Meet Leading Lines’ Assistant Trip Leader (ATL), Justin Vanderberg!
As ATL Justin is the master of Murphy’s Law and is responsible for not only the Leading Lines safety team but also for preparing the team’s emergency response plan (ERP) in the event that anything (or everything) goes wrong during the trip. With so many moving parts that go into planning such a large expedition they also play a support role for Adrian, the team’s trip leader.
When it comes to portaging Justin might hold the team record for most consecutive kilometres hiked with a canoe on their back and even completed Algonquin Park’s longest continuous portage of 6km during a trip near the Barron Canyon! Justin has as much experience on the portage trail as they do on the water and while they haven’t been on any river canoe trips they’ve spent plenty of time in Algonquin and Killarney paddling in freezing cold water late in the season.
Justin paddling their canoe through Killarney Provincial Park.
Their main goal on the trip is to keep the team safe and has been putting in the work to make sure the trip’s ERP is watertight for every leg of the journey. Justin’s other goals include getting the team moving in the mornings and keeping the team moving throughout the day as they’re aware that 380km in nine days means lots of time spent paddling.
Justin originally planned to pursue engineering for their post secondary education but after seeing an instagram ad for Algonquin College’s Outdoor Adventure program (ODA) they decided to postpone engineering for what they originally viewed as a four semester gap year. Now a year and a half into the program, Justin is unsure if they’ll return to engineering and has instead come to view the ODA program as a gateway to pursuing a career in firefighting and other rescue work.
After graduation Justin has plans to work at Wilderness Tours as a raft guide and photographer over the summer before moving to BC to start an accelerated firefighting program through the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
For more team bios click HERE.