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Mayella “Maya” Krause

Hailing from the picturesque town of São Bento do Sul in Brazil, Mayella has always been known as a force of nature—sometimes quite literally. With a razor-sharp passion for all things wild and creative (as well as creatively wild), she joined the Nat Hab team in 2023 as a Marketing Project Manager.

In 2007, a young and fresh-faced Mayella, brimming with curiosity, embarked on an adventure to the faraway land of Utah. As a seasonal foreign worker alternating between Brazil and the United States, she experienced a true winter wonderland for the first time at 19 and took the concept of "study abroad" to the extreme. Four and a half years later, armed with a bachelor's degree in journalism, she thought to herself, "I need more degrees!". Consequently, she returned to Utah to pursue a master's degree in filmmaking.

Growing up between a farm and the beach, Mayella developed an unquenchable thirst for adventure. Her parents nurtured this spirit by taking her and her older brother on wild expeditions from a young age. At 10, wanting to prove her dedication to wildlife conservation, she used her hard-earned allowance to join World Wildlife Fund. The day she received her panda enamel pin was one of the happiest of her life. By 15, Mayella had embraced veganism and dove headfirst into environmentalism.

As one might expect from someone so passionate about nature, Mayella has explored some of Earth's remotest corners. As a divemaster, she ventured into the ocean's depths, witnessing both the beauty and the decline of coral reefs and marine life. Having explored Uganda, Antartica, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, the Amazon  and15 more countries, she feels privileged that her travel itinerary reads like an adventurer's dream. Mayella is eager to journey in Madagascar and Nepal, as she's not one to be satisfied with just a casual stroll in the park, though she admits to enjoying those quite a bit.

Moreover, Mayella has a significant affinity for bicycles. She is an ultra-endurance bike racer across all disciplines, including gravel, road, mountain and fat bikes*, and even did Alaska's Iditarod Trail Invitational in 2024. However, her passion extends beyond racing; she travels by bike, travels to ride bikes and bikes to travel. When not doing laps on local trails or leaving tire marks on every continent, she finds time to engage in rock and ice climbing, snowboarding, packrafting, canyoneering, kayaking, hiking and camping, often accompanied by her trusty four-legged companion, Colin Robinson. If dogs could dive, he would certainly be joining her underwater.

Mayella was part of the bike industry before her restless spirit realized that her skills and knowledge were best suited for a company that shared her unwavering commitment to protecting the planet. Thus, Nat Hab became the perfect match for her.

*Additionally, she is secretly training to become the first cyclist to pedal her way to the moon.
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The first brazilian (and 50th woman) to cross the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Invitational by bike in AlaskaPhotographing chimpanzees at Kibale National Park in Uganda, during the Great Uganda Gorilla Safari tripSix-day old baby gorilla of the Rushegura family in Bwindi, Uganda. What an incredible experience to witnessHaving the best day on a safari drive with our guide Sula and other guests. Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, during the Great Uganda Gorilla Safari tripInfant gorilla climbs on mom's back. Bwindi, UgandaElephants outside our door! This is in front of our tents at Ishasha Lodge in UgandaBeautiful sunset after our safari drive at Queen Elizabeth National Park, UgandaAttempting to ride my bike to see the erupting volcano in IcelandPhotographing Iceland's waterfallsIceland, once again, making me carry my bike!Racing fatbikes to qualify for the Iditarod Trail Invitational - a winter ultra endurance bike race on the same trail as the historic Iditarod mushing raceThe luxuries of ultra-endurance bike racing: snoozing on the bathroom floor of a rest stopRiding fatbikes at Knik Glacier, AlaskaRiding in Moab with my pal, Colin RobinsonPackrafting with my pal, Colin Robinson (or would this be dografting? Dogpack? Bike-dog-packrafting?!Riding the White Rim in a Day, unsupported. Catching the Northern Lights in AlaskaBiking to ski with my trustee pal, Colin RobinsonBug buffet of fried ants and larvae, served by the Tucano tribe in the Amazon, BrazilTree climbing and canopy camping at the AmazonCanyoneering with Colin Robinson, Neon Canyon, UtahDiving the Silfra fissure in Iceland. One side is the North American tectonic plate, the other is the Eurasian Looking down a crevasse during a glacier hike in Greenland Kayaking in GreenlandRiding fatbikes in GreenlandIn front of Múlafossur, one of Faroe Island's most iconic post cardsHiking in the Faroe IslandsSo many puffins behind me! Mykines, Faroe IslandRappelling into Hitii'a lava tube in Tahiti, French PolynesiaExiting the Hitii'a lava tube in Tahiti, French Polynesia Getting ready to participate in the Pataxo ceremony of the River wading in the AmazonKodiak bear tracks in Sitka, AlaskaIn Moab, Utah. My backyard.Atop an old growth redwood tree in California Atop Trolltunga in NorwayHiking in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

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