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Hante Adventures takes pride in its quality of instructors. We hire well-trained, experienced instructors with demonstrated good judgment and decision making abilities. Hante instructors are positive role models and outdoor educators who are mature, adventurous and fun loving. They seek challenges and embrace the beauty of the wilderness and other lands. There are 2-3 instrcutors per group, which are limited to 10-14 participants. Lead instructors are at least 21 years old and are certified Wilderness First Responders.
Nate Sutton
Hante Coordinator, Leading Hante John Muir Trail
Education
• Vassar College, B.A., Environmental Studies
• The Outdoor Academy, Spring 2004
Experience
• Resident Wilderness Intern (2010), The Outdoor Academy
• Assistant Program Director (2010), Eagle's Nest Camp
• Camp Counselor/Hante Instructor (2007-2009), Eagle's Nest Camp
Nate first enrolled in Eagle’s Nest programs as a child, and this year he is rounding out his sixth year working for the foundation. He graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Vassar College in 2010, and has been working as the Hante Coordinator for a year now. In addition to coordinating all of the logistics of the Hante program from the Pisgah Forest office, Nate also manages the wilderness programs of the Outdoor Academy. This will be Nate’s fifth Hante as a leader, and he has also led Hantes on the Appalachian Trail, John Muir Trail, and Southeast Alaska. Nate is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and he previously worked as an EMT-Basic in New York. On the weekends you can probably find Nate bouldering at Rumbling Bald, playing banjo, or spending time with his family in Brevard, NC.
Luke Wofford
Leading: Hante John Muir Trail
Luke grew up coming to Eagle’s Nest Camp with his two older sisters, and now he has come full circle within the community as a summer counselor and Hante instructor! He received his Wilderness First Responder certification through the Wilderness Instructor Leadership Development program at Eagle’s Nest in 2009. Last summer Luke led his first Hante in the Georgia foothills of the Appalachian Trail, and this year he is enthused to break out above the tree line on the John Muir Trail. Luke is currently pursuing his B.S in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture at Appalachian State University, but for the last year he has taken time away from school to get experience working on small farms in New Zealand. In his spare time Luke dabbles in many different old-time percussive instruments, including the bones, hambone, and jaw-harp.
Rodrigo Vargas
Leading: Hante Spain
Rodrigo has been working with Eagle’s Nest Foundation in various capacities since his emigration to the United States from Costa Rica in 1996. He currently works as the Spanish teacher at The Outdoor Academy. In addition to his work during the school year, Rodrigo has led five international Hantes in places such as New Zealand, Mexico, and his native Costa Rica. Rodrigo is a talented stained glass artist, and in his spare time he works to strengthen and develop the burgeoning Latin American community through El Centro Comunitario de Hispano Americano in Transylvania County.
Claire Wofford
Leading: Hante Spain
Claire has been attending Eagle's Nest Camp since age 12, first as a camper and junior counselor and will be in her sixth summer as a counselor this summer. In 2011, she ventured out into the wilderness with camp's Added Adventure "Huck Finn" on a seven-day river trip on a wooden raft. This year she looks forward to continued exploration of her second home on Hante Spain. Claire has been living in Spain for the last two years as an English teacher and now is in her third year as a teacher in the Basque region. Having studied Spanish history, literature, and language at Wake Forest University, she will be well-informed cultural guide for this trip. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Europe, speaking as much Spanish as possible, and getting lost in the casco viejo of Bilbao. In the fall Claire will be starting a bilingual education Master’s program at Columbia University.
Diane Ulmer
Leading: Hante WILD
Diane Ulmer started working with Eagle's Nest Camp in 2004, as part of the paddling and Hante staff. Some know her as the Graceful Buff, she has a passion for the river, and has led countless paddling trips over the years with ENF. Some of the many paddling adventures have included open boating the mighty Chattooga, guiding the wooden Huck Finn raft on the French Broad, and dodging many whales sea kayaking on the first Hante Alaska. This summer will mark the second consecutive year in which Ulmer has undertaken the training of rising ENF wilderness leaders, through Hante W.I.L.D. Her experiences as an Outdoor Leadership Program Director in Colorado, and a current Lead Instructor with the Wilderness Medicine Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School will enhance the quality of skills and lessons learned on Hante W.I.L.D. Diane currently lives in Denver, CO, and works as a School Social Worker in Denver Public Schools. In her free time, Ulmer can be found making powderific turns on the ski slopes, exploring new hiking trails in the Rockies, or simply enjoying a little porch time!
Felix Dowsley
Leading: Hante AT Trek
Felix is excited to come back to the Eagle’s Nest next summer to lead his favorite section on the Appalachian Trail! Felix has worked for two summers with ENC as a member of rocks staff. After graduating from Washington University in 2010 with a B.A. in English, he went on to work at the Outdoor Academy for two semesters. In the spring of 2012 Felix will be away from our community working as the English teacher at the Island School in the Bahamas. Felix is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and he has a great deal of local knowledge of the NC highlands after having twice previously led Outdoor Academy students on ten-day backpacking trips in the Roan Mountain area. When Felix is not working in the field, he prefers to be climbing at Looking Glass or playing old-time music with his washboard.
Cecilia Kucera
Leading: Hante AT Trek
Cecilia is rounding out her 20th year with Eagle’s Nest Foundation, having grown up here at the knee alongside our Executive Director, Noni Waite-Kucera. Cecilia is a third-generation Hante instructor, as both her mother and grandmother have led students on numerous adventures since 1973. Cecilia has participated in six Hantes, and she is excited to give back to the program by leading her first journey on the Appalachian Trail. During the school year Cecilia is currently pursuing a degree in Biology at Wake Forest University, and after she graduates she would like to work in veterinary medicine. In her spare time, Cecilia can generally be found playing the violin or with her horse, Dillan.
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