Guides and Instructors

Meet our guides and instructors, including backpacking guides, program leaders, and after school program team!

Cade Bowen

Backpacking Guide, After School Program Instructor

Having been brought up caring for the forests in the North Cascades, Cade has a love for forestry and all things nature related. After spending time learning about and visiting our states hatcheries, he developed a passion for fish and fisheries. Cade loves backpacking and sharing the outdoors and his knowledge about it.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

North Cascades National Park
Any river or stream

Favorite Trail Snack

Nagaraya

Sydney Carste

Backpacking Guide

Sydney is a Washington native who specializes in Earth System Science and has pursued a career in guiding and environmental education. This has allowed her to live like a migratory bird, working in Antarctica or Australia in the winter, and in North America in the summer. This winter, she spent 5 months as a geology/glaciology lecturer and guide on the Antarctic Peninsula. Sydney hopes to foster meaningful interactions with Washington’s native culture, fauna, and trails this summer with Sahale.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
STCW Personal Survival Techniques
STCW Crowd and Crisis Management
PTGA Navigational Skills for Polar Operations
PTGA Crevasse Management
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

Lake Kachess, WA
Squamish, BC
El Chalten, Argentina

Favorite Trail Snack

Oranges

Jahrielle Davis

Backpacking, Pinecones, and Tiny Trails Guide

Jahrielle is a proud Washington native, she was raised on the Kitsap Peninsula to love camping and being out on the water. She enjoys gardening, paddleboarding, and hiking but her favorite is skiing. She likes working outside with camps because it is the best excuse to spend time outdoors and she gets to spend her days making new friendships with the kids.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

Shi-Shi Beach, WA
Sauvie Island, OR
Lake Crescent, WA

Favorite Trail Snack

Cosmic Crisp apples

Abril Douglas

Pinecones Day Camps Lead

Abril is a teacher who has worked with students from pre-kindergarten to middle school, including children from various backgrounds and disabilities. She values equity, inclusion, and ensuring children have a safe space to be themselves. She worked with her school’s scout division, working with at-risk children. She is responsible, honest, and dependable. She resides in Arizona and, during the summer, works with children at a recreation center. She enjoys camping, learning, and just being out in nature.

Credentials

Favorite Places

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
White Sands National Park, NM

Favorite Trail Snack

Cheez-Its

Cody Hatton

Backpacking Guide

Despite growing up in the Midwest, Cody knew the mountains were home after working at Sanborn summer camp in Florissant, CO. Since then, he’s traveled all over Colorado as a Snowboarding Instructor and Camp Counselor, climbing up mountains and riding down them. Cody is stoked to explore all Washington has to offer both in its nature and its people!

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
AASI Level 1
AASI Children’s Specialist
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

Sawatch Range, CO
Big Bend, TX
Winter Park, CO

Favorite Trail Snack

Apples and peanut butter

Taylor Hewett

Backpacking Program Coordinator, Backpacking Guide

Taylor grew up visiting national parks across the Western US. Her love of the outdoors and desire to know more about its processes led her to complete a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. With over 100 hours of volunteer work for various environmental agencies, outdoor stewardship continues to be an important aspect of her life. Taylor currently works for Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) educating and outfitting others in preparation for their own adventures. She is passionate about instilling a sense of belonging with nature for all and enjoys spending her free time exploring hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Geographic Information Systems

Favorite Places

Wonderland Trail, Mt. Rainer National Park, WA
Kelly Butte, Mt. Baker- Snoqualmie National Forest, WA
High Divide (Seven Lakes Basin Loop) Sol Duc Valley, Olympic National Park, WA

Favorite Trail Snack

Popcorn

Josh McKinney

Backpacking Guide

Josh grew up in Salt Lake City, UT, in alternative student led learning environments that focused on exploring the Wasatch mountains and the flora and fauna in Salt Lake valley. As he grew older and graduated high school he decided to make exploring his full time passion, backpacking in New Zealand, working on a sailboat in the Atlantic and working as a raft guide for a non-profit in Washington for the last 3 summers. Josh has just finished studying Arctic expeditionary guiding in Norway and is so excited to be guiding somewhere warm with Sahale Outdoors this summer!

