Officers

President: Sue Wentworth – Northumberland, NH

Sue grew up in southern New Hampshire and started hiking in the early 1970s when she met her husband, Gary. They moved to the North Country in February 2011 and love it here. Sue met a North Country local soon after relocating and found out how to join TCTA. She and Gary enjoy trail work very much and are currently the adopters of the Trio Trail, Pond Brook Falls, and Bog Bridge trails. In addition to being a board member, Sue is also the CT Trails Coordinator.

Vice President: Sophie Desbiens – Littleton, NH

Sophie grew up in Montreal and moved to New England nearly 25 years ago. She fell in love with hiking while attempting Mt. Monadnock in grad school and has kept at it ever since. Sophie completed a thru-hike of the Cohos Trail in 2020 and has hiked in many US states and abroad. She also volunteers with TCTA and White Mountain National Forest. Professionally, Sophie is an independent consultant to biotech companies. She and her partner Justin moved to Littleton, NH in 2022 to be closer to the mountains and trails they love.

Treasurer: Patty Duffy – Hooksett

Patty Duffy serves as Treasurer of The Cohos Trail Association, bringing more than a decade of experience as a real estate paralegal with expertise in financial management, compliance, and organizational support. Originally from western Massachusetts, she spent ten years in California before settling in southern New Hampshire.

A lifelong endurance athlete, Patty turned to long-distance hiking in 2016 and completed a southbound thru-hike of the Cohos Trail in 2025 after section hiking much of the trail the previous year. She has also hiked many renowned trails across North and South America and Europe and has climbed all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks.

Passionate about giving back to the trail community, Patty applies her professional skills to support trail stewardship and preserve the wild places that have shaped her life. She shares the trails daily with her English Golden Retriever, Murf, and Norman, an enthusiastic young apprentice whose trail manners are still very much a work in progress.

Secretary: Rachel Flaksman – Maine

Rachel lived in 7 states before landing in Maine. She has hiked the entire White Mountain Guide, has a stack of hiking and long trail guides to complete, as well as a list of peaks to bushwhack; all of which seem to multiply when she is not looking. She is also a keen student of the history of the White Mountains and the North Country, and has hiked and backpacked throughout the United States, Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada, and beyond. Rachel maintains the Sanguinary Ridge Trail and is also involved in conservation efforts nearer her home.

Board Members

Founder/Chairman: Kim Robert Nilsen – Spofford, NH – Emeritus Status

Kim Nilsen is the founder of The Cohos Trail Association and initial designer of the 170-mile foot trail. Nilsen is retired from a varied career that included developing a bio-dynamic farm and orchard, starting up a natural fruit juice company, marketing natural foods products, and working as a journalist in Coos County, NH for nearly a decade. In 2015, he was the recipient of the coveted Granite State Legacy Award for his volunteer work developing the Cohos Trail.

Nilsen Spends many hours throughout the year promoting the trail, penning the Cohos Trekker newsletter, administering the Friends of the Cohos Trail Facebook page, cultivating donors, raising money, and assisting the officers when needed. He is the author of The Cohos Trail guidebook, the 50 Hikes North of the White Mountains guide, a lengthy novel entitled The Yellowstone Traps, and works of nonfiction, as well. Not one to rest in retirement, he continues to build trail infrastructure, restore degraded and abandoned trails, and do trail maintenance work all year long on various properties including in NH’s largest park, Pisgah State Park, in the Monadnock Region.

Yvan Guay – Jefferson, NH

Yvan retired from the NH Department of Transportation, after specializing in highway bridge construction and repair, assigned to the northern regions of the state. After his retirement in 2024, Yvan completed a thru hike of the Cohos Trail SOBO. He maintains the Percy Loop Camp on the Cohos Trail and the Percy Loop Trail. Over the last decade, he has helped the association build the Baldhead Lean-to atop remote Baldhead Mountain, built the Panorama Lean-to in Dixville, and helped in the early restoration process of Kamp Kirk in the Nash Stream Forest.

