In the summer of 2015, I fell in love with a show on Netflix called Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Miss Phryne Fisher, a 1920s Australian feminist and lady detective, is independent, irreverent, intelligent, brave, and very much her own person. She’s everything I want to be. And she inspired me to start the Ladies Adventure Club here in Maine. I imagine that if you are visiting this website, you want more adventure in your life or want to share your adventures with a group of fun, friendly, and supportive women. Check out our adventure offerings, read out trip reports for a flavor of what we do, and feel free to be in touch.
– Gillian Schair, Founder, Ladies Adventure Club Maine
Our Founder and Co-Leaders
She wasn't bored just restless between adventures.
Gillian Schair
Portland
Gillian Schair is the founder of the LAC and a full-time mom to two teenagers. She is a huge enthusiast of Maine winter recreation, a lover of mystery novels and is trying to become a happier, less fussy runner. She’s hiked in Peru, Bhutan and through the Italian Dolomites and has spent lots of time in the Maine woods, on the ocean, and in the mountains. Her passion for being outside started as a girl and has only grown since she started the LAC in 2015.
Alicia Heyburn
Brunswick
Alicia Heyburn is co-leader of the Ladies Adventure Club, assisting Gillian in the operations of the club as well as planning and leading adventures across the State. She is a Registered Maine Guide and a Wilderness First Responder. She enjoys open water swimming, road biking, is an intermittent hiker, enthusiastic canoer, and huge fan of Nordic skiing. Alicia is on the board of the Maine Island Trail Association, and the planning committee for BikeMaine. She is an amateur naturalist involved in land conservation and river restoration with a particular interest in anadromous fish. Huh? Sign up for her spring alewife hike and find out.
Kate Burnham
Cumberland Foreside
Kate Burnham, a Maine native. Kate’s love of the outdoors began with hut to hut hiking trips in the White Mountains. Kate is a founding member of the Ladies Adventure Club, recently participated in the AMC Women’s Leadership Course and is certified in Wilderness First Aid. When she isn’t busy leading trips for the LAC, she can be found hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, bicycling, snowshoeing, skiing and traveling.
Our Fabulous Guides
Guiding your adventure with skill and compassion.
Stevie Dembowski
Casco
Stevie Dembowski was raised on a lakeside in rural Maine and is no stranger to hiking and camping with the family. When she was old enough to attend summer camp she got hooked on outdoor living. Stevie worked as a summer camp counselor and outdoor education instructor. Her first backpacking trip was along the 100 Mile Wilderness. She spent two months backpacking across Ireland, thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and walked the length of New Zealand. She’s working on a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail.
Audrey Cadwallader
Scarborough
Audrey Cadwallader has always been a tomboy. She has been coming to Maine her whole life and now lives here full time. She loves what Maine has to offer for the adventurous soul. Hiking has become her new favorite past time. She’s spent time in Colorado and hiked 20 of the Colorado 14ers. She has hiked in New Hampshire and Maine extensively and loved every moment of it. She is a certified Wilderness First Responder.
Kelly Corbin
South Portland
Kelly Corbin has been exploring the White Mountains and surrounding areas for 20 years. She is an alum of the National Leadership School and a Wilderness First Responder. An avid hiker, she has backpacked throughout the United States, including trips to the Cascades, the Wind River Range, and the Na Pali coast. Mountain biking is her newest love, but you can also find her sea kayaking, rock climbing, running (slowly), cross country skiing, and identifying plants that no one asked her to.
Anne Henshaw
Brunswick
Anne Henshaw has her roots in Maine. She grew up spending summers with her dad, grandparents, and cousins in Brunswick. She loves being around the ocean and spending time biking the backroads of midcoast Maine. In winter she likes to hit the trails – downhill, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. Since joining LAC she has discovered her love of hiking and exploring Maine’s backcountry trails. She is a regular yogi, shares a passion for photography and looks forward to the next adventure.
Carla Marcus
Scarborough
Carla Marcus has been a Maine Guide, a Sugarloaf ski patroller, a whitewater kayaking instructor, and a rock climber. She is the founder of WinterKids, a member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, and the proud mother of two brave, strong, and kind daughters.
Meg Clews
Peaks Island
Meg was born and raised in Maine, exploring the outdoors from a young age with frequent family hikes on the trails of Acadia National Park. Summers were spent as a camp counselor at Quaker camp where she led trips to the Bigelow mountain range, the Mahoosucs, and sections of the Long Trail. Meg worked for Outward Bound where she specialized in rock climbing and teaching sailing along the Maine coast. She now works as a Nurse Practitioner and instructs part-time for Wilderness Medical Associates.
Milton
Portland
Gillian’s pup, Milton is always up for an outdoor adventure. His favorite hiking trail is Burnt Meadow Mountain, where he has figured out how to enjoy wild blueberries straight from the bush and in winter, he can be found cavorting on the Narrow Gauge Trail in Carrabassett Valley.
Rachel McDonnel
South Portland
Rachel McDonnell is a native Mainer who’s always up for trying something new. At her day job, she does marketing for a software company. Outside of work you can find her running, at a barre class, or joining one of many LAC adventures. Rachel guides LAC through the ethernet as our social media maven.
Jen Bush
Falmouth
Jen grew up in CT, hiking with her family in their local nature preserve, building forts in the woods and sailing on Long Island Sound. She moved to Maine in 2006 with her family and hasn’t looked back. When not at her day job for Falmouth Schools, she can usually be found outside doing anything she can convince her 3 teenage kids to do with her. Hiking with their dogs, skiing, boating, camping and pier jumping still rank cool enough with the teens, although who knows what next season will bring. Jen will be certified in Wilderness First Aid this spring, and is looking forward to leading and participating in even more LAC adventures.
Katie Parét
Portland
Katie Paret grew up hiking with my dad in the CT woods, and kayaking and swimming in NH. I still love to be outside. I am a Wilderness First Responder, and I am usually over-prepared for an adventure. Hiking, kayaking, trail running, skiing and snow-shoeing are my favorites. I love empowering women to feel comfortable and strong outside. We’re stronger together. I’m also passionate about yoga, eating real food, and taking care of the environment. Looking forward to seeing you on
the trail.