Tyler Beals

Major: Zoology

Minor: Music

Hometown: Nomad

TRiP leader since Spring 2006

There's nothing like finishing up a long day's hike to watch the sunset with friends and a cup of hot chocolate. Getting dirty, looking back after making it to the peak, taking in the view, acting stupid around a campfire, stargazing, simplifying, realizing that life is good - that's what it's really all about.

Danielle Broome

Elise Carlson

Majors: Creative Photography, English
Joined TRiP Spring 2007

I grew up in the middle of nowhere known as Christmas, Florida, with a dog and an imagination as adventure companions. Perhaps that's why I'm a little off my rocker--but I enjoy it a lot! Being outdoors allows me to feel at home and be myself, whether with a dog or a person. I love people, regardless of if it's a stranger on a bus or a close friend from home. I'm willing to share stories and hot cocoa any time, so let me know if ya need company!

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." --Elwyn Brooks White

Matthew Cooper

I love trying new things, traveling, music, dancing, reading and doing pretty much anything that gets me outside. "No one should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength" -Jack Kerouac

Jake Dacks

Major: Political Science
Minors: Environmental Studies, Religion
Joined TRiP: Spring 07
Favorite food: Ice cream
Position: Seated
Like most of us, I love being out of doors and taking in fresh air. Unfortunately, I won't be getting a chance to do that with any of you for the next few months. Fortunately, I'll be in Costa Rica for the spring semester! I'm always up for dancing, hiking, climbing, paddling, juggling, cuddling and most other gerunds.
See you all in the summer/fall!

Jackson Davis

Years in TRiP: 1
Major: Linguistics
Hometown: Tallahassee, FL

I like sunlight on a cold day, shade on a hot one, music, climbing, cuddling, and having a really good excuse to go to bed early, like darkness, or cold.

I am extremely passionate about TRiP, the outdoors, and the power of both to change your life forever.

Favorite Quotes:

What our ancestors would really be thinking, if they were alive today, is: "Why is it so dark in here?"
Terry Pratchett

"And it would be a lazy use of the language to say that the thing that answered the door was a nightmare. Nightmares are usually rather daft things and it's very hard to explain to a listener what was so dreadful about your socks coming alive or giant carrots jumping out of the hedgerows."
Terry Pratchett

Bobby Dowling

Position: Assistant Manager of Outfitter
Major: Food Science anf Human Nutrition
TRiP Leader Since: 2004
I Love Most: Watersports, Backpacking, Rock Climbing, Whitewater, Moutain Biking, Triathlons...I really can't decide! Truthfully, eating any and everything!

I am from Jacksonville FL and my love for the outdoors began when I was just a lad. I took every opportunity I had to be outdoors when I was growing up, most of my time was spent hiking in the swamps of Florida, biking, and participating in every imaginable watersport. I love sports and I am full of energy so I want to make the most of every second I have! Also, I like long walks on the beach and Italian/seafood!(And love beautiul smiles and eyes!)

"You can sleep when you're dead!"

"Live Like You Mean It!"

Frances Faucher

Leader since 2005
Major: Pre-Occupational Therapy
In lives as busy as the ones we tend to lead everyday, I find that we all too often take opportunities to explore our natural surroundings for granted. There's nothing like leaving behind a hectic routine to enjoy the beauty of the mountains or the soothing rush of a river for a weekend. These activities can add so much depth and meaning to our lives if we only take time to enjoy them. My favorite outdoor activities include but are not limited to backpacking, sailing, and rock climbing.

Frank Fogarty

Major: Zoology
Hometown: Mt. Dora, Fl
Position: Director of Climbing
Joined TRiP: Spring 2007


I am a firm believer in the idea that we all need other people to be happy, and I joined TRiP to share my love of the outdoors and adventure with others. I love climbing, backpacking, and just about anything else that gets me outside.

My experiences being involved with TRiP have changed my life, and I hope everyone gets a chance to get out there and enjoy the world around them, even if its only for one weekend.

