Oboz Footwear introduced its new squad of ambassadors for 2018. Now in its fourth year, the Oboz Trail Team welcomes twenty enthusiastic hikers and adventurers who will answer Oboz’ call of ‘Where to next?’
The group of twenty people represents all the regions of the United States, as well as Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Collectively, they are writers, thru hikers, summit seekers, community organizers, trail builders, volunteers, public lands advocates, fund raisers, dog trainers and search and rescuers but, most of all, explorers who are true to the trail. For them, hiking is a path to self-discovery, reflection and building confidence, as well as a means to find freedom, community and of course, adventure.
“Our ambassadors will really carry the Oboz flag for 2018,” said Christian Mason, vice president of sales and marketing for Oboz. “This team of people finds their enthusiasm for hiking at every level. Some are world travelers who live for big expeditions; others hit their nearby trails regularly. They’re passionate story tellers and we’re privileged to share their stories with the Oboz community.”
Join the team online by following Trail Tales at https://obozfootwear.com/community.
Meet the ambassadors:
Matt Hoffman, of Ontario, Canada, believes that hiking “perfectly encapsulates what it means to be human” because it’s a choice that can be extremely challenging. He’s driven by the need to see the amazing, and getting to the top of a mountain fills his soul with a feeling of deep accomplishment and power. This year Matt will be exploring the West Coast trail in British Columbia, Yosemite and many other points in the west. Find him @matthffmn or on his website at Matthoffmancontent.com.
From Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Oboz welcomes Nkrumah Frazier, who is inspired by all the hikers that came before him. He writes for Venture South, covering outdoor destinations and also founded Hikes Across America to encourage people to get outside. Thru-hiking Mississippi’s 42-mile Black Creek Hiking Trail is on his bucket list this year. Online, Nkrumah can be followed on Instagram @fanclubdad or Facebook at Nkrumah.frazier.
Kaci Stringer, from Pittsburg, Kansas, got her hands very dirty and hiked a lot as a volunteer trail builder in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Montana, working alongside the U.S. Forest Service personnel and other great volunteers. She’s headed out for more trail work in 2018 and also contributes her time and energy to the American Hiking Society. She is working to become a certified hiking guide, and this year, plans to see the glaciers in Glacier National Park. Follow along @wanderrwomann on Instagram and Twitter or @KaciStringer on Facebook.
Caitlin McKenzie discovered her passion for mountains just a few years ago, when she climbed 25 mountains in the Canadian Rockies. From Fort St. John, British Columbia, the Canadian has more summits on her list for this year and will also venture into new territory in the Yukon and Alaska. “Every viewpoint offers a different perspective,” she says, and, “mountains provide a challenge and even greater feeling of accomplishment once conquered.” She’s on Instagram @mountainbait and is Caitlin McKenzie on Facebook.
Oregonian Logan Dralle frees her mind from the day-to-day clutter by hiking and backpacking. This year, she’ll hit the San Juan National Forest, in Colorado, Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington. The Enchantments in Washington were a memorable trip for her, especially the snow-covered and notoriously dangerous Aasgard Pass. Follow along on Instagram @her.oregon.life and at heroregonlife.com.
Aaron Theisen, of Spokane, Washington, is a photographer and author of two hiking guidebooks. Over the last two seasons he has put in thousands of miles on some 200 different hikes to research his forthcoming book covering day hiking in Glacier National Park and western Montana. In 2018 he’ll re-hike some of those trails to promote the book, and as a board member of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, he’ll section hike some of that route, too. He’s on Instagram @whiskeygingermedia and Facebook @aarontheisenwriter. Find his blog at aarontheisen.com.
Courtnee Sinhlapasai recently moved to Bishop, California and will explore the Eastern Sierras this year. She has her sights on Mount Whitney and Half Dome, too–maybe solo, as she’s discovered that going it alone in the mountains with just a pack and few possessions is the best way to be herself and feel free. Find Courtnee on Instagram @courtadventures.
Cameron Davison, a.k.a. “Daddy Bookins,” is often found hiking the desert trails in his home state of Arizona with his wife and child. Backpacking 55 miles of the Grand Canyon is one highlight of his adventures, and this year he’ll explore more of Arizona. He plans to start tackling the AZ 2020 challenge—hiking the state’s 20 highest peaks and 20 deepest canyons. Find him online @daddybookins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as at daddybookins.com.
‘Weekend Impossible’ is the mission of Carissa Logan, a Californian who now lives in Taylorsville, Utah. She gets out to the desert and mountains at every possible opportunity, and looks for the challenges in the wild that build self-confidence. Half Dome, Mt. Whiney, canyoneering, sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and exploring our National Parks are all on her list. Her blog and Facebook page are @Weekend Impossible and on Instagram she’s @carissa_adventurings.
