Our Team

Our team is led by Chief Adventure Officer Matt Baker. Matt has traveled the world seeking adventure from the glaciers of New Zealand, to the Rockies, to the Serengeti plains of Africa, to the cloud forests of Costa Rica, as well as the wonders of Central Maryland. His specialty is leading groups on all kinds of adventures and has extensive experience in exploring the wonders of Central Maryland. Matt received his MBA from the University of Maryland and has a 25 year track record of running successful businesses.

Jeryl Baker is in charge of the adventures on the ground. Her job is to make your day the best it can be and make sure all your friends and neighbors know about us. You will see her on the courses during the weekends keeping everyone happy. Jeryl provides us with over 20 years of marketing, environmental and community experience to insure that we are good neighbors and good stewards of the land. Please let her know how she can make your experience even more enjoyable.

Your Guides

We are very proud of our guides, they all have extensive training, love the outdoors and care very much about providing our guests with an exceptional experience. All are CPR and first aid certified.

Jason Ruby may be from Baltimore but his heart is outdoors. He has been an avid Boy Scout for many years. Most recently he was Director of the challenge course and managed the staff training at the Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation COPE program. He has led taken the lead role on many different voyages including caving, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, rapelling in Central Maryland and Hawaii. Jason is very experienced at creating meaningful team building programs on both low and high ropes challenge courses. When not teaching folks about the great outdoors, Jason enjoys camping, tubing, running, and rock climbing. He holds certifications in CPR and First Aid.

Andy Brash has extensive experience as a challenge course facilitator and manager having successfully run programs at the University of Maryland where he graduated and at Beth Tfiloh camps. Andy has a passion for experiential education and loves to see how groups grow and learn on challenge courses. Andy is a member of the Association for Challenge Course Technology, American Camp Association and Association for Experiential Education. He holds certifications in lifeguarding, CPR and First Aid and is currently pursuing Level II and Challenge Course manager certifications.

Shaun Collins is a Baltimore native and is finishing up his program in Recreation, Parks and Tourism at Catonsville Community College. Shaun loves being outside whether playing sports, hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, canoeing, spelunking, swimming or rock climbing. He is also an avid soccer player. Shaun has worked for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a camp counselor for children with special needs. "All life is an experiment, The more experiments you make the better", Ralph Waldo Emerson. He holds certifications in CPR and First Aid.

Byron Bell attends UMBC, where he likes to say he is majoring in sailing. Byron is captain of the UMBC sailing team, which competes in regattas throughout the central Atlantic region. If he could actually earn a degree in sailing, Byron might be able to realize his lifelong ambition to be a pirate when he grows up. When he is not sailing, Byron also enjoys aggressive in-line skating and unicycling. Byron has extensive experience camping and hiking throughout his many years in scouting. As a scout, Byron earned the rank of Eagle and is a Vigil member of Order of the Arrow. Byron has worked as a counselor at Cub Scout camp and MCPS Outdoor Education. Byron is certified in CPR and first aid.

Jacqueline Currie can't wait to share her love of the outdoors and adventure. A Brit who once spent eight months backpacking around the world, she can now be found throughout the year rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking and geo-caching. In the UK she spent two years as a volunteer youth group leader taking young adults on hiking expeditions and overnight camping trips. Jacqueline holds a degree in aeronautical engineering and certifications in CPR/AED and Wilderness First Aid.

Becca Fritcher comes to TA via the heart of Texas where she her B.S. in Kinesiology from Texas A & M. Becca was an instructor to provide leadership programming for inner city kids with Outward Bound in both Baltimore and Philadelphia. Guest relations come naturally to her as she was part of the staff at Norwegian Cruise Lines. Prior to joining TA, she was a coordinator for the Gift of Life Donor Program. She is a Wilderness First Responder and an enthusiastic sports player.

Luiz Bertolo comes to Terrapin Adventures via Bogota, Colombia and Sao Paulo, Brazil. He recently graduated from Towson University with a degree in Sports Management. Luiz loves adventure travel and has the pictures to prove it. When it comes to outdoor activities, the more risk involved, the bigger the smile on his face. Luiz enjoys mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing, and bungee jumping. His dream is to tackle base jumping and climbing Mt. Everest. He enjoys teaching and playing soccer, supporting local and global music and being active in social and environmental movements. He holds certifications in CPR and First Aid.

Eric Thompson has a true passion for sharing the outdoors with others--especially kids. He holds a Biology degree from the University of North Carolina, and has spent the last several years hopping around the country working in outdoor education. He loves backpacking, expedition canoeing, creek walks and frisbee. Eric holds certifications in Wilderness First Response, Swiftwater Rescue and Lifeguarding.

