Meet The Colorado Mountain Expeditions Crew

Emily Weida

Owner and Lead Guide
I grew up outside Kansas City, MO, and quickly learned that the outdoors is my passion with help from my family and the Girl Scouts. I graduated from Missouri State University with a B.S. in Recreation, Sport, and Park Administration with an emphasis in Outdoor Education and then from Northern Arizona University with a Master’s Degree in Parks and Recreation Management. I started working for youth camps while still in high school and for the Trips Department in college, and I have never stopped. I have guided in seven different states and on more than 100 trips! For the past seven years, I have worked as a state-licensed childcare director, where I was fortunate enough to incorporate Outdoor Education and lead backpacking trips and hikes (sometimes with 50+ kids). Something tells me my hikes are about to be much quieter, and I may get to see some wildlife! I enjoy hiking, paddleboarding, and skiing. My husband, Dan, and I love to visit our national parks, and we have been to 37 plus all the D.C. monuments and many, many state parks. We have also skied at 15 ski resorts/areas and counting. 

 

Dan Weida 

Lead Guide and Owner

I grew up in Peculiar, Missouri, just south of Kansas City. My parents worked in education and would take my brother and me on week-long adventures to National Parks in the summer. I studied Recreation Management at Missouri State University. In my junior year at Missouri State, I took a school ski trip to Steamboat Springs, CO, and found my passion for skiing. In my senior year, I became a ski instructor at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico and worked all of my winter break and spring break teaching ski lessons. After college, I moved to Estes Park, CO, and spent the summer as an outdoor education instructor, leading Rocky Mountain National Park trips. That winter, I moved to Winter Park, CO, again, working as a ski instructor. I worked for five years at Winter Park Resorts Ski School, three as an instructor and two as a supervisor. In 2019 I began working for the Fraser Valley Metro Rec District (FVMRD) as the Athletics Supervisor overseeing all youth and adult sports leagues and programs. While with the FVMRD, I developed several successful outdoor programs, including youth mountain bike camps and wilderness adventure clubs. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and mountain biking in the summer and skiing in the winter.

Karen Mann

CME Hiking Guide

Being a Philly girl, I grew up far from the Rocky mountains. Hiking & camping were a very foreign activity to me. Then my husband and I moved to Colorado in 2013. I fell in love with hiking as well as other outdoor sports. Learned how to downhill ski and snow shoe, and looking forward to learning how to cross country ski and well as fly fish. I started with CME as a hiker, and after 3 years, submitted a request to become a CME guide. I started guiding in 2019, love the Colorado Trail and have enjoyed helping fellow hikers reach their goals. I have made many beautiful friends thru CME. I completed the Colorado Trail in 2019 by segment hiking with CME or hiking with friends. Wilderness First Responder certified and a member of the Colorado Mountain Club.

Kate Lawrence

CME Hiking Guide

I am a student at CU Boulder studying human physiology, but originally from Atlanta, GA. My parents hiked the whole Colorado Trail with CME and that is how I got connected! I love to spend my free time exploring as much of Boulder and Colorado as I possibly can. Since living here, I have gotten to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, climb fourteeners, and ski at all of the nearby resorts! I love this job because I get to meet amazing people from fascinating backgrounds, have fun cooking delicious meals, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Colorado! 

Tom Simmins

CME Hiking Guide

This is my 5th year guiding with CME and I continue to love this work. I come from the Kentucky woods along the Ohio Riverbank and spent much of my youth growing up like a Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn-oh what my poor parents endured! After becoming an Eagle Scout, I spent many more days in the woods camping, hiking, backpacking and whatever else got me afield and out of the house. After seeing a publication about Colorado and Wyoming while in high school, I was hooked. I graduated high school, earned some money building cabinets and with $286 in my pocket I hitch hiked to California first (it was the 70’s you know). I went through Colorado and quickly realized that this was indeed the place for me. After a stint at the Grand Canyon and hiking those trails, I finally landed back in Colorado. I spent time in Boulder, Telluride and 25 years in Steamboat Springs before calling Poncha Springs home, where my wife and I just finished building our house. Spending my free time backpacking, fishing, biking, snowboarding and trying to finish the 58 Colorado 14ers (13 more to go) is my passion. Having the opportunity to guide folks in the great outdoors is a lifelong dream that I hope to continue well into the future. Let’s take a hike together

Matt Unick

CME Hiking Guide

I grew up in the NYC area and got a degree in finance. After college I set out to live my dream and thru hiked the Appalachian trail in 2016 where my love for the outdoors blossomed. Shortly after my thru hike I worked in NYC and joined the 9-5 work force. It only took me a few years to be fed up with that lifestyle so I moved to Colorado in 2020 where I've been working in the outdoor industry since. I currently reside in Durango where I ski patrol, raft guide and backpack guide. Along with my AT thru hike, I've thru hiked the Colorado Trail, the O trek in Patagonia and numerous weekend backpack trips.