Duncan Williamson lives in Bozeman, Montana and has a rim-to-rim traverse of the Grand Canyon on his list of dream hikes. The Coloradan went to film school in Montana and stayed, where he shoots and edits videos when he’s not hiking, camping, mountain biking and snowboarding. His website is CoffeeBoysProductions.com and on Instagram, he’s @dunc_man_will.
Alyssa Hitchcock has her best ideas while hiking. Balancing work and life is paramount, and she juggled both when she and her husband lived for two years in a converted school bus, traveling to the best hiking spots in the western U.S. The Bozeman, Montana resident is training her puppy (and other dogs) for search and rescue, a two-year process that involves lots of hiking in any kind of weather. “People get lost in the worst of conditions,” she says. Find Alyssa on @outsidefound and she read her blog at Outsidefound.com.
Clariza Alvarez fell in love with Iceland and will return in the winter for more exploration and hiking to the Sólheimasandur Plane Crash. Her ‘where to next’ roster includes the beautiful Shenandoah near her Alexandria, Virginia home and she also hopes to visit Banff, Scotland or South America. Hiking lets Clariza destress and disconnect from her digital job, as well as feel excited about taking on the next challenge. On social media, she’s @helloclariza.
Forty years ago, Bruce Matson promised himself he would someday hike the Appalachian Trail. This year, he’s making good on that pledge and will be raising money for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. From Richmond, Virginia, Bruce loves the challenge and time for self-reflection that hiking gives him. He’s hiked in Tasmania, New Zealand and Spain. Follow his thru-hike on www.returningtokatahdin.com and @rtk_at_challenge.
Jacques Turcotte of Seekonk, Massachusetts, finds community and freedom in hiking. From Wyoming’s Wind Rivers to Utah’s canyons to the wooded trails and peaks of the Northeast, he’s always up for an adventure. Most recently, he’s been renovating a bus that will be his new home. Find him on Instagram @livewildoutdoors.
Imogene Cancellare of Newark, Delaware, says she “always ends a hike feeling like the best version of myself.” In graduate school, she realized she’d gone from being a field biologist who hiked all the time to an indoor hermit. So, several years ago, she fixed that and re-immersed herself in the outdoors by hiking Raven’s Ridge in New Mexico—12,000’ in elevation. She’s on Instagram @biologistimogene, Facebook as Imogene Cancellare, Twitter @biologistimo and her blog is biologistimogene.com.
Tara Schatz loves leaving responsibilities behind and heading out on an adventure from her Bennington, Vermont home. She’s section-hiked much of the AT, hiked everywhere she could on a cross-country road trip and has climbed and hiked many of the highest peaks in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. Her current focus will be exploring more near home and raising puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Find her on Instagram @back.road.ramblers, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/openspacesmallplace/, Twitter @backroadramblrs and on her website, backroadramblers.com.
Milosz Pierwola of South River, New Jersey quit his job as an attorney to be a professional explorer the world over. A highlight is his 2015 Nahanni Expedition, with its many portages and beautiful Canadian wilderness. His ‘where to next’ is to head anywhere outdoors. Find him and his blog @adventuremilo https://www.instagram.com/adventuremilo/ on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
Lorenzo Politano of Bozeman, Montana, finds a sanctuary in nearby Hyalite Canyon, but he likes to thaw out his hands and feet with travel to the sunshine states. Any sort of ‘nature bathing’ satisfies his soul, and next, he plans more exploration of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that encompasses parts of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Find him socially @RenzoPolitano.
Erin Pannazzo has been all over the Adirondacks solo backpacking or hiking with her dog. She’s from Wappingers, New York and says that “hiking give me confidence and makes me realize how strong I am and that nothing can stop me.” On Instagram, she’s @erinandadventuredog and @erin.pannazzo on Facebook.
Molly Herber grew up in Minnesota and first got outside on summer trips to the Boundary Waters wilderness area. From her home base in Wyoming, she explores the Wind River Range, North Cascades, Arizona desert and many places in between. “Taking those first steps in the early morning makes my whole body tingle,” she says. She writes and teaches for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Her ‘where to next’ plan is to explore more remote corners of Wyoming. Follow along at https://blog.nols.edu/ and her personal blog at https://roamingpeaktopeak.wordpress.com. Her Instagram is @mherber and on Facebook she’s @roamingpeaktopeak.
Photo courtesy Oboz
