After growing up in Southern Oregon, Paige moved to Utah to pursue her passion for rock climbing and skiing. While attending the University of Utah, she acquired her Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician’s license and a BA in geography. This coursework led her to a decade of work as a ski patroller with summers as a whitewater raft guide all across the West. After moving to Carbondale, Paige went back to school for her master’s in education at Western State Colorado University. At Aspen Country Day School she has taught Fifth Grade, Third Grade, and in 2019 became the Co-Director of the Outdoor Education program. In the 2020-21 school year, Paige took on the role of coordinating the At-Home Learning Program, and in 2022, she moved into a new position as Project Manager for the Leadership Team.
What’s in your starter pack?
Philosophically speaking, I would say love and freedom. Literally, I would pack a water filter, lots of snacks, some fire starter, and hiking boots.
Something you haven’t done yet?
A very long, extended horse packing trip in South America. I’d like to start in Patagonia and just ride north, stopping in little villages along the way.
Dream dinner guests?
My ancestors, who migrated West on the Oregon Trail and had a homestead on the Rogue River. I hope this would include the Modoc Native American that my great-great-grandfather married along the way.
Something we might not know about you?
I wish I had the dance moves and stage presence of an ACDS Aardvark.
A time a failure led to a success for you?
Growing up, I was never thought of as athletic or coordinated. I got into outdoor sports when I was 19, and I wasn’t as good as my friends who grew up doing those things. I spent a decade of my life trying to catch up and keep up. Countless times I’ve fallen down ski slopes, bailed off climbs, gotten lost, turned around, flipped my raft, and been bucked off a horse. That’s what makes it so worthwhile when you succeed — it wouldn’t be fun if it were easy.
