she has completed Educator Outward Bound, and recently hiked 200 miles of the Spanish Camino del Santiago.  She feels most alive when she is active in the forest; it is so empowering!  It brings her great joy to introduce others to the wonder of outdoor life in Western NC.

Traci Mohl, Guide
Hailing from the Appalachian mountains in Pennsylvania, Traci grew up fostering a special relationship with the woods, which has led to a love and passion for all things outdoors. She loves to take her time exploring ecologically diverse trails with stunning vistas, mighty waterfalls and hopefully a toad or two! Traci loves connecting folks with the spirit of the land and helping them cultivate a love for the natural world. When she's not chasing scenic trails in Western North Carolina, you can find her rock climbing, paddling, practicing historical combat, or with her nose in a good fantasy novel.

Heidi "Sketch" Nisbett, Guide
Heidi grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is proud to call North Carolina home.  After graduating from Winthrop University with a BFA in Painting and Printmaking, she found herself falling in love with hiking and the outdoors.  She thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018 and kept a detailed sketchbook of watercolor paintings to document her travels.  She has since hiked a number of shorter trails and enjoys finding new ways to incorporate her creative practice into hiking.

Kacie "Foxy" Ross, Guide
Kacie grew up playing in the Eno River along what is now a stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in Durham, NC. Over the past decade, she has enjoyed teaching and guiding in the outdoors all over the country. Kacie has thru-hiked over 7,000 miles, including the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Te Araroa. Following her passion for wilderness medicine, she has worked as a Wilderness EMT on the Buncombe County Search and Rescue Squad, and has recently graduated from Western Carolina University as a Registered Nurse. Kacie loves fun conversation while hiking and finding all the little critters along the way!

Lauren Smucker, Guide
Lauren has been exploring Appalachia for over 30 years. Originally a Pennsylvania native, she moved from the Green Mountains of Vermont to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina in 2015. After leading trail building crews with the VYCC, she decided to thru-hike Vermont’s Long Trail twice & the Appalachian Trail. Lauren is a wildland firefighter & a fire starter with a prescribed burn crew here in the Southeast. She also enjoys assembling sculptures using foraged & often forgotten elements from the natural world.

Tamera "Caboosy" Trexler, Guide
Hello! I am Tamera, a long-distance hiker with 12 years outfitting experience. I have been backpacking, hiking, biking and kayaking the regions of Western North Carolina and around the world for 30 plus years. I would love to share the waterfalls, peaks, pinnacles and forests with you! I can share some of this region's geology, ecology and history as I am studying to become a Certified Blue Ridge Naturalist. 

Nancy "Seal Mom" East, Workshop Instructor
Nancy retired from a career as a vet in 2020 to pursue opportunities that took her outdoors more. She is passionate about sharing the natural world and teaching hikers how to stay "safe and found". She is a Southern Appalachian Naturalist and is on Haywood County's Search and Rescue Team. Nancy has hiked all 800 miles of trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park four times, and co-holds the speed record for the Smokies 900 Miler Challenge. She shares stories and educational content on Hope and Feather Travels.

Paul Benson, Guest Guide
Paul was born in Miami, FL but grew up in North Carolina and has enjoyed playing in the woods since he was kid.  He has been a member, hike leader, and trail maintainer for the Carolina Mountain Club for 20 years.  He has hiked all 400 miles of trails in the Pisgah Ranger District; section hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and New Hampshire; completed the South Beyond 6,000ft Challenge and even a few of the 14ers in Colorado.  Paul has been an avid backpacker since starting as teenager with his dad and frequently camps in the Smoky Mountain National Park and the National Forests surrounding Asheville.  Paul also enjoys kayaking and kayak camping.  Holding a Master’s degree in Geography he knows the terrain and enjoys using maps and hiking trail apps.

Brew Davis, Guest Guide
Brew is Jen's husband and grew up in Nashville so he's required by law to be a part-time singer/songwriter. He's also a former History/English teacher and knows enough about both subjects to be dangerous but not helpful. He's hiked with Jen all over the US and Europe and has completed varying pain-levels of ultra marathons from 50Ks to 100 milers and the infamous Pitchell 100K in Western NC. He helps Jen on the speaking and writing side of things, but loves working in the shop and guiding hikes whenever the boss (read, wife) lets him.

Gary Eblen, Guest Guide
Gary has been backpacking for 50 years.  In the 1970’s he led campers on trips in Pisgah, Shenandoah, Sierras, British Columbia, the Smokies, and Joyce Kilmer.  A former trail maintainer, he’s focused most of his backpacking in the last 10 years on trails in the Smokies.  He tries to stay in shape by carrying granddaughter Lily who’s very close to his base weight.  His three keys to continued enjoyment of backpacking in your 70’s are a lighter pack, trekking poles, and some younger backpacking buddies.

Jenn "One Day" Gift, Guest Guide
Jenn grew up mid-state and spent her summers enjoying the east coast beaches. It wasn’t until she attended school in western North Carolina that she fell deeply in love with the Appalachian Mountains. She now has over a decade of experience as a wilderness therapy field guide and has logged over 8,250 miles on foot including the Triple Crown of thru-hiking and the Camino de Santiago! As an artist, licensed therapist, and professional backpacker, she views the wilderness as a source of inspiration, healing, and empowerment.

Amy "Slider" Hunsucker, Guest Guide
Originally from South Carolina, Amy moved to Colorado following a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail where she spent 4 years exploring the Rocky Mountains. After a thru hike of the Continental Divide Trail, the Appalachian Mountains called her back home and she moved to North Carolina to work for Blue Ridge Hiking Company. Amy has earned a Bachelor's in music education and Master's in trombone performance and incorporates her love of music on her thru hikes by carrying a plastic trombone in her backpack.

Lexie "Curls" Lanfrank, Guest Guide
Lexie grew up exploring the quaint woods around her home chasing fireflies and dodging poison ivy. In college, she found her love of hiking and camping, leading to her thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2018 and soon after planting herself full-time in Asheville. Lexie loves connecting with people in the mountains she now calls home. In her free time, you’ll find her cooking up something new in the kitchen, enjoying local brews and music, picnicking in the park and soaking in the sunshine whenever she can.

Leah "Eagle Eye" LaRocco, Guest Guide
Leah received her certification as a Southern Appalachian Naturalist from Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, and loves exploring nature on the trail whenever she gets a chance. Growing up in the northeast, she developed a passion for the outdoors by camping and hiking in Vermont. When away from work, you can find her adventuring in places like the Smokies, Rocky Mountains, Yosemite, Tetons, Scotland's West Highland Way, and the Appalachian Trail.

Steve Valeika, Guest Guide
Steve has lived in Asheville for 10 years. Hiking in these mountains nourishes his soul. When he isn't on a trail, he works as a veterinarian. Prior to that he was a professor of infectious disease epidemiology. He loves science and nature, and loves sharing that knowledge. He is an expert amateur mushroom identifier, and can dazzle/bore you with fun fungal facts!