Wilderness Instruction and Private Guiding

Heading into my first course as a wilderness instructor I didn't really know how I would take to the job. On one hand, my backcountry experience consisted almost entirely of very long, very intense, solo trips -- So how would I react to 10-mile days, 8-person groups, 1-hour breaks, and hot breakfasts? But on the other hand, I had always enjoyed sharing what I'd learned -- like when giving lightweight clinics and presentations at REI's and Boy Scout meetings, or when exchanging emails about gear and logistics with aspiring thru-hikers.

The course went phenomenally well -- it was a 5-day trip in Oregon's Columbia River gorge, with perfect weather and a great group of students -- and since then I've tried to instruct and guide at every available opportunity. I've found that it offers a new set of challenges and rewards, and that I really enjoy giving people the know-how to, say, read a map so they can leave manmade trails with confidence, pitch perfectly an 8-oz tarp so they stay dry in a downpour, and bring just enough food so they're never hungry but never overweighted either.

An Instructor/Guide Hybrid

The primary purpose of an "instructor" is to educate. Instructors usually are employed by an educational organization (e.g. NOLS), and they are sought out by "students" whose primary purpose is to learn. The primary purpose of a "guide" is to facilitate. Guides are self-employed or are employees of guiding services (e.g. Exum), and they are hired by individual clients who may not have the proper skills, training, experience, or confidence to accomplish their backcountry goals.

I think of myself as an instructor/guide hybrid. I offer my clients a personalized experience like other guiding services do, but I also focus on empowering clients with backcountry skills and knowledge.

What is your ideal trip?

I do not offer any regularly scheduled trips. Rather, every trip is completely personalized, based on the client's answer to this question: "What is your ideal trip?" Where and when would you like to go? How many days would you like to be out? What is your preferred intensity, in terms of pace, mileage, elevation gain/loss, and technical terrain? What skills would you like to learn? Do you want to bring along friends or family? Basically, what do you hope to get out of this trip?

Once I understand your goals and preferences, then we can start outlining a trip, and eventually we will arrive at something that, at least in theory, is ideal. Next, we identify mutually available times on our calendars. Then, the pre-trip planning process begins -- we develop a route, plan our food, select our gear, and arrange the logistics. (I really encourage clients to get involved here -- my experience is that good planning leads to good trips, but good planning is a skill that must be learned.) Finally, we go. Hopefully we get the trip we wanted, but sometimes we'll need to adjust to a different reality, which still can be really satisfying though maybe not what we had intended.

Credentials

I specialize in lightweight backpacking trips. I am comfortable guiding trips year-round, in all conditions. Trips can include packrafting segments up to Class II/III whitewater. Winter trips can be on snowshoes or skis, with a preferable focus of the latter on touring.

I may decline or put strict restrictions on certain trips during certain times of the year, in consideration of the basic conditions relative to a client's experience and strength and/or my comfort in being responsible for another individual in those conditions.

I am an instructor for Backpacking Light Magazine's Wilderness Trekking School and for Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides. As of early-winter 2010 I will have Level 1 certification from the Avalanche Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE).

Trip Ideas

All trips are completely personalized, but I have provided three trip ideas below so prospective clients can better understand the range of possibilities.

"Backcountry and Lightweight Backpacking Crash Course." A 3-day/2-night outing in a nearby or easily accessible backcountry setting (so we spend less time traveling and more time outside, and use up less vacation time) like New Hampshire's White Mountains, Washington's North Cascades, or Colorado's Front Range. The chief goal is to give the client an extensive backcountry and lightweight backpacking education so that they will subsequently be capable of planning and executing a safe and fun backcountry trip on their own. We will of course have fun too, but the primary focus is education. Key topics include: gear selection, food and route planning, map reading and off-trail travel, hiking efficiency, and camp skills (cooking, tarp pitching, knots, fire starting, etc.).

"Backcountry Immersion." A 1-week trip in one of the Lower 48's best backcountry locations, like Wyoming's Wind River Range, the canyons of Utah's Escalante River, or California's Mojave Desert. Our route would be primarily off-trail; we would not cross any roads; and we would not resupply. We would travel fast and light, and put in long days in order to see as much amazing country as we could in the limited time we have. The client should strive to learn as much as they can, but the primary goal is to be refreshed, enlivened, and humbled by the natural beauty around us.

"Mid-Life Adventure." A 2- to 4-week expedition through one of the world's premier wilderness areas, like Alaska's Brooks Range, Iceland's Highlands, or the Chilean Andes. A small group of clients, made up of either existing friends and/or compatible strangers, would be good for camaraderie and morale. The clients would have a shared desire for a unique and memorable adventure, as well as a shared need for someone else to do the research and arrange the logistics that this type of trip requires. The trip would include a skill development component, but most of the teaching would be done by the unique lands and cultures through which we travel.

Current Availability

I am planning a major trip in 2010 and will be unavailable between approximately late-February and mid-October. Short trips can probably be arranged in January, February, November, and December 2010. I plan in 2011 to schedule numerous trips.

Prices

My rates are competitive with other private guiding services, mostly because I have less overhead. The final cost of a trip is function of trip-related expenses (e.g. travel, food, supplies), trip length, and number of clients. A tip of 10-20 percent is suggested.

Contact

If you would like to talk with me further about a trip idea, please contact me.