Carina Kjellström Elgin developed her love of nature and of orienteering by literally following in the large footsteps of her father, Björn Kjellström, on almost daily excursions into the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation that neighbored her childhood home. She lives on a farm in Virginia with too many animals.

The late Björn Kjellström, an enthusiastic outdoorsman, experienced wilderness traveler, and cross-country skier, was a Swedish champion in orienteering. He was a founder of the Swedish and the U.S. Orienteering Federations, as well as Vice President of the International Ski Federation. He helped invent the modern protractor-based compass (still the industry standard), and cofounded internationally renowned compass company, Silva.