Matthew Porter graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of South Carolina in 2009. While not spending his time buried in modernism and shakespeare, Matthew was cutting his teeth on the numerous creeks and rivers of the southeast. By the time he graduated, he was a seasoned class V whitewater kayaker and went on to teach outdoor education in Wyoming, subsequently finding himself moving westward after a two year stint back in the southeast, settling in Steamboat Springs for two winters and teaching kiddos how to shred champagne powder. He finds his passion is working outside, sharing his appreciation of wild nature, and during the spring and fall works in California as a naturalist leading trips all across the Golden State.
Matthew first came to the San Juan archipelago with a copy of Moby Dick wrapped in wax paper and visions of a mystical land of endless sunsets, cold water and stunning vistas, teeming sea life, finding after he arrived that all the stories were true and that the San Juans were indeed a spectacle of immense wonderment. He embraced this new world, garnering a great passion for the islands and became well versed in its history, the flora and fauna, as well as an infatuation with the mythical sailing vessel the Humpback Hauler, which he first witnessed on a foggy night mooring in Reid Harbor. He strives to provide his guests with an ultimate experience, hoping to share with them the appreciation he now holds for the islands and crafting amazing culinary delights that you wouldn’t think possible in a camp setting.
Matthew is a class V whitewater kayaker, a gifted naturalist and teacher, a double black diamond skier, an occasional writer and artist, but above all he is a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man.