Keith Kohr joins TA when he is not a Math teacher in the Fairfax County School System. Last year Keith led high school students on hiking, sea kayaking, white water rafting trips in Alaska. Keith also spent time with the Peace Corps in Namibia Africa. Keith also spent time in Australia studying Mathematics abroad at Queensland University before receiving his Masters of Secondary Education from James Madison University. He has hike a big part of the Appalachian Trail and is a Wilderness First Responder. He enjoys traveling, singing, photography, basketball, racquetball and reading.

Charisa Carkhuff, born and raised in Maryland, would rather be outdoors. An experienced ropes worker, she has done most of her outdoor challenge course work at a wilderness camp in the Shenandoah Valley. There she enjoys leading the obstacle ropes course, zip line, rappelling and climbing, and has been doing so since 2001. Charisa loves caving, running, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, camping, and playing volleyball. Currently enrolled at Howard Community College, she is pursuing a degree in both Registered Nurse and Paramedic. When not busy with these activities, she loves being an instructor in Tai Chuan Do Karate, and enjoys all types of Martial Arts. She is also a volunteer fire fighter/emergency medical technician at the Savage Volunteer Fire Company.

Jeremy Biedzynski is an easy going guy with a real interest in outdoor recreation. He is presently enrolled at Frostburg University, and received his B.S. from Towson University. He enjoys geocaching and working with all kinds of people and is CPR and first aide certified. He enjoys teaching people and seeing them expand their horizons as demonstrated by his lacrosse coaching background.

Missy Moore believes: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all!"-Helen Keller. She loves playing soccer, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, reading, sports and doing anything outside. Missy has extensive outdoor experience from being an Outward Bound Instructor, and being a director at a local YMCA. Missy holds certifications in CPR, Wilderness first aid and is also a wilderness lifeguard.

Erin Travis is a freelance photographer and "outdooraholic". She loves adventure, traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, climbing, running, backpacking, playing sports, and laughing! She graduated with a B.A. in Visual Arts from UMBC. When she is not working, she's usually hiking with her dog, Sweetwater. I live an adventurous life & enjoy the ride. Erin holds certifications in CPR and First Aid.

Sara Groller enjoys nothing more than spending her time outside. Besides her love for outdoor adventures she also has a passion for science and the environment which lead her to become a middle school science teacher. Between graduating from Frostburg University and working as a teacher, Sara spent a year in California working at an outdoor science school. While out west she fell in love the many parks including: Joshua Tree, Big Sur, and of course Yosemite. Sara believes every life-changing moment can be summed up by one of Dr. Suess' many quotes "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not" (From the Lorax- as if you didn't know).

Steve Clark has been a life long athlete, being put on skis at 3 years old and Snowboarding all over the United States for the last 11 years, with his favorite destinations being Colorado, Utah, and Lake Tahoe. He is also looking forward to training for his first marathon in 2010. Having recently graduated from James Madison University in May of 2009, Steve looks to pursue a career in the financial services industry.

TJ Howell has spent his whole life traveling all across the United States and experiencing everything our country has to offer. He is also an avid runner, hiker, and loves to camp. For the last eight years he has taught elementary education in Maryland, and more recently has coached varsity cross country and track and field. Before that, he worked at Nemacolin Woodlands, where he was a guide on the ropes courses, climbing wall, and paintball range. TJ holds a degree in Elementary Education from Bethany College, in West Virginia.

Peter Hunt was born and raised in the state of Maryland and is studying at Howard Community College to earn his associates degree. He enjoys backpacking, whitewater rafting, cycling, camping, rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking. Peter learned about the outdoors through the Boy Scouts and is an Eagle Scout. He has also worked with Cub Scouts at camp Oest at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation. In addition, he spent 10 and a half months living in Panama as an exchange student.

Jayne Chong believes: "Not all who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien. A graduate of Loyola College in Maryland, she has a Bachelor in Business Administration, specialization in Marketing. Her passion for the outdoors was truly discovered after a trip to Asia (Thailand, China, Malaysia & Singapore), and studying abroad in New Zealand. She has experience in working with small groups (loves ice-breakers!); volunteering for the homeless, inner-city schools, and youth refugee organizations; and fundraising for cancer-research events. She enjoys running, playing and coaching soccer, swimming, rock climbing, biking, boogie boarding, and hiking. Her goals are to one-day backpack through Europe and volunteer in Africa. She is also an Assistant Marketing Analyst for American Radiology Services. She holds certification in CPR.

Gerry Hemming enjoys hiking through Patapsco Valley State Park and staying active. He is active in the Mountain club of Maryland and when not working at TA is an experienced marketing director for Blue Sky, a marketing consulting practice for small businesses. Gerry is a genuinely likeable guy who understands what it takes to captivate guests and enjoy all that Central Maryland has to offer. Gerry is CPR and first aid certified.