Did I mention I love climbing?

Kyle Freeman

Name: Kyle Freeman
Major: Linguistics/Spanish
Year I became a leader: Spring 2006
Position: Director of Communications


Oft mistaken for a Chilean alpaca herder, and more often a panhandler, I am really just a city boy from St. Pete. Luckily I live on a nature preserve (designated as such despite the coal power plant it houses) and have had outdoor experiences that shaped who I am. That's what I'm in it for, to give others the chance to rediscover their roots. The farther we get away from our nature the more there is to learn from it. I like biking. Check out my mountain bike.

Susanne Gabrielsen

Major/minor: Psychology/Spanish
Hometown: Baerum, Norway
Joined TRiP: Spring 2008

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be quiet and alone with the heavens and nature. We should study, love and be close to nature, enjoy its beauty and be inspired, and what better way to do so than by going together?
More than anything, I love to travel. Be it water skiing in Thailand, car camping in Australia, hostel living in Berlin, or rock climbing at Foster Falls, canoeing down the Suwannee river, skiing Snowshoe and surfing in St. Augustine, we should try it. Let us travel, go on adventures, explore, be challenged, learn about and get to know each other and ourselves, and most importantly, have fun.

"Nature abhors a vacuum, and if I can only walk with sufficient carelessness I am sure to be filled." -Henry David Thoreau

Michael Gehring

Chemical Engineering
Years in Trip: 2

The outdoors has the innate ability to bring peace to the high-strung, invigorate the passive, humble the proud, and most of all, unite strangers in friendship. TRiPs give us the opportunity to get back to nature, and nature never fails in fulfilling us in what we need most, whatever that may be.

Favorite quote: "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

Michael Gleeson

Cortland Glowacki

Been in TRiP since spring 07
Hometown: Orange Park
Major: Aero/Mech
Year in school: I think I'm a senior
I am not a vegetarian

"If you lose your job, your marriage and your mind all in one week, try to lose your mind first, then the other stuff won't matter that much." -Jack Handey

Daniel Godwin

Majors:	Geography
	Anthropology
Minor:	African Studies
Hometown:	Tallahassee, FL
TRiP Leader Since:	Spring 2005

Many words have been spoken and written to support the outdoors, and many more will be composed in the future. As a species, we live now at a crossroads: Can we sustain ourselves and functioning ecosystem services (both quantifiable and qualifiable,) or will we follow the mantra of the cancer cell and grow, unchecked, into every last corner of the world, with nought but ourselves for company and council? I am an optimist, and I believe that it is our duty to ourselves, to our children, their children, and to God that we strive everyday for the world of the former rather than the latter.

Enter: TRiP. This is why I'm here. This later Holocene has tried its best to purge the biophilia from our Pleistocene brains, but still we yearn for that which is larger than ourselves. Whenever a person goes on a TRiP, the perceived distance between them and the biogeophysical cycles of the world becomes that much smaller, and we take one step closer towards a truly sustainable society.

Favorite Quotation:

Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.
Earnest Hemingway

Anne Grayson

Frances Faucher (note:see bio above) once told me that "Life is not about how many experiences you devour, but in how many you digest." My hope is that in your efforts to make lots of money and take over the world, you take the time to truly enjoy the people and the places that surround you. TRiP can give you that opportunity... And if you come on one of my trips, I can almost guarantee we will be devouring Reese's pancakes.

Zach Hale

Years in TRiP: 4
Major: Biology
Zodiac: Cancer
Pant Size: 32X32

I love being in the outdoors because there isn't a more tranquil place to relax, no cleaner place to breathe, no better place to bring friends together, and nothing more beautiful than the pinnacle of a mountain.

Backpacking is the do wop do wop in all I do

I am sad to say that this is my final semester here at UF and with TRiP. I have loved being a leader and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. If you have never been on a TRiP trip you are missing out; they are amazing, and you have little to lose but the great time you will have.

