Juliana Chapman
Newly 30, mother of 4, graduate student, teacher, and backpacker. My family never really camped while I was growing up, but somehow I found a way to nurture a love of backpacking anyway. I love the solitude, the grandeur and variety of the world around me. I've hiked, camped, and backpacked all over, from Hawaii to Wisconsin (15 miles in one day, 7 mo. pregnant with baby #2), and even a memorable trip in Scotland (4 mo. pregnant with baby #1). Though I haven't done a lot of outdoor sports, I'll give it a shot sometime; but in the meantime I'll keep finding my solace as I move through the world on my own two feet, usually with my husband and kids right by my side (you know you're doing it right when they go to bed asking to climb a mountain the next day).
Greg Witt
Hiking Specialist
Greg Witt, adventure guide and author, lives the adventures he writes about. His daring journeys have taken him to every corner of the globe. He has guided mountaineering expeditions in the Alps and Andes and paddled wild rivers in the Americas. He has dropped teams into golden slot canyons, trudged through deep jungles in Africa, Central America, and Asia, and guided archaeological expeditions across the parched Arabian Peninsula.
Some weeks, Greg hikes more miles than he drives, which means he wears out his boots faster than he wears out tires. He has crossed the Grand Canyon on foot more than a dozen times, climbed Colorado's three highest peaks in three days, and while guiding in the Alps hiked over 700 miles, gaining nearly 100,000 vertical feet?the equivalent of climbing Everest nine times. His passion for adventure always focuses on sharing the experience with others through guiding, presentations and his engaging writing style.
Greg is the author of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City (Menasha Ridge Press) and Make the Most of Your Time on Earth: A Rough Guide to the World (contributing editor). His featured releases for later this year include Ultimate Adventures: A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel (Rough Guides, September 2008), and Exploring Havasupai: A Destination Guide to the Heart of the Grand Canyon (Menasha Ridge Press, August 2008).
Dennis Jones
Off-Roading Specialist
Like all the adventurers here, I have a love of the outdoors. We take regular family camping and hiking trips. Many evenings you can find me up the canyon mountain biking or climbing on rocks. But by far my favorite outdoor activity is off-roading.
Before I set foot in a drivers education class, I had years of experience behind the wheel of my parents Jeep Wrangler – off road of course. After getting my license my first vehicle in High School was a 1975 Jeep CJ5, and since then I have gone through a dozen different Jeeps and off-road vehicles. Every year I make several trips to Moab, the west desert, central Utah, and the mountains around home in Utah County. Needless to say, it’s gone somewhat past the point of a casual hobby and well into obsession territory. In addition to exploring the state as a Utah Adventurer, I also write for MOABJEEPER Magazine (www.moabjeeper.com) about all things related to Jeeping and off-roading.
See you on the trail.
Katie Robison
Water Specialist
My name is Katie Robison and I'm an outdoor junkie. I'm especially infatuated with water adventures. Growing up in So. Cal and then moving close to the Jersey shore helped me gain respect for the ocean. I was able to study in Hawaii which increased my love of surfing. I also enjoy wakeboarding, wake surfing, snowboarding in the winter, rafting, volleyball, and any other outdoor adventure you throw at me. I like to climb, rappel, long-board, and work-out with my husband (whom I might add, can throw back flips on the wakeboard -- I'm still not at that level yet). I have done extreme adventures such as swimming with sharks and skydiving -- but for the most part -- my adventure high comes from fun, simple, local adventures.
Jenn Fox
Jenn Fox's love of the outdoors was cultivated as a child growing up in Washington state. It was there every year that her family would venture into the nearby mountains to harvest their own Christmas tree. In adventures reminiscent of the Griswolds from the movie "Christmas Vacation," after the good portion of the tree was preserved, family tradition dictated that the remaining section be dragged down the mountain behind the truck, with Jenn and her five brothers piled on top and waging battle to see who could hold on to the prickly pine the longest. It is said that this is where she learned her hands-on approach to enjoying the outdoors.
Today, Jenn lives with her husband and three children in Alpine. When she is not trying out a new recipe or volunteering at the local elementary school, Jenn loves nothing better than torturing her family with well-planned hiking excursions, campouts and anything that even hints of outdoor adventure. Thankfully, Christmas tree rodeoing is safely rooted in her past.
Leslie Kawai
Family Activities Specialist
Leslie grew up exploring Utah: finding ghost towns, fishing, skiing, waterskiing, hiking, and camping. And now, as a mother of three, Leslie says one of the best parts of being a mom is discovering Utah's outdoor beauty all over again through her children's eyes-the wildflowers, the red sand, a moose by the highway, the rush of a waterfall.
In addition to playing outdoors with her kids, Leslie teaches management communications at Brigham Young University and serves as the program director of a local nonprofit organization, www.realvictory.org. Leslie is also currently writing a book on organizing successful family activities.
Leslie enjoys running, snowshoeing, cooking, travel, yoga, hiking, planning family adventures with her children, and making lists! Leslie is one of our Family Activities Specialists.
Cassidy J. Warren
Fast & Furious Specialist
Cassidy is a student at the University of Utah studying psychology and international studies. Originally from Utah, she enjoys living in downtown Salt Lake City. She loves to spend an evening jogging and biking through Liberty and Sugarhouse or taking a drive into one of Utah's canyons and hiking in solitude.
A lover of travel, she is passionate about exploring big cities, dining out, shopping, and visiting historic sights. She spent spring and summer of 2007 working in London, England with a temporary work visa and visiting various parts of Europe on the weekends. Still a student, she looks forward to more travel in the future when she finishes her studies! She loves to cook with friends and her favorite international cuisine is Italian and Thai food. Cassidy is thrilled to be writing for the Utah Adventurer.