Blaze Adventure Tours
Explore the world, find yourself.
Welcome to the home of Blaze Adventure Tours! We are here to help you embark on the adventure of a lifetime. From bicycle touring to backpacking and everything in between, Blaze Adventure Tours is here for you.
Our Team
Dave has been racing endurance sports for over a decade. In 2015, he heard about bicycle touring and has never looked back. Whether he is cruising across the french alps or racing triathlon across the USA, Dave feels that there is nothing more exhilarating than exploring the world powered by your own two legs. David’s favorite aspect of adventure traveling is getting to see the world at human pace.
“There are so many experiences you miss in a car or train; on a bike or a hike you can really immerse yourself in the world, and take a piece of it with you forever”
Meredith discovered her love for endurance adventure and the outdoors while attending the University of Maryland, where she first got involved in triathlon and later rode a bicycle across the United States from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR with the 4K for Cancer. Since then, backpacking has become her greatest passion, taking her from the Blue Ridge Mountains close to home to the Sierra Nevada, the Grand Canyon, and the trails of Nepal. She is especially passionate about helping women feel more comfortable, capable, and empowered in the outdoors, whether it’s their first overnight trip or a more ambitious backcountry adventure.
“In nature she learned that life was never meant to be this complicated. The trees grow, the rivers flow, the sun rises. Nothing forces, nothing clings. Life is simple when you let it be.”
Laurel has an extensive background leading wilderness expeditions. From teaching courses at the Connecticut Wilderness School to her role as a Program Facilitator at Outward Bound, she is an expert at curating meaningful experiences. Laurel is also a certified Wilderness First Responder through the National Outdoor Leadership School. Wherever you wind up going with Laurel, you’ll not only be in good hands, but you’ll have a great time, too!
Keith has been in love with the outdoors and all it has to offer since 2012. From Rock climbing up and down the east coast to, white water kayaking, Ice Climbing and doing numerous backpacking and adventure trips as far as the Philippines. It was at Towson university where he became a guide for the school. There he received his Wilderness First Responder Certification which gave him the confidence to help individuals feel safe experiencing the outdoors the way he does.
“Being in the outdoors and enjoying it is a privilege. It is something I believe everyone should do, especially taking the next step to get into that zone of growth, that area where you are pushing yourself and trying new things that you once might have thought was out of reach. That is the area that I love to live and hope to get other people comfortable!”
Bob is an experienced outdoorsman and veteran of the U.S. Navy. Bob’s love of the outdoors shines through in everything he does. Whether he’s biking across the United States, finishing an Ironman Triathlon, leading kayak tours, or hiking through the Alps, Bob is always following his passion and sharing it with others.
“It’s a great big planet with so many incredible places to see and super people to meet on the trails! I just love being in the outdoors and sharing it with others.”
Emily is an avid outdoors enthusiast, who enjoys biking, hiking, running and skiing. Her love for backpacking grew while studying abroad in Costa Rica. Along with other leaders Meredith and Arie, Emily also biked across the country with 4K For Cancer from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR and has been chasing that sense of adventure ever since. Emily, her husband and pup are trying to hike the highest peak in all 50 states, conquering 14 so far! Professionally, Emily works as a Critical Care Physician Assistant, and attends the Annual Wilderness Medicine Conference to keep up to date with the latest in backcountry medicine.
Arie has always had a passion for endurance sports, starting with swimming and running while young and finding her way to club triathlon while at UVA. Just an amateur cyclist, she took a leap her first summer in between courses and biked across the country for charity with 4k for Cancer supporting the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. It was then that she found a love for challenging herself in the outdoors – with friends as your teammates – official type two fun! During her career journey being an EMT to nurse and now nurse practitioner, Arie has found adventure in the outdoors is her own kind of medicine. She loves the peace you can find in the fresh air, the quiet you can find on the trails and mountain tops, and the satisfaction of knowing your own two feet got you from point A to point B!
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” -John Muir