John Higgins – Raymond, NH

John grew up in the early 70’s and spent summers exploring Nash Stream with his Dad. A young rock hound, John, explored the Percy Peaks, Bald Mountain, Victor’s Head, Rodger’s Ledge, Green’s Ledge, the Pilot Range, and more. His passion is trails, whether snowmobiling or hiking. John is the current trail adopter of Rowell’s Link Trail, Bald Mountain Notch Trail and South Pond Link. He can often be seen hiking the trails from his camp in Stark, perhaps with a can of Moxie in hand.

Tom Adams – Springvale, ME

Tom was born and raised in Berlin, NH, and learned to enjoy the North Woods with his Dad, friends, and neighbors. Leaving New England to find work, he later returned to live in Southern NH/Maine. Tom and his wife have raised three kids in Springvale, ME, taking them back to his parents’ house in Berlin to enjoy the outdoors whenever possible. Now with grandchildren, he is doing the same with them. His two oldest granddaughters, Annalee and Misty Rose, showed an interest in wanting to do overnight hiking, which took them to Unknown Pond, a place as a kid he seldom saw people. Amazed at how crowded the area was he sought the more remote northern sections of the Cohos Trail, looking for a trail that they could experience a variety of trail conditions from the popular Presidential Range to the quiet northern forest. Now working with the Cohos Trail, he wants the girls to understand that these trails don’t just happen, they need to be built and cared for. Tom started going north and helping on projects, bringing the girls whenever there was work suitable for their age and size. Tom is the trail adopter for Gadwah Notch Trail and helps take care of regular maintenance at the Baldhead Shelter.

Rick Covill – Grantham, NH

Rick lives in Grantham, NH and also owns a camp in the north country. At one time he worked in the north country in Groveton, and has worked in the utility industry most of his life. He is a strong supporter of the Cohos Trail.

Kevin Lacasse – Merrimack, NH

Born and raised in Nashua, NH as the son of two Quebecers, Kevin grew up speaking French, and now lives in Merrimack with his wife and three kids. Kevin started out working in Audi and BMW shops before leaving the automotive industry to join the carpenters union. His family owns land in Groveton and a camp in Pittsburg. Kevin enjoys anything outdoorsy, Snowmobiles, ATV’s, Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, Snowshoeing, etc. You can find him up in the north country almost every weekend, and he hikes Pittsburg’s Deer Mountain about 4 times a year. Kevin also maintains the Deer Mountain Trail.

After attending various work weekends and hosting a few volunteers at his cabin for the Tillotson shelter project, Kevin decided to get more involved with the Cohos Trail by joining the board of directors in 2019. He hopes to help the association secure permissions and materials to restore the Deer Mountain Fire Tower trail, and the tower itself, to its former glory as an attraction for Cohos Trail hikers and locals alike.

Willow Nilsen – Norwich, VT

Willow currently lives in Norwich, VT but was born in Littleton, NH. Willow is the daughter of Kim Nilsen, founder of the Cohos Trail. Willow works as the Associate Director for Dartmouth College’s Outdoor Programs Office which is the parent organization for the Dartmouth Outing Club. In her role as Associate Director, she oversees all programs offered by the office including a seasonal trail crew and two Alpine Stewards who do research and trail maintenance atop 4,802ft Mt. Moosilauke.

Willow is a passionate outdoors person and spends her free time in northern New Hampshire hiking and backpacking in all four seasons. Willow completed a solo thru-hike of the Cohos Trail in 2019.

James “Mitch” Mitchell – Lancaster, NH

James “Mitch” Mitchell resident of Lancaster, NH. Former Trails and Shelters Chairperson of Brattleboro Section-Green Mountain Club where he is a current member and volunteer since 2002. Former member of the board of directors at the GMC. Current trail adopter for section of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail from Bunnell Notch to Mount Cabot cabin. Enjoys hiking during all four seasons. Mitch is employed as an insurance claims professional.

Emeritus Board Members

Chad Pepau

Nancy Spaulding

Ken Vallery

Kim Nilsen