Kayaking the San Juan Islands – Haro Straight

Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy graduated from Lawrence University with a biology degree in 2003. After graduation Tom spent a year and a half overseas. He traveled through India, worked for an NGO in Nepal, and taught elementary students science in the…

Jennifer Heap

Jennifer will be returning for a fifth season to the San Juan Islands to share its unique beauties with kayakers and foster a reciprocal relationship with nature. Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, Jennifer’s first adventure out West was following…

Laura Montanari

Born on the coastal islands of Georgia and raised in the marshes and swamps of the south, Laura has always maintained a deep connection to the ocean. Her earliest memories are paddling canoes through the Okefenokee Swamp with her…

Christina Deierling

Born in Snohomish, WA, Christina grew up mushroom picking, squid jigging, crabbing, traveling, backpacking, fishing, clamming, skiing, frog catching, climbing, and everything else outdoorsy. Christina made her way down to Orange, CA to attend Chapman University as a Business…

Zoey Smith

Born near the ocean cliffs of northern California, Zoey was raised just as much by redwoods and harbour seals as she was by her parents. She is currently going into her 4th year at Quest University, focusing her studies…

Sam Maylor

Sam grew up outside Seattle, WA, with the Cascade Mountains and the Puget Sound as his backyard. After getting a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington, Sam vagabonded through Europe, Australia, and the US before finding…

Elliott O’Brien

Elliott grew up in sunny Seattle and spent countless days exploring the Cascades, Puget Sound, and the forests and deserts throughout Washington. He studied environmental science and policy down in California, and uses his emphasis in ecology daily while…

Justin Niemann

Ben Schreck

Ben hails from the Great Lake state of Michigan. He spent much of his childhood outdoors camping and kayaking in the myriad of rivers and lakes that helped foster a great appreciation for anything in nature. With a B.S.…

Katie Kirchhofer

Katie is a paddling fanatic that grew up in Columbia, MO on the Missouri River.  She has been paddling in the Salish Sea since 2017 and has been mesmerised by the waters and beings of this bioregion ever since. …

Maddie Hollister

Born and raised in Seattle, Maddie gained a love for outdoor recreation and education while lifeguarding and teaching marine science at a summer camp on Puget Sound. She studied marine biology and science communication at Quest University in Squamish,…

Miles Brengle

Miles was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a small beach town on Boston’s North Shore. He graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison this spring with degrees in economics and environmental studies, but will assure you that the natural world has always…

Anna Smith

Anna grew up spending most of her time split between Washington and Alaska swimming, hiking, biking and just about everything in between. She recently graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Recreation and Leadership Management. With the…

Ivy McDonald

Evelyn Baher-Murphy

Evelyn grew up in the Bay Area in California. As a kid she enjoyed camping, hiking, and mountain biking in redwood forests and soaking up the sun on the coast. Now she attends Colorado College where she plays on…

Ben Mellin

Hayden Peck

Hayden’s roots are in Colorado and Central Oregon. She ventured out to the Pacific Northwest when she started school at University of Oregon, where she studied human physiology and business. These days, she finds joy in connecting others to…

Duncan Smith

Duncan will be returning for a second season to the San Juan Islands as an Outdoor Odysseys guide and adventure filmmaker. Born in San Mateo, California, Duncan grew up SCUBA diving, backpacking and sailing. After college he spent a…

Keith Dornan

Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Keith has felt a strong westward pull his entire life. Keith’s love affair with the American west coast (South and North) began during his National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Semester in Baja, Mexico. Later he…

Matthew Porter

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…

Patrick McEvoy

Boston bred, Georgia grown, and Seattle seduced; Patrick remains as footloose as his “military brat” childhood would deem but continues to rebound back to the San Juan Islands. In Georgia he attended both high school and college where he…

Kevin Sollenberger

Born and raised in the corn fields of Amish Country Lancaster County, PA, Kevin has traded in the corn fields for the ocean breezes of San Juan Island. His stint as a collegiate football athlete eventually gave way to…

Bruiser

Part time genius, full time nerd.