What Makes a Croo

I have been hiking in the New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Mountains since I was in diapers. As a part of the “Leave No Trace” rule, my parents had to hike out my diapers when they would visit. I grew up with summers filled with multi-day trips in the woods and on mountain tops, with a thirty-pound backpack and feet full of blisters. I loved every second of those sweaty, smelly, yet beautiful days filled with family, friends, and laughter.

A group of 18-to 25-year-olds works in these huts called the Croo. They are trained in search and rescue, cooking, cleaning, greeting hikers, answering any questions they have, entertaining, and more. After a challenging hike through the accurately named Thunderstorm Junction, I was tasked with bringing all the children in our group to the hut to avoid hypothermia, but the Hut Croo wasn’t there. Instead, we were greeted by a volunteer crew composed of people who had worked there in the 1970s and 1980s, and they were more excited about their reunion than about the safety of the hikers. I ensured our group and any other hiker who entered the hut looking for shelter were safe. It was then that it hit me how important the role of a Croo Member was. Many lives, quite literally, depend on them.

It was after this experience that I began documenting them. Their work is so unique that they inevitably form an equally special bond. This body of work is ongoing and will continue to showcase the incredible efforts of these young adults to ensure the comfort and safety of people who choose to hike through the Appalachian Mountains. They hike out packs of trash, cook breakfast and dinner, wash every single dish, and even more so we can have a (semi-un) comfortable bed to sleep in after hiking for more miles than we care to think about.