bella finishing the PCT

Sophie Winfree

Lead Backpacking Guide

Sophie was raised in Turlock, CA and grew up taking weekend road trips to Yosemite with her family. When she was fifteen she started exploring the Sierra Nevada on her own and planned her first trip to Mt. Whitney. She was immediately hooked on the rugged landscape of the East side of the Sierra and decided to backpack the John Muir Trail with a school friend the very next year. Ever since that trek, she has spent as much of her summer as possible camping in the Kings Canyon / Sequoia Parks while away from school.

During the rest of the year, she is a student at UC Berkeley pursuing her B.A. in Public Health. There, she also teaches an Intro to Backpacking class to fellow UC students and works at the hiking club’s gear shed to help outfit their outdoorsy weekend plans. In her free time, she loves to read, cook Thai dinners for her roommates, and go on sunset trail runs in the East Bay hills.

Favorite trips include the Lost Coast Trail, the Wonderland Trail, and the JMT (of course!).

Certifications/Education:

  • Wilderness First Responder