The Tour Leaders at Great Freedom Adventures are an impressively talented lot. We’d like to share a bit about them and thought we’d start with our newest leader – Lydia Glenn. It’s been GFA’s good fortune that Lydia came on board in 2017 because she brings a wide range of knowledge, a passion for all things outdoors and an excitement for sharing these things with guests.
Lydia graduated at the top of her class at Boston University with a degree in Marine Science. She is fluent in English and German and conversational in Spanish. She has gone backpacking, camping, cycling, diving and rock climbing on three continents. On a recent backpacking trip in the Alps, she swam in a glacial lake, crossed from Germany into Austria through a mountain pass and wandered through herds of grazing wild chamois. From the top of mountains to the depth of seas, Lydia has a deep appreciation for and understanding of the fascinating plant and animal life that surrounds us.
Lydia worked at a wildlife sanctuary in Germany where she cared for and trained falcons, owls and eagles. She worked at the New England Aquarium, caring for birds, reptiles and fishes and went on diving trips around New England for aquatic research and animal collection. She is a beekeeper, and because she also likes to keep things “jungly,” she maintains a naturalistic frog vivarium in her home. We hear that this tank includes poison dart frogs!
As a result of many years of bike touring and active travel experience, and a wide-ranging store of knowledge about the plants, animals and places on GFA’s tours, Lydia’s guests are treated to a captivating experience. She has an astute ability to anticipate what a guest needs and that combined with her friendliness and calm manner brings a special richness to the tours she leads. Just ask her lucky past guests!
We asked Lydia what she likes about leading GFA tours: “I love hearing and telling stories, exploring beautiful places and being active outdoors. As a tour leader, I get to share these passions with fun-loving and amazing people. It’s exciting to see people enjoy the beauty that surrounds us and to be an instrumental part of providing an experience that the guest will remember for a long time to come.”
Jeanne Rummel
Great Freedom Adventures Founder