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Third Year Returning Guide
As a native Washingtonian, Nikken Palesch, age 30, is an avid paddler. She writes, "My career will always be tied to the sea and sustainability education.”
Nikken has just finished her first year at the U of W where she is pursuing a Master's through the School of Marine Affairs. Prior to guiding for Outdoor Odysseys, she worked as a marine ecology educator in SE Alaska, the tropical reefs of Belize and Honduras, the towering kelp forests of the Channel Islands, on a 101- foot sailing school vessel in Puget Sound as well as the sea ice of Antarctica.
Just One Amazing Experience in Nature
“One of my favorite outdoor memories occurred while counting fish in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean. Chance wielded a 'meet and greet' between myself and one of the largest fish I've ever seen - an endangered grouper. There is something special about being in the presence of an animal that old, two hundred-some pounds of ancient history, that had survived. That tiny little marine preserve in the backwaters of the Belizean barrier reef seemed that much more important after our meeting.”
A Whale of a Tale to Tell You
“Having just finished a purported "ancient ritual" devised by a participant of an elder hostel trip for summoning Orca Whales, I couldn't help but chastise myself for bolstering the forgone hopes of a group of folks desperately seeking a Killer Whale. Here off the west coast of San Juan Island in October, the chance of spotting Orcas during a dense fog was pretty darn slim.
Just when we thought we might have to convert the life jacket supply aboard the Sailing School Vessel, Adventuress, into straight jackets, a blow off in the distance calls to us like sirens in the early morning mist then another and another. The dark languid rise and fall of three massive dorsal fins can be seen through the haze of fog. And then, as mysteriously as they arrived, they faded away, a cadence of breath, dipping into the white of an autumn memory."
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"I wanted to say thanks again for a wonderful trip! Nikken was an absolutely wonderful guide - I am always hungry to learn more about the natural world, and it was fascinating to learn about tidepool animals and plants, kelp, local plant life, geology, tides, kayaking technique, and so much more.
"I see those three days as a real mountaintop experience that I will remember forever, and a huge part of that is because of Nikken's sense of humor, patience, openness, and knowledge. Clark, do whatever you can to keep this woman around - she is fabulous!"
- Three day "Eagles and Orcas Trip"
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