About

Our Team

Lindsey Barr, Manager
Lindsey grew up in central North Carolina, where she developed a love for science and the outdoors. In 2012, she left her aerospace engineering career behind to follow her dream of helping introduce others to the outdoors in a welcoming and empowering way. When she isn't at work, you can find her exploring area trails and waterways or enjoying Asheville's thriving live music scene. In addition to hiking and backpacking, she enjoys paddling, rock climbing, cycling, fly fishing, knitting, and stained glass. Lindsey was nominated for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's 2020 Woman Up Rising Star Award.

Jenna "Mittens" Carroll, Admin and Director of 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!!

Melissa Watkins, Private Backpacking Trip Consultant
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.

If you'd like to inquire about a private backpacking trip, you can reach Melissa directly at melissa@blueridgehikingco.com.

Melissa Gibson
Melissa grew up in the quiet marshes of Virginia Beach. She loves walking in the woods and sharing stories with friends old and new, singing spontaneously, and learning about the natural world - especially forging and native plants. She is an Appalachian Trail section maintainer for Max Patch and it gives 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 del Santiago, and to China and Belgium as an expat. Being in the woods makes her feel like a kid again. Come out and play!

Bev MacDowell
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.

Tanner "French Press" Miller
Originally from the rural hills of Eastern Kentucky, Tanner decided to move to Asheville after his 2021 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Before his life altering adventure, he graduated with a degree in politics and history at the University of Kentucky. He loves to listen to Bluegrass music, watch sports, and check out Asheville's many breweries. Tanner plans to continue his long-distance hiking endeavors by attempting the PCT in the next couple of years.

Heidi "Picasso" Nisbett
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
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 is on the Buncombe County Search and Rescue Squad, and will soon be graduating 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
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
Tamera has traveled and explored in America, Europe, UK, Sweden, Cyprus, Canada, Antarctica, the Galapagos, Falkland Islands, and Tierra Del Fuego. The Mountains of WNC have held a special place in her heart for 30 years. Hiking and Backpacking are her favorite ways to explore, as well as mountain biking and kayaking. She would love to guide you to the beauty beyond the trailhead in the backcountry, having fun, and gaining confidence with backpacking skills, outdoor ethics and local knowledge.

Steve Valeika
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!

Matt "Gnome" Dobson, Lead 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.

Matt is taking most of the 2022 Season off for a personal adventure!  He'll return to guiding this fall.

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.

Nancy "Seal Mom" East, Guest Guide
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.

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.

Lexie "Curls" Lanfrank, Guest Guide
Lexie grew up exploring the quaint woods around her home chasing lightning bugs and dodging poison ivy. In college, she rediscovered her love of the mountains, leading to her thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2018. She spent over 180 nights under the stars on trail before she moved to Asheville full-time. Now she wanders forests and climbs mountains since completing her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Lexie loves connecting people with the mountains she calls home. In her free time, you’ll find her cooking up a storm (or mess), finding hidden swimming holes, and planning her next adventure.

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.

Traci Mohl, Guest Guide
Traci grew up fostering a deep love for every aspect of the outdoors while exploring the forests and creeks of eastern Pennsylvania. She made her love for the outdoors into her career in 2015, guiding trips all over the east coast including canoeing, climbing and hiking. Her favorite trails have a diversity of terrain and flora, and you better believe there’s a vista or waterfall somewhere! She loves to take her time on hikes to observe the environment on the trail, enjoy good food and look for toads. When she’s not traversing trails in the Asheville area, you can find her climbing, paddling, reading a good fantasy novel or participating in combat demonstrations with her Viking-age reenactment society.

Company History