Snapshot of NYM-JN23 on their 6th day in!

Meet our Leaders: Jenn

Hi, I’m Jenn! I’ll be co-leading with Tony this summer on the Maine Coast trip. I recently graduated from Cornell with a major in Biology. I hope to eventually land an amazing research job that allows me to study the natural world, primarily the marine environment, while avoiding an office and instead travelling and doing fieldwork. Outside of school, I was a member of the Varsity Rowing team, a regular runner, biker, hiker and softball player. Now that I’m fresh out of college, I plan to spend next year travelling in South America and perhaps landing a job on the west coast.

My bike touring experience is a bit limited, but that makes me even more ecstatic for the trip this summer. The few tastes I have gotten of long distance biking, I have found more rewarding than most of other outdoor activities. You can make so much progress and cover a lot of ground on your bike each day and not once feel rushed to get to your final destination. Can’t wait to meet you in a few weeks!

Hello From Boston!

Hi everyone! It was great meeting all the parents who came out breakfast. After they left, we took a walking tour of Boston--checked out the Commons, Fanueil Hall, spent some time by the harbor playing frisbee, got Italian pastries. It's been a great day. Can't wait to see Salem tomorrow and ride on to camp.
Cross your fingers for no rain!
(Kaila, Dan, Caroline, Shaina, Jess, and Mike all say "hi mom and dad!")
~Hanna and Jason
ps. soon to come: video blogs (?)

Meet our Leaders: Rich

Hi there! My name is Rich Beckman. I am oober excited to be a part of Teen Treks! A little about me…I’m 28, a Scorpio, I enjoy long walks on the beach and getting caught in the rain. I am a recent Masters graduate from RIT in Industrial Design and an Adjunct Professor at RIT. I spend my time road biking, skateboarding, and snowboarding. Movies, music, design, and art are my bag baby! I love to be outside and create a positive learning environment for people of all ages. I’m a huge advocate of having fun and learning along the way! Being part of a group that is on a journey to grow and live life is always something that I love being a part of. I am glad to be on board and happy to meet everyone for the trip!

Meet our leaders: Bryan

My name is Bryan Hadley and I was made in a sweat shop, it says so on my label. I'll be one of the leaders on the long distance bike trip from New York City to Montreal this year. I'm really excited to do this ride! We'll see and do all kinds of great stuff, from educational visits to historic sites to recreational hikes and swimming, with frequent breaks for the purposes of stretching, absorbing breathtaking views, and ingesting goodies. An appetite for adventure and a good sense of humor are absolute MUSTS. We will learn to work as a team, making great friends in the process... coming together in the face of common hardships such as flat tires, rain, etc. (We hope for sunny days and smooth riding, of course, but it would be a boring trip without some mishaps, and besides, its inevitable that we'll experience at least a few incidents, which will surely result in strong bonds and excellent memories.)

A little about me:

I enjoy not bathing as often as society might ask of me... I enjoy the prospect of anonymity. I have a special affinity for weird signs and love butchering the English language. I am presently studying architecture and planning at the university of Buffalo, learning lots about design, but more interestingly, perhaps, about patterns of human movement throughout history and the present, and our impact upon one another and on the earth. I am a vegetarian, gardener, musician, artist, environmentalist, and major bike enthusiast! I donated my car to charity two years ago and have committed myself to using public transportation, friends, family, and of course my beloved bicycle for getting around. I have participated in a number of 'Bike New York' events, but generally prefer routes that are 'off the radar' so to speak, slower-paced rides where "getting lost" allows for spontaneity and discovery. If I have any advice to offer as the culmination of my years on this world it is to recommend that wherever you go, talk to strangers... they will teach you unbelievable sums.

Meet our Leaders: David

My name is Dave Burnette, I am 24 years old. I am currently a full time student at SUNY Cortland finishing up a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. While there I work part time at the Cortland Teen Center as a Mentor/Supervisor, as well as part time for the YMCA as an "Active Kids" Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor/Supervisor. Also while in Cortland I live at the Cortlandville Fire Department, where I get to live for free in an amazing environment. I work with a department full of great people, all in exchange for my service as a volunteer firefighter doing the exhilarating things we get to do! When I am not in school I am either back home in Kenmore, NY just hanging out, working at a YMCA summer camp, volunteering at the Niagara Climbing Center, or out doing some kind of adventure. If it is adventurous count me in, I enjoy rock climbing, sky diving, SCUBA diving, trail running, mountain biking, backpacking, fighting fire, skiing, camping (roughing it style), you name it. See ya out there, can't wait! Oh yeah...Go Red Sox!!

