Kelly Lecko

Kelly grew up camping in southern California. She thought she was a dessert girl until she went to the East Coast where she fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains. Kelly has lived these mountains ever since, leading backpacking and canoe trips from Maine to the Smoky Mountains. While trekking and traveling in the backcountry have been grand adventures, some simple pleasures at base camp include campfire cooking, painting and making her own ink! (yes, the cinnamon rolls in the picture came out delicious! Wish you could have been there!)

Kelly got her first WFR certification in 2009, maintained that training through many outdoor education jobs, and started running as an EMT with a local rescue squad. Her experience as an outdoor educator, Trip Leader and now as an EMT led her to start teaching with WMA in 2024!