Meet The Guides

 

Donnita
 

Number of Years Experience: 23

Areas of Experience (what destinations, parks, activities):
I love the American West. The mountain ranges are so dramatic and light plays across the landscape in amazing ways. Everything is larger than life - incredible rivers, massive rock formations, bold colors. Hiking is my favorite way to see an area. You get a much more intimate sense of the landscape on foot.

What is your favorite area and why?
My favorite area is wherever I happen to be at the moment. Grand Canyon holds a special place in my heart. So does Glacier Park. I enjoy all of the national parks of the West but I always seek out the lesser known views away from the crowds. You can also find fantastic wilderness areas and state parks that are not well known but incredibly beautiful. I sometimes prefer the solitude of these lesser known gems.

Why did you choose to become a guide?
Travel has been my passion for many years and there is nowhere I'd rather be than sharing a sunset or outstanding viewpoint with a group of like minded travelers.

 

Cory
 

Number of Years Experience:  17

Areas of Experience (what destinations, parks, activities):
Western US and Canada, Mexico, Belize, Chilean Patagonia.

What is your favorite area and why?
Impossible to say what area is my favorite, as I need different ecosystems equally in my life. I love the high desert in Utah's Escalante; the Tetons are my favorite mountain fix; for forest, northern California's giant redwoods and the Olympic peninsula; can't go for long without the jungles and the Great Maya barrier reef of the Caribbean coast of Mexico and Belize. Of course, for critters, my favorites are the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington (Orcas and eagles!), wolves in Yellowstone, Jaguar in the Calakmul biosphere of Mexico and the Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary of Belize, Andean condors, pumas and guanacos in Torres del Paine (Patagonia),...ah the list is endless. Impossible to pick a favorite!

As for activities, my favorites are easier to nail down. Hiking, (anywhere), paddling a kayak, riding horseback, scuba diving, snorkling, fishing, sailing, river rafting

Why did you choose to become a guide?
I never planned to "become a guide". It was not a conscious choice, but the way my life evolved. From participating in an experiential learning program, I summoned the nerve to camp out on my own, then bumped into a name from my past and made an off the cuff phone call. I found that I love turning people on to beautiful places, new cultures and critters. This vocation is rewarding for me when I see the impact these kinds of experiences have on people, myself included. Traveling offers opportunities to see with "new eyes", and often effects positive changes in people. When you engage all your senses in exploring a natural environment, the feeling that is created can serve as a catalyst for making people care enough to want to preserve that place so that others may share that experience as well. What a gift.

 

Wayne
 

Number of Years Experience:  30

Areas of Experience (what destinations, parks, activities):
I like traveling throughout the West. The national, state and provincial parks of Western U.S. and Western Canada are some of my favorites. I never get tired of visiting Native American pueblos and reservations and prehistoric sites.

I'm a runner (32 marathons and a host of half marathons and shorter runs.) I also enjoy hiking, whitewater rafting, photography, camping, biking and exploring prehistoric Native American ruins.

What is your favorite area and why?
Grand Canyon is definitely one of my favorites. I've run rim to rim several times and on one of those trips, I met my future wife at a waterfall in the bottom of the Canyon.

Why did you choose to become a guide?
It's simple ? I love it!