Kirstin is passionate about diverse landscapes, from desert soil to old growth forests. She originally learned to love the outdoors in the foothills of the Appalachians. Along a Pangea-old river in Central Pennsylvania, she earned her Bachelor’s degrees for Philosophy and Creative Writing. An interest in language led her into multiple cultural landscapes: she has lived as an expat, played music with international ensembles, and has enjoyed reading and writing poetry in English and German.

While earning her MA in Environmental Philosophy from the University of Montana, Kirstin concentrated especially on the intersections of ecofeminism, genocide studies, and critical animal studies. Her other academic interests include relational ethics, the importance of body and materiality, and geology. She is currently working on her doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Oregon.

Kirstin has been instructing in the outdoors for over a decade in several U.S. states and has been with WRFI since 2019. She is a climber and canoeist in addition to being an avid backpacker. She can often be found enjoying a cup of excellent coffee, preferably after a night of sleeping beneath the stars.