Meet our Leaders: Fawn

Hi! My name is Fawn Brokaw. I'm a recent college grad with a Bachelors in Industrial Design, specializing in designing medical devices and furniture. I grew up in the woods of western NY state and love being outside, traveling, meeting new people, and learning new languages. Last summer I lived in Copenhagen while studying Scandinavian furniture design and touring around Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Copenhagen had such a great biking culture! There was an 87 year old woman I met that walked her bike around every day even though she couldn't ride it any longer. When someone asked her why she didn't just get a walker she said, "my bike is so much prettier."

Other than biking, I have always loved swimming and have lifeguarded and taught swim lessons for the past 8 years. I have recently taken up fresh water fly fishing because I enjoy having an excuse to get outside and near the water! When I'm not outside I like to keep up my sketching skills, trivia knowledge, and do some thrift store shopping. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and I know we will have some great adventures this summer!

Meet our Leaders: Daniel

Hi all, I’m Daniel Hawthorne, I’ve been living and biking around New York’s scenic Hudson Valley for all of my 21 years. I am just coming off a four year stint in Poughkeepsie where I received my undergraduate degree in cognitive science from Vassar College. With my unfortunate dose of optimism I plan on venturing out from my valley to silicon valley to work on artificial intelligence.I have had a couple interesting jobs while going through school. I tutored for the SATs for Princeton Review, and then started and secured the necessary funding for my own not for profit tutoring program geared towards inner city students. I was a bike messenger in the city for a bit, and I also was a research assistant at my college for a year. I have been on numerous biking trips, including one particularly memorable one with teen treks from Buffalo to Quebec. I love travelling by bicycle, as it seems to be the perfect speed. It has the flexibility to stop and smell the roses while also being able to put some serious distance behind you. I have filled my free time hiking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, kayaking, and touring around the Hudson Valley, and am excited to explore some new terrain.

Meet our Leaders: Molly

I’m Molly Wallace, I’m 25 years old and live in New York City. I’m originally from Seattle, but moved to Rome, Italy when I was eight. No one believed I was Italian so I grew up telling people I was from Seattle, even though I didn’t know the area well anymore. I also went to boarding school in England and graduate school in Ireland. I am currently a law student at NYU.

I like to take outdoor weekend excursions when I can. Recent trips include bike rides around Bear Mountain, from Princeton, NJ to Doylestown, PA and a winter trek across the GW bridge through the NewJersey Palisades. I also recently spent a week working on a huge wooden sloop (sailboat) called the Clearwater. I’m still regaining my land legs. When I can’t get out of town, I keep up with my biking by commuting and dodging traffic on Third Avenue.

My work with teens has ranged from being a resident assistant to teaching SAT prep to running mental health programs for young adults. I’ve had many odd jobs over the years and the ones where I get to work with this age group have always proven to be my favorite. I’m particularly excited to have this opportunity share my affinity for outdoor adventure with what I expect will be a great group of teens.

When I’m not adventuring or lawyering, I like to play drums, cook up big meals with friends, read science-fiction and history and debate politics.

Meet our Leaders: Tony

Tony Caferro enjoys longs walks off short piers. He passes free time discussing pseudo-intellectualism and writing short bios in the third person. Never one to take himself too seriously, his heroes in life are Bob Ross and Commander Tom. Tony is now on his third year leading trips for Teen Treks, and this year he comes equipped with a fancy schmancy brand new Raleigh touring bicycle. In between leading these immensely gratifying trips, he daylights as a media marketing consultant, property investment manager and youth career mentor here in the lovely community of Buffalo New York; and moonlights as a coffee addict, dog lover, and film critic. Word on the street is that he dreams of one day having his own TV show documenting the ever enlightening process of composting, gardening, cooking, and eating food. Word on the intraweb is that he made all of that up. For additional information, feel free to have your people contact his people. In the meantime, have a joyous and blessed day.

Meet our Leaders: Marisa

Hello everyone. Teen Treks is exactly what I want to be doing this summer. I am ready for biking to be more than an enjoyable and practical mode of transportation, and I am ready for travel to be more energetic. Camping with my family every summer has taken me to tent sites in Canada, beach houses in New Jersey, and to the many camping spots around New York State’s lakes. Traveling with yourself as the fuel, in the open air, with an anticipatory destination, and with others to share it with along the way, is the adventure I have always wanted to have. I have the patience and compassion for people and travel, and the experience to lead a wonderful trip. I am someone who is never bored and as a camp counselor for 4 summers, I learned to always keep a “bag of tricks” to ensure my campers were never bored as well. You might be curious to know that I’m studying Anthropology at SUNY Brockport, and inside the smallest nutshell you can find, it is the study of people and culture and not just bones, forensics, and ancient ruins (archaeology). Some other things I enjoy doing are playing tennis and volleyball, watching rugby, finding discounts and deals, and carpentry with my Dad. Let’s keep the wheels rolling smoothly, keep the group together, and always have some thing tasty to look forward to after a good bike. I'm looking forward to meeting you. Marisa.

