User:Cohenje

Joe first attended Birch Rock in 2001 after a recommendation from neighborhood friend Alasdair Thornton. He was joined in the following years by his two younger brothers Jake and Zach. Joe spent the next four years as a seven-week camper with his favorite activities being campcraft and kayaking. Following his MWA trip in 2004, Joe felt inspired to undertake more difficult, long-term trips and spent the next two summers away from BRC exploring Alaska and South America. Joe returned in 2007 for his CIT year. In the next few years on staff Joe taught kayaking, swimming, mountain biking, canoeing, and campcraft. He took another year off in 2010 to be a kayak guide in the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He could not stay away from The Rock for long and returned in 2011 to be the first MWA participant to lead the trip along with Doug Miller. In 2012 Joe also graduated from Whitman College in Washington as a History & Education major and was captain of the rugby team. Joe continued to lead trips for BRC in 2012 creating Birch Rock's first overnight kayaking and mountain biking trips. Joe now works during the offseason teaching Outdoor Education to school groups outside of Seattle, Washington. 2013 will be Joe's 10th summer at Birch Rock. Joe is a certified Wilderness First Responder, CPR, Lifeguard and has extensive Wilderness Trip experience from BRC and other various venues.