Meet your guides- Allen Frantz
Q: Did you always want to be an outdoor guide and teacher?
A: (Laughs) Oh no! I was sure I was going to be a baseball player when I was young.
Q: What was your first guiding job?
A: I started guiding teens in the outdoors in 1998. That was my first summer in Maine working for a company called Trailmark Outdoor Adventures. We took larger groups (13-21 teens per trip) on 13-20 day adventures. Those programs were primarily front country experiences (car camping), with a tiny bit of backpacking and sea kayaking as well. I loved it so much I returned the following year as well.
The pre-smartphone days of Maine (Summit of Mt Katahdin, 1999)
Q: Did Crooked Trail Adventures start after that?
A: No, there was a lot between Trailmark and the start of Crooked Trail. When I left Maine I went straight to Arizona to finish my degree in Outdoor Experiential Education. From there I worked in youth development at the Cabbage Patch Settlement House in Louisville. It was only after I started teaching full time that I developed my own programs, first Gaia Expeditions, and now Crooked Trail Adventures.
Q: You have trips all over the United States. Do you have a favorite course area?
A: That’s a tough one! The Front Range in Colorado will always be a special place for me because my first experience in the West was on a summer field study there as a high school student. I really love the Desert Southwest, though. And Maine- I really love Maine.
It’s just too hard to choose one. If I think about it more I’ll just name more places, so let’s go with that for now!
Q: Favorite camp meal?
A: Hmm… Thanksgiving in a bowl- instant mashed potatoes and stove top stuffing mixed together with dehydrated cranberries.
Q: Best in-camp activity?
A: We play lots of games and such, but I really treasure the time that we spend together after dinner, when we’re able to process the day and just chat. Oh, and the Moose Game. I love the Moose Game.
Q: Do you have a favorite adventure activity?
A: I used to be way into climbing and mountaineering, and I still love working hard for great views. I’m enjoying paddling more and more each year, especially canoeing and sea kayaking.
Canoeing the Current River with the Cabbage Patch
Q: What do you do when you’re not preparing or guiding trips?
A: Well, I have 3 children, and spending time with them and my wife comes first. I’m in my 17th year teaching middle school at Community Montessori, so those two things keep me pretty busy. Outside of that, I like to read and run, and to learn new things. I’m generally a pretty curious person- I’m always tinkering around the house or researching something new.
Q: What is your dream trip?
A: Anywhere I haven’t been yet! Alaska, Antarctica, Kilimanjaro, the Alps… I have a lot to do still.
Patagonia is magical
Q: Do you have a favorite past trip?
I love Patagonia and would go back there in a second. Emily and I did a trip there in 2019 to scout potential future courses and had an amazing time. The people are so friendly and Torres del Paine is just stunning. As far as Crooked Trail Trips, Grand Gulch is desolate, hostile, and really incredible.
Q: What’s next for Crooked Trail Adventures?
A: We’ll be doing some adult programming in the spring. Emily’s Women in the Wilderness trips are always a hit. Then this summer we’re back at it with teen trips in Maine, Colorado, and North Carolina. We’ll also be posting a new adult trip for the late summer/ early fall that I think people will be pretty excited about as well. Parents are always asking if they can come along. Stay tuned…
