Kenzie Zaumseil
As soon as she was old enough, Kenzie began working at Camp Manito-wish, a wilderness canoe tripping camp in northern Wisconsin that she had attended since the age of 10. Her years as a camper were some of the most formative of her life, fueling her desire to facilitate outdoor experiences for others. She found incredibly fulfilling work as a Wilderness Counselor, Administrative Section Director, 30-day remote Canoe Trip Leader and, most recently, Outpost Director. Her role as Outpost Director gave her invaluable management experience in the outdoor industry. Kenzie was responsible for organizing the logistics of the camp’s Outpost Wilderness Tripping programming, consisting of 37 remote summer wilderness trips of 9-45 days in length across the United States and Canada. The fulfillment she gained from seeing campers excitedly share stories of their journeys made her eager to continue a career in adventure travel. This led her to seek employment at Natural Habitat Adventures as a Destination Manager. Nat Hab's commitment to facilitating high-quality trips with an emphasis on conservation makes her excited to work for a company that values protecting the wild places we are lucky enough to explore.
Some of Kenzie’s most notable travel experiences are from her time at Manito-wish, and include a 30-day remote canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, and a 45-day canoe trip across the Arctic tundra of Nunavut, Canada. She also had the opportunity to solo lead a 30-day canoe trip on the Sheenjek River in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The feeling of swimming in arctic rivers at the base of mountain ranges and of being completely alone, with only wildlife and barren lands for miles on end, is indescribable. She will never forget the day she saw the caribou migration across the Inuit lands of Nunavut. Other travel highlights include sailing with her family in the British Virgin Islands and studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she explored cultural traditions and hiked Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia.
Kenzie has been on skis since the day she could walk. She feels her most alive when skiing—her passion for the sport and connection to the mountains grow with each season. She is an avid hiker and explorer of wild places. She is also an active ice hockey player—once captain of the women’s team at the University of Colorado, she now plays in recreational leagues in Denver.