Sam M

Sam M

Instructor

Sam grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent his childhood vacations backpacking in California’s Sierra Nevada and Point Reyes National Seashore. At the start of high school, he took up mountain bike racing. By the end of high school, he was channeling his outdoor experience into leadership, serving as a co-captain and ride leader for the mountain bike team and working as a counselor for an environmental education summer camp.

Sam studied political theory and English literature at Pomona College. While there, he continued to spend his free time outside. He led backpacking, rock climbing, and mountain biking trips for incoming students, and guided new members of the cycling club through the roads of the nearby San Gabriel mountains. During the summers, he continued working as a camp counselor and outdoor educator on the California coast.

Sam’s experiences outside, both alone and as a leader, convinced him that wilderness provides unique possibilities for honesty, empathy, and personal insight. After graduation, he looked for an opportunity to show these possibilities to others, and found it at Elements.

When he’s not working in the field, Sam continues to spend time mountain biking, rock climbing, trail running, and hiking. He also enjoys relaxing with a good book or album, and figuring out how to repair the gear he’s constantly wearing out.