Reid Bauer Makes an Impact Outdoors

by Chuck Cascio, Author and Former South Lakes Teacher

Reid Bauer

Getting his first bicycle was a big deal for Reid Bauer because, he says, "Growing up in the '80s in Reston, a bike was the key that unlocked everything. You could get to your friends' houses, the tennis courts, the pools, the basketball courts, the woods. My friends and I would ride to Fritzbe's (rest in peace!), sit at the bar, and order Shirley Temples at two in the afternoon, and we were only 11 or 12 years old!"

Reid's love of the outdoors--with or without a bicycle--was fueled by various experiences. He recalls two events of particular impact: taking an overnight trip for sixth-graders to an outdoor program called Camp Hemlock while at Hunters Woods Elementary School and, during his senior year at South Lakes High School, a field trip to Wallops Island with his AP Biology class taught by Faye Cascio: "Both of these were outdoor science trips that I totally loved!"

Reid Bauer

A cross-country runner, Reid graduated from SLHS in 1996 and went to Grinnell College in Iowa where he continued to run cross-country and where, he says, "I also got into rock climbing. There are some great crags in and around Iowa, and I became the manager of the college's climbing wall and a trip leader for the outdoor program."

After graduating from Grinnell with a degree in biology, he took his love of the outdoors and the sciences to various places. "I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there were employers who would pay you to teach both ecology and rock climbing," Reid says. "I got my first job at Camp Campbell Gard, a YMCA camp in Ohio, where I taught science, rock climbing, cultural history, and outdoor skills."

From there, Reid's journey through the outdoors over the years led to jobs teaching environment education, joining ornithology field studies, and working with various nonprofits and universities in Ohio, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Australia before settling down in New York's Catskill Mountains for nearly a decade, after which a major change occurred: "I was trying to spend as much time as possible outside. And then I was offered a job in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with the Teton Science Schools. I accepted the offer, thinking it would be a fun short-term gig. I've been here 13 years."

Reid is now a database administrator at the school, a role that involves providing support for the teaching staff but, he says happily, "Every now and again, we'll be short-staffed for a program and I get pulled into the field to lead a hike or teach a group of kids about animal tracking."

Meanwhile, Reid continues his personal pursuit of outdoor activities. Last summer, his goal was to run the 40-mile Teton Crest Trail in Grand Teton National Park in just one day. "I didn't pull it off," Reid admits. "I bailed at the 30-mile mark. It was one of the toughest things I've ever done…but I am thinking about making another attempt next summer. If you want to pick a spot to set challenging personal goals, you could do a lot worse than Jackson Hole."

The relationship between the time he spent outdoors as a youth growing up in Reston and his personal and professional pursuits seems very clear to Reid. He now lives in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, a fact that he says "actually blows my mind. The independence and time outside that I enjoyed so much as a kid really steered me toward my career. Sure, the Teton Range is a far cry from running the Twin Branches Nature Trail or skiing at Bryce Resort, but I still get to run and ski like I used to...just on a bigger scale…and at a slower pace."