WHO WE ARE

Melody Blaney thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (hiked 2,159 miles from Georgia to Maine) in 1996, and self-published a book of her trek:  "A Journey of Friendship - A Thru-Hike On The Appalachian Trail".  Melody's motto is:  If You Can Dream It - You CAN Do It!  She has experience guiding backpacking trips for various fundraising and private outdoor organizations, has taught workshops in Beginning Backpacking, Outdoor Skills for Women, and Long Distance Hiking.
"After living on the Appalachian Trail for 6 months during my thru-hike and witnessing the many moods and beauty of mother nature and the woods, I realized the importance of preserving it.  By offering outdoor expeditions and nature weekends, along with the alternative building/sustainable living workshops, my hope is that women will feel the same awe, motivation and passion that I do from time spent outdoors, and that they, too, will help preserve it so the next generation can enjoy it as we do now."

Patti Landovek is an avid kayaker & cyclist as well as an artist and writer who has prior experience conducting children's programs in the outdoors.  She comes from a background of stand-up comedy and has published a book based on her stand-up character Fembah entitled "The Love Poems Of The Feminist From The Darkside".  Patti has worked with Melody on her various programs and workshops and is very excited about Wildside.  Her goal is that you have as much fun as she does!

Donna Logan has been an outdoor enthusiast all of her life.  Growing up on Long Island, she swam and sailed the Great South Bay.  When she moved to southwest Virginia she turned to the mountains to fulfill this outdoor need.  Camping, hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing became her weekend adventures.  Hiking the whole Appalachian Tail became an obsession and in March of 2007, retired from teaching, she set off from Springer Mtn. Georgia.  Today her love for backpacking and the outdoors has kept her section hiking every chance she can get. 

Sue Kanoy hiked the AT in 1995 and it then become a passion to hike long distance trails.  She has since done the Long Trail in Vermont, the John Muir in California, the Colorado Trail, and the Wonderland Trail in Washington.  She has traveled to other countries and hiked/backpacked.  She still section hikes on the AT, and has been hiking and leading hikes with her local hiking club for 26 years.  Sue says she feels best when she is in the outdoors and has been accused of having ADD,  Adventure Deficit Disorder!    
 

Paula Hemmerly is a former tennis pro who has come on board with Wildside.  She has hiked half of the A.T. and plans to finish the rest of it this year.  She has also hiked through most of the Smokies.  Paula is a wonderful trail spirit who delights in all the wonders the woods have to offer! 

Barbara Barker is a self-professed full time adventurer.  She enjoys hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, road biking, skiing, snowshoeing, camping and anything outdoors.  She also enjoys sharing her outdoor knowledge, skills, and experience with other women.  Barbara's goal in life is to have fun.  She is a retired educator, so watch out - every once in a while she forgets that she is no longer the principal.  Come on out and have some fun with her!

Leslie Mass will co-lead some of our backpacking trips.  Leslie lives in central Ohio and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2001 at the age of 61 and completed her first running marathon in 2004 which qualified her for the Boston Marathon in 2005.  She has written a book about her thru-hike "In Beauty May She Walk; Hiking the Appalachian Trail at 60".  Leslie spends as much time hiking as time allows (which is never enough).  She has been working with women since her days as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Pakistan; has hiked in India, England, and Austria and loves the adventure of being with a community of women as they discover the wilderness.

Melissa Reamey will be co-leading several trips this year.  She started hiking with Wildside a couple of years ago and has discovered a passion for backpacking.  Fun-loving, with a zeal for the great outdoors, she also enjoys kayaking and camping.  With her ready wit and positive can-do spirit, Melissa is a  delightful addition to Wildside!  Although one of the younger participants in Wildside, Melissa is looking forward to a long relationship with the group and hoping to contribute much to the enjoyment of its participants.

Cindy Jenkins will lead our naturalist trips as well as accompany us on many backpacking trips to share her love of the outdoors.  Cindy has an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Forestry and admittedly prefers to share her knowledge not from a science book but on a level that is down to earth (no pun intended).  Her wealth of knowledge ranges from trees, timber, forest ecology, wildflowers, medicinal herbs, birds, animal tracks, and neat "lore" about trees that will certainly keep you entertained.  "When it comes to our natural resources, my thirst for knowledge is never quenched."  . . . and we are glad that she's always thirsty!

Chef Jessi will be doing the cooking on some of our Lightside trips.  Jessi comes from a creative background with a degree in art, a penchant for herbs and spices, and a love and appreciation for delicious and nutritious food!

Katahdin, our twelve year-old Border Collie, actually leads some of the trips for Wildside (with participant's consent, of course), and the rest of us are along to read the maps.  (Border Collies do have their limitations.)  He shares our same love of the woods, and  he's a big flirt and hopes you will enjoy his company.  He is vying for 1st place in the "Top Three Dogs I Have Ever Met" category by one of our Wildside friends.  Join him for a trip and cast your own vote.

Houdini - Hike leader in training.

Those who seek the mountains are not escapists, they are searchers.
They search for tranquility, for peace of mind, for something higher and
more permanent than materialism.
They search for the things that really count in life.      Anonymous