After years of service at the La Vida Center, Nate and Amber Hausman will be leaving the team to move south of Boston where Nate will be taking a job as the Vice President of Operations for the Boys and Girls Club Metro South.
Many of us can’t think of La Vida without thinking of these two and it will be hard to say goodbye. However, we are incredibly grateful for everything that they have done to make La Vida what it is today, and we are so excited for them as they take on this new adventure.
Nate Hausman canoeing Polliwog Pond, 2013
Amber Hausman canoeing the Raquette River, 2013
For Nate, it all began 27 years ago when he participated on a very snowy La Vida May ADK Expedition as a Gordon College freshman in the spring of 1997.
“It was then, during that trip, that I decided I wanted to get involved with the program more,” said Nate. It didn’t hurt that just weeks before that trip, Rich Obenschain and Nate would have a meeting in Rich’s office (well, Rich’s golden retriever was also there!) where Rich would use his persuasive skills to convince Nate to change majors and add Outdoor Education as his concentration. Good thing Nate liked the trip!
Twenty-seven years after that inaugural expedition into the formidable New York wilderness, Nate has been on many more La Vida expeditions, made hundreds of trips to Donnelly’s Ice Cream, and made unforgettable connections with students and staff members.
Nate teaching backcountry decision lesson on the WILD Semester
Nate leading a La Vida ADK Staff training trip
WILD Semester being goofy in California
Nate and his beloved black lab, Colden at Donnelly’s Ice Cream
ADK Support Staff, 2013
Nate and Physical Plant building the new equipment building up in the ADKs
Nate and Matt Loy on the WILD Semester in the Wind River Range of Wyoming
WILD Semester Crew in the Wind River Range of Wyoming
That love of facilitation would bring Nate to spend the summer after his sophomore year working the first year of Adventure Camp. With only a small handful of campers and two weeks of programming, Nate and two other staff members, along with La Vida’s Founder, Rich Obenschain, took campers paddling on the Ipswich River, hiking and cliff jumping in New Hampshire, and rock climbing at Red Rocks.
After spending the next two summers leading trips for La Vida’s Adirondack Expeditions and graduating from Gordon College with a concentration in Outdoor Education, Nate would move to Wisconsin to begin his graduate degree at Wheaton College’s outdoor education program, HoneyRock. Two years later, Nate received a Master of Arts in Educational Ministries and a Graduate Certificate in Camp Ministry and Leadership and accepted the position of La Vida’s Adirondack Director.
Nate and Abby rappelling Gordon College students off the side of KOSC
2023 ADK Summer Staff exploring the trails during training
Nate and Joel Cox hanging out between climbs at King Phillips Rock Climbing spot
The next 22 years would be filled with fond memories at base camp as staff spent many evenings barbecuing out on the lawn, local connections would create long-lasting friendships, and Nate would meet Amber Dvornski–a talented photographer from Arizona who would later become his wife and adventure companion.
Nate and Amber hiking Mt Ampersand, June 2014
Dan Pfistner, Monika Pfistner (then Krahn), Nate and Amber with local caretaker, Gary Valentine, August 2014
Nate and Amber’s wedding day with their La Vida friends, October 2015
Amber’s first impression of La Vida was through a Google search in 2012.
“I really wanted to merge my childhood summer camp experience with my new interest in outdoor adventure. The La Vida Adirondack Expedition program really captured my heart. I had no idea at the time how much my life was about to change by working for this amazing program.”
She truly made a commitment and left Arizona for a transformational summer with our Adirondack program.
Amber with her training trip group, 2013
La Vida ADK Support Staff after completing the new roof on the gear building, 2015
Amber spent many hours at that desk communicating with students and parents about their La Vida trips
Amber and Nate hiking with La Vida friends, January 2023
Amber and Nate with Concordia International School Shanghai in Beijing, China, September 2016
La Vida ADK summer staff, 2016
La Vida support staff, 2016
Spikeball shenanigans, 2018
Amber has worn many hats at our Center including facilitator, trip leader, trip food manager, Discovery instructor, photographer, and registrar – but the most notable one has been her job as our Marketing Manager. In this role, she has transformed the way we have been marketing our programs and keeping up with the ever-changing social media platforms and trends. Her knack for capturing beauty is seen through her incredible photography – much of which can be found on our website or if you visit our office. Her love of photography began in high school and influenced her studies at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Several years later while visiting Maine for a photography workshop, she fell in love with the outdoors on a trip to Acadia National Park. She returned to Arizona determined to find a program that combined faith formation and outdoor adventure, and this is where the Google searching began. Rich always joked that she Googled “hot camp director” and found Nate. Amber would just laugh and say it was all part of God’s plan.
The Hausman’s would not be complete without their three children, Evalyn (5), Elora (2), and Keane (4 months).
The Hausman family in front of their cabin, Noonmark, August 2023
The Hausman family hiking Beech Mountain in Acadia National Park, September 2023
The Hausman family celebrating Keane turning 3 months, March 2024
Please join us in celebrating these two amazing people and wish them well on their next adventure. The Hausmans will be with La Vida through the end of June, but we will be hosting a farewell gathering on Thursday, May 2 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the La Vida Office (216 Grapevine Rd, Wenham, MA) before they do their last trip to the La Vida Base Camp.
In addition to our farewell event, please send them a message or memory at the links below.