As a kid, Avery ran around in the woods, finding toads and lizards, building shelters and whittling on sticks. He spent the majority of his time outdoors in southern Brown County in the Hoosier National Forest, where his grandparents lived on 100 acres of hilly woodland. Here, he helped his Grandfather Bob clear trails, harvest lumber and firewood from downed trees and build bonfires. Avery also learned to watch the sky for meteor showers and interesting celestial events, and he owes his love of nature to his Grandfather.

In the past, Avery has enjoyed being a mechanic at a bike shop, as well as working in a wood shop processing raw lumber into beautiful furniture and cabinets. He’s been a stay-at-home parent for 10+ years, and has worked to instill in his daughters an appreciation and joy for the natural world, just like he grew up with.

When his daughters started Forest School at White Pine, Avery started volunteering as a Village Keeper. He knew immediately that White Pine was a great fit for his family and that they’d found their people. Avery is thrilled to have joined the staff as a Lead Instructor, and feels the most rewarding part of his job is seeing his students’ joy when they allow themselves to be wild and free.

Avery’s specialties are varied and he enjoys being a jack-of-all-trades at White Pine. His favorite memory happens to be when he was involved in creating one of White Pine’s iconic spots: Chocolate Slide. He says, “One week in Forest School during the winter last year, it was warmer than normal – maybe 50 deg F – and we were at Primitive Camp with our students. Someone had the bright idea to carry buckets of water from the river to pour down a dirt embankment to make a mud slide. It seemed crazy at first, but everyone did it and we all had such a great time! My fellow instructors and I made sure to repeat this during summer camp this year as well. It was much more pleasant in the warm weather.”

When Avery’s not at White Pine, you can usually find him at a live music concert with his wife. He also loves to explore the Appalachian Mountains on his dirt bike and camp in beautiful, remote places. He dreams of someday operating a small homestead farm with his wife, that also doubles as a nature retreat/festival grounds/music venue, bringing together all their loves of outdoors, gardening, music and hospitality.