Exciting news! We are thrilled to welcome Katie Rhodes (@rhodes_and_trails) to our guiding team! Katie brings her extensive experience guiding in the high peaks, as well as expertise as a professional ecologist and competitive trail runner. We couldn’t be happier to have her on board to lead hiking and backpacking trips for our clients. We know you’ll enjoy her infectious love for the natural world.

Katie will be leading a group hike up Mt. Marcy on June 13 with a focus on alpine plant life. As you hike, you’ll explore why the mountains look the way they do, what makes these alpine ‘islands in the sky’ so special, and discover some of the state’s rarest plants in bloom!

Register — and see the rest of our group hiking schedule — on our website (link in bio). Spots are limited!

A person wearing a blue shirt and purple pants is crouching on a rock smiling. The background features a colorful autumn forest with vibrant orange and red foliage. Text boxes overlay a landscape with mountains, a clear sky, and close-up foliage with white flowers. Text: Hi, I’m Katie! My journey building outdoor skills started in college where I spent two years learning land navigation, wilderness leadership skills, and outdoor program management — eventually earning my Outdoor Education Association Outdoor Leader accreditation. Since then, I’ve earned my New York State Guide License (#8363) for hiking and camping, my Leave No Trace (LNT) Instructor certification. I’ve also spent time leading a volunteer search and rescue organization, and instructing Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Leadership, and Adirondack Ecology courses. I recognize that I guide on the stolen lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) & Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) people. A portion of all guiding payments I accept are donated back to the tribes from whose lands we all benefit. I’m passionate about building a relationship with the trails, land, and mountains I’m lucky enough to access, and love empowering others to experience the magic and healing of the wilderness. I spend my days as a conservation ecologist and alpine researcher, and my free time as an avid trail runner. These give me the unique opportunity to share my knowledge of both the trails and the ecosystems around them. While I feel a deep connection to all wild places, the Adirondack High Peaks are my home away from home, and I am currently working to publish my research on temporal changes in Adirondack alpine vegetation in order to further our understanding of this special place. Purple flowers bloom vibrantly atop a lush mountain ridge under a cloudy blue sky. Text reads Alpine Ecology Group Hike with Katie Limited spots Mt. Marcy June 13. Pink flowers bloom among dense green foliage and intertwined branches on a forest floor scattered with dry twigs and moss. A bee lands on a cluster of white flowers amid a lush green garden setting. A person wearing a knitted hat and backpack smiles in a mountainous landscape with snow caps. In the top corner, text reads ONWARD MOUNTAIN GUIDES.