Meet our Leaders: Jonathan

Greetings. My name is Jonathan and I will be leading one of the Teen Treks trips this summer. I'll tell you a bit about myself. I am a great lover of the outdoors, cycling, running and hiking. I enjoy traveling, especially on a bike, this way you get to see everything. I have ridden my bike thousands of miles, especially through the streets of the New York City Borroughs where I live in Queens. I love riding in the city, once you get over the fear of all the cars, it is really quite exciting. I also enjoy art and music (all types). I have been teaching high school for 9 years. I teach digital art, video and fine art as well (drawing and painting). I led a Teen Treks trip in the Summer of 2007 form NYC to Montreal, had a fantastic time and I'm ready to do it again. Looking forward to meeting you and having an awesome summer!

Meet our Leaders: Seval

I am a 21-year-old Rochester, NY native with dual citizenship in Turkey and the United States. "Seval," as you may have guessed, is Turkish and means "joy." Among my many travels, Turkey makes the list multiple times. I have been all over the northeast United States playing in ultimate frisbee tournaments and have had the chance to visit Ireland and Italy. I am always going somewhere- I love to travel!

I just finished my junior year at Ithaca College, where I major in music education with a minor in mathematics. Saxophone is my main instrument, though I greatly enjoy the immensely complicated French horn. Developing skills on the French horn, soprano saxophone and guitar are my present musical ambitions. In teaching music lessons over the past few years, I have worked with relatively young students and am excited to work with a slightly older age group through Teen Treks.

I am also very athletic as an avid ultimate frisbee player, swimmer and cyclist. For years I used my sister's bike to get around Rochester; last summer I invested in my own beautiful, green bicycle and started to become an enthusiastic cyclist riding all over Rochester and Ithaca. I completed my first triathlon this spring, and it was one of the most exhausting, exhilarating experiences of my life.

Most of my best times are having crazy fun with my friends, who love Disney movies even more than I do, baking cookies and other delicious treats, and being out in the sunshine with my camera.

This is my first summer with Teen Treks and I am so excited for the great experiences this opportunity will bring.

Meet our Leaders: Adam

Hello everyone,

This is my dog Bruno, not a bicyclist himself but an avid bike chaser no less .

I am looking forward to meeting you all and having some great times on the bikes. A little about myself... I'm currently living in Buffalo, originally from outside NYC, and am a senior at the University at Buffalo as a Media Studies major. I'd say one of the biggest things on my plate right now is that I plan on racing the "Leadville 100" come August, an annual 100 mile XC mountain bike race in Colorado. I come from a pretty big family with 2 little sisters and 2 little brothers.

I didn't really get into cycling until about 2 years ago but it quickly became one of my favorite activities. Biking is wonderful!! Whatever kind of biking , onroad or offroad, I've found that cycling is the best way to get out and see the world in a way that one would normally not see it. Unlike in a car, you take everything in on the bike, the wind, the rain, the sun, the sounds, the smells. It's very satisfying to travel a large distance and realize that you, yourself got there under you're own muscle and determined resolve. Some of the best times of my life have been riding and I look forward to helping to encourage the same kind of experiences for you.

My style is relaxed. I put safety first and use my best judgement, but I also realize that fun should come in a close second. I plan on doing all that I can to make our trip as fun and safe as possible. Let's all be courteous and amiable to one another and try to get along despite any differences we may encounter, in fact I'm sure many of you will make good friends with eachother along the way.

Just like you guys are I am also excited, excited, excited to be traveling around different parts of the globe on our bicycles. Can't wait to see you this summer --- Adam

Meet our Leaders: Hanna

Hi I'm Hanna and I'm I am super excited to be a tour leader with Teen Treks this summer! I am 21 years old, I've just graduated this May from University at Buffalo with degrees in philosophy and theatre performance, and I cannot wait to spend this summer on my bicycle. Travel is my greatest passion, next to acting and music. I've been lucky to do some travel around Europe. I volunteered on a small farm in France (through WWOOF), studied international theatre performance in Romania, and I've toured all around Europe by train. Touring by bike is for sure the most rewarding means of travel--it calls for real stamina, self-reliance, uses no fuel, and it moves slow enough for a person to enjoy the scenery and actually feel the elements. I love riding my bike around Buffalo. I've also done tours all over western NY, into Canada, and in Virginia. One day I'd love to combine bike touring and theatre by starting (or joining) a bicycle touring theatre company. In august I plan to move in with the members of my band and focus on music for the next year, as well as act in local productions around Buffalo. I cannot wait to meet all the teen trekkers and start touring. It will be a great summer!