Cameron Heard

Joined: Spring 2008
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Interests: Adventures, including but not limited to: backpacking, mountain biking, climbing (rocks, trees, buildings), paddling, snorkeling.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit"
-Edward Abbey

Lindsay Hebert

Major: Anthropology
Minor: Ethnomusicology
Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL
TRiP Leader Since: Spring 2007
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Wild at Heart

Jose Hennig

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
Major: Political Science
Minors: Portuguese and Business
TRiP Leader Since: Spring 2008

I am really into music, and I play a variety of instruments, most of them some type of drum. I love to listen to all kinds of music from all over the world. I'm also a huge fan of movies that I consider awesome.

My first TRiP was an incredible experience, and I joined this organization so that I could help others enjoy their TRiPs as much as I've enjoyed mine.

Lauren Hoover

Major: Business Management
I am a second year student at UF and a new leader in TRiP. I'm really just a smelly kid hailing from south florida and I love everything outdoors!! especially canoeing, water/snow skiing, diving, sailing, and camping to name a few. I believe that you should try everything once and live life to its fullest every day!!

Jonathan Kalantar

Major: Environmental Engineering
Hometown: 904
In TRiP since: Spring 2008

"The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future." - Gifford Pinchot

Rob Kowalski

Hometown: Naples, FL
Major: Ecotourism
Minor: Intl. Humanitarian Assistance
In TRiP since 2006

Hello folks. I am your all-around fantastic TRiP leader. I can climb solid 5-13, paddle class six rapids, and mountaineer. Just kidding. I am basically good at laid back tripping and i love it. i won't be around in the spring of 2008 because i am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. But ill be back after that leading the best trips of your life.

Jillian McLaughlin

Year I started in TRiP: 2007
Major: Animal Sciences
My favorite outdoor activity is backpacking but I enjoy all the others too. To me there is nothing more satisfying than relaxing in the wilderness after a long day of backpacking. I think you'll enjoy it too so come try it out!
Favorite Quote
"Now I see the secret of making the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth."
-Walt Whitman

Tommasina Miller

McKenzie Morton

Major: English
Minor: Math
Hometown: Naples, FL
Joined TRiP: Spring 2008

Interests: I love being in the outdoors and traveling. If I can do both...I am happy.

Kevin Neal

Name: Kevin Neal
Major:Zoology Pre-Med
TRiPping since: 2006
Position: El Director

My favorite thing to do is surfing at dawn when no one else is out there and its just you, your board and the waves. There is nothing that peaceful.
Favorite quote and mantra?... "Push Your Limits!" I love climbing and seeing others push their own physical and mental limits, discovering something about themselves which they didn't know was there. I also enjoy backpacking(alot), paddling, mountain biking, and frisbee. I have a huge fascination with animals of all shapes, sizes and temperments!

Katie Nuessly

Hometown: Wellington, FL
Major: Biology
Premed
In TRiP since: Spring 2007

My name is Katie and I love the ocean
Outdoor activities keep me in motion
Climbing, backpacking, and rafting galore
Scuba, spelunking, skiing and more
Spending lots of time outside in the sun
Chillin' with some friends and laughing a ton
I love the animals of the land and sea
Thats why all my friends call me Katie the Queen Bee

Andrew O'Bar

Position: Publicity director
Major: Economics
Joined TRiP: Spring 2007
Languages: French, German
Interests: Backpacking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking and most recently, climbing.

Mat Palmer

Major: Mechanical Engineering Major
Hometown: Brandon, FL
TRiP leader since: 2005

I'm a big fan of hopping on my bike and riding any chance I get but it is truly enjoyable when I get the opportunity to take someone or a bunch of someones out for the first time to experience the thrill and excitement that is trail riding.

Favorite Quote: Assume an ideal world, then do what you can to make it so.

Kathryn Prouse

Major: Elementary Education
Years in trip: 2
I am in love with canoeing. Country music and bluegrass is the greatest music. Originally from Orlando, FL, I spend my summers canoeing through Minnesota and Canada.

