Staff Bios
George Appenzeller, a licensed social worker, combined his love of the outdoors with a knack for working with youth when he co-founded the Challenge Adventures program in 1989. He was excited about the potential for bringing younger youth into the wilderness by using llamas as pack animals. He also recognized that these gentle animals could help reach troubled youth and quickly became adept in the use of animal assisted therapy. An experienced woodsman, tracker, and story-teller, George keeps campers interested in the natural world around them. When trekkers discover an animal track, George can usually identify it. He has experience in the US military, private business, research, government administration and Boy Scout leadership. For fun, he enjoys reading, gardening and travel to remote parts of the world, like Siberia, New Zealand and Mongolia. He is married to co-founder Sarah Meadows and they have five children and five grandchildren. He is certified in Wilderness First Aid and takes an active role in training staff, training new llamas and leading treks.
Since receiving her master's degree at the University of South Carolina, Sarah Meadows has worked as a trainer, teacher, researcher and wilderness group leader. She is a licensed social worker and is certified in Wilderness First Aid. Sarah especially likes helping girls and women to learn the skills they need to feel safe and confident in the wilderness and has led several all-women's "empowerment" groups. Her knack for identifying bird calls can alert trekkers about the birds that they hear in the woods and she can locate hidden thickets of blueberries. Along with her husband George, she co-founded Challenge Adventures in 1989, and quickly realized the special dimension that llamas can bring to outdoor adventures. When not on the trail, she enjoys gardening, travel and spinning - the llamas are glad to contribute their wool. She is involved in training staff, preparing new llamas to do their jobs on the trail and in occasionally leading treks.
Other Staff
All Challenge Adventure staff are at least 21 years old and have at least a Bachelor's degree. They have completed training on trail and emergency procedures and most are certified in Wilderness First Aid. Many of the staff are teachers or school counselors who work with Challenge Adventures during the summers or are graduate students who come back to work with Challenge Adventures during their academic career.