Growing up, Charlotte Staats heard stories about Adirondack trail work from her mother. “It was like a fairy tale to me,” Staats said. Others might have thought it a nightmare—the swarms of biting insects and the deep mud—but Staats was enchanted by the idea of moving huge rocks and creating beautiful trails made of stone and wood.
Staats, 27, is now the trails manager for the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), the first woman to hold the position. She’s responsible for hiring, training and outfitting 19 seasonal employees as well as overseeing the trail steward and lean-to adopter