"As she peered ahead, into the great land before her, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright and somehow, she felt she was headed in the right direction." - E.B. White

Brian Reindl

Every day, we each learn a little more about who we are. I can't wait to meet you so that we might help eachother with that learning process. I love to sing, dance, and hang outside of my comfort zone. I'm always up for doing just about anything, especially if it involves being outdoors. Anywhere there's water, look for me. Be it on a boat, a board, a pair of skis, or my own flesh and bone, I love to get wet.

Hillary Smith

Position:	Co-Director of Recruitment
Majors:	Geography
	Anthropology
Minor:	Latin American Studies
Hometown:	Gainesville, FL
TRiP Leader Since:	Spring 2007

What I fancy most: climbing, mountain biking, South America, backpacking, perfecting GORP recipes, sleeping bag spooning, surfing, and steam rollers

Favorite Quotation:

Let the world change you, and you can change the world.
           Motorcycle Diaries

Ethan Soergel

Year I joined TRiP: 2007
Position: New-Leader-Class Liaison
Major: Physics
Interests: Climbing, canoeing, backpacking, freediving, surfing, snowboarding, and whatever else is going on.

Ad astra per alia porci!

Rachel Stewart

Katie Sullivan

Major: Economics & Anthropology
Hometown: Altamonte Springs, FL
Joined TRiP: Spring 2008

I love escaping everyday life for the woods, especially when it means backpacking or canoeing. The days spent on a trail or river are always so exhilarating. There is still so much to discover, so take a TRiP!

The only thing more incredible than the beauty of wilderness is the opportunity it gives to learn about ourselves and each other.

Kathryn Swanson

Major: Exercise Physiology
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
TRiP leader since: Spring 2008

For me, there's nothing better than being able to escape to the mountains for a weekend. In the midst of today's fast pace life, the outdoors has retained the ability to teach us what really matters and can put everything in perspective. Whether it's soaking in gorgeous mountain views, rock climbing, canoeing, pushing towards the summit, or just enjoying simple conversation around a campfire, a journey into the wilderness is something that everyone should experience. I love backpacking and am always up for an adventure!

"We find in life exactly what we put into it."

Vanessa Walthall

In TRiP Since: 2006
Major: Wildlife Ecology
Favorite Animals: frogs, mountain goats, loons, & all snakes


I love canoeing and hiking in the Northwoods and I love exploring new places.

"Come to the woods, for here is rest. For there is no repose like that of the deep green woods. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ills. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees." - John Muir

Jessie Wilson

Joined TRiP: Spring 2008
Major: Life
Hometown Stuart, FL

In my opinion the measure of a person is their desire to learn. Learning about people, the environment, ideas of all sorts, myself, the universe entirely and the relationships between all these things brings me to a mental state nearly unmatched by any other activity; although I also love to climb, snorkel, hike, bike, listen and ponder.
I fear society as a whole has lost its sence of exploration and I love meeting people who prove that hope for this is not lost. So if you are ready for an adventure, care to debate the meaning of life, or are just looking for someone to meditate with, give me a shout. And whether you're an outdoors person or live the majority or your life under a roof, do me a favor and go outside, explore, I promise you'll find something that makes you smile.

Amber Zappia

Major: Exploratory
Joined TRiP: Spring 2008
There's nothing I love more than being in the wilderness! I love singing every song that comes to mind and dancing whenever possible! Kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, and dogsledding all make me smile! I'm always up for a good adventure and I'm SUPER excited to TRiP with all of you!!!

Zeke Zylberberg

TRiP Leader since 2006
Major: Anthropology and Sociology

I love just getting away for a weekend, away from tests, school, and stresses of everyday life. I enjoy camping out, hiking, or just doing anything out there. Ill also try mostly anything once, so im up for adventure. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and also have Canadian and European citizenship,
I love meeting new people so just come and holler at me. I keeps it real.

"Every man dies, not every man truly lives"