Meet the Team
trip logistics & guide | facilitator | admin team
kyana ferro (ky/they/she)
kyana (ky/they/she) is an earth worker, community herbalist, and doula born and raised on Nipmuc land, where they currently reside. kyana organizes and facilitates spaces for qtbipoc to intentionally connect with the land to heal and grow awareness of their connection to nature.
kyana is committed to building a future where black and indigenous communities have access to healing on the land, in community and decentralized from the current oppressive systems. they enjoy spending time by rivers and creeks with their puppy, shitty reality tv, sitting by the fire with friends, baking & reading scifi (rereading octavia).
trip logistics & guide
Taina Spicer (she/they)
Taina (they/them) is an artist, teacher, farmer, & chef who considers themselves a life-long student of Mama Nature. They often spend their time running on trails, appreciating slugs, fermentation, foraging and cooking over fire.
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They believe there is profound healing, lessons to be learned, care to receive, and joyous adventure to be had when immersed in the land.
As a committed student to Mama Nature, Taina hopes to build a future of deep reverence for and communion with all living things by learning and sharing skills along the way.
trip logistics & guide
Disha Patel (she/they)
Disha [they/she] is a genderqueer femme based in Jamaica Plain, MA who believes in the transformative power of community, the outdoors & snacks. They are a caregiver, network weaver, creative, workshop facilitator, ancestral cook, and urban farmer.
They find peace working with their hands, laughing with chosen community, backpacking in the woods, and being in close relationships with fire and fragrant night-blooming plants.
They are on a spiritual, healing journey that looks like moving into right relationship with themselves, the land, and other humans & more than human beings. They are embracing the mystery that comes with surrendering, and this bio, like them, is a continual work in progress - ever-flowing, changing and growing.
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They can be reached @memoirsofadisha
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guest facilitator-willow basket weaving campout
Jes Clark (they/them)
Jes Clark (they/them) is the farmer and weaver at Willow Vale Farm in Stanfordville, NY. Jes weaves traditional and contemporary functional pieces and the basket forms created are a result of their conversation with each stick of willow. All of their willow is grown without pesticides using regenerative practices and with loving care.
Jes has been teaching weaving just since 2018 but has taught hundreds of students ranging from absolute beginners to experienced weavers looking to refine their craft. They have taught at the Stowe Basketry Festival, for the Northeast Basketmakers Guild, at the New York Botanical Garden just to name a few, and also privately in one-on-one tutorials.
trip logistics & guide
Gopi Donald Shelton (he/they)
I've chosen to live close in with the Spirit of Wild things.
I've supported my nature practices as a wood worker, carpenter, wilderness guide, youth education advocate, massage therapist, homesteader, food producer and forest protector. I'm one of the co-founders the Julius Ford Harriet Tubman Healthy Living community of Western Massachusetts - which has brought together BIPOC youth for summer forest immersion since 2007. I look forward to growing with beloved community through journeys w Rusty Anvil this season of Warmth and outrageous outpouring of love from our blessed brother Sun and under the sacred dreamtime embrace of Mamma Luna.
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Gopi Krishna - Gopi Donald Shelton lives in a hand built house with his partner and daughter in the woods of Western Massachusetts. Nipmuck, Pocumtuck, Mohican homelands.
founder & director
raei bridges (they/them)
Raei Bridges (they/them) is a neurodivergent soul on a journey of self-discovery and connection. Raised by the vibrant landscapes of the San Fernando Valley in California, Raei's roots are deeply intertwined with nature. From childhood days spent playing in the mud, climbing trees, to observing insects with fascination, Raei fostered a profound bond with the natural world in any way that was accessible to them.
The transformative turning point came during the 2016 queer quest, an experience that ignited their spiritual connection to nature and set them on a life-altering path. It was here that Raei discovered a calling to become an outdoor guide, driven by the desire to create spaces where others can embark on their own journeys of authenticity and wholeness.
Now, with a mission to guide and inspire, Raei Bridges channels their passion into fostering a sense of belonging in the great outdoors. Through their work, they aspire to empower individuals to embrace their true selves and discover the profound beauty that lies within the intersection of nature and authenticity.