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

San Juan River, UT
Jotunheimen National Park, Norway
Ben Lomond, UT

Favorite Trail Snack

Freia chocolate

Alicia Myers

Camping Operations Manager

Alicia has loved exploring the outdoors since she was young. As she grew up, her love for the outdoors continued to grow as well as using the outdoors and adventure activities to help others get out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves. She was an adventure guide doing whitewater rafting and rock climbing for over a decade. Alicia continues to love being outdoors even while navigating physical limitations, creating new ways to adventure.

Credentials

B.A. Outdoor Recreation Management
Wilderness First Responder
CPR

Favorite Places

Valhalla Provincial Park, Canada
Jasper National Park, Canada
Cayman Islands

Favorite Trail Snack

Trail mix

Acacia Sachs

Backpacking Guide

Acacia grew up in central Pennsylvania, where she discovered her love for the outdoors in the Appalachian Mountains. She studied Peace and Conflict Studies and Human Development and Family Science and graduated this spring after spending her last semester on exchange exploring New Zealand. She loves pottery, traveling, reading and most of all getting to share her passion for the outdoors and backpacking with anyone who will join her! After guiding in the beautiful Washington State for the last two summers, she is stoked to join the Sahale team this summer!

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

New Zealand
North Cascades National Park, WA
The Enchantments, WA

Favorite Trail Snack

Cheez-its, or a bell pepper

Kara Spell

Backpacking Guide

Kara was born and raised in Oregon, where family camping trips sparked a life-long love of nature. Her favorite outdoor activities are rafting, stargazing, beachcombing, and animal watching. She has spent the last several years working for a student focused non-profit as a whitewater rafting and rock-climbing guide in Oregon and Washington, as well as running her school’s Outdoor Adventure club in Southern California. Kara just graduated college in May with a B.A in Psychology and an Environmental Studies minor. She is most at home near running water, and is excited to share her love of the outdoors!

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid
SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment)
Whitewater Rescue Technician

Favorite Places

Lower Deschutes River, OR
Port Armstrong, AK
Short Sands Beach, OR

Favorite Trail Snack

Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers

Anna Spitzer

Backpacking Guide

Anna’s always been happiest outside under the sun and trees. Now, she feels she has the best job in the world, getting to do just that and while sharing it with others! Anna holds a degree in Environmental Science and Education, and has worked numerous positions guiding educational programs and expeditions in Oregon, rural Alaska, and Ecuador. While in the backcountry she loves riddles, fishing, and foraging for wild edibles.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

The redwood forests
Southern California chaparral
Her garden

Favorite Trail Snack

PB and J tortillas

Jay Strong

Backpacking and Pinecones Guide

Following a degree in biology, Jay has spent recent years doing ecology field work in Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and his home state of Arkansas. He spends time camping, hiking, and climbing. He enjoys learning about and from others that call the outdoors home, and he’s passionate about anything related to native plants or deer. He’s excited to explore the Pacific Northwest.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, AR
Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY
Buckskin Gulch, UT

Favorite Trail Snack

Dried pineapples

Travis Weaver

Backpacking and Pinecones Guide

Travis is an adventurer who grew up exploring the back woods, rivers, and swamps of Florida. He has been an avid fisherman for his entire life, after moving to Washington in 2018 he fell in love with the mountains and has been climbing them since. He’s a current student majoring in environmental studies and geosciences, and he loves teaching and sharing his knowledge of the outdoors with others.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder
CPR
Youth Mental Health First Aid

Favorite Places

Mt. Rainier National Park, WA
Mount Ellinor, WA
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

Favorite Trail Snack

Fruit snacks

Nicole Wolfe

After School Instructor and Pinecones Guide

Nicole is going to school to teach high schoolers, and has a passion built on working with kids and teens of all backgrounds. She has experience working with students with disabilities and marginalized teens. She seeks to create an inclusive and engaging environment with every group she works with by meeting them where their needs are, allowing each to explore nature in a way comfortable for them. Having only recently moved to Washington State, she has been excited to learn about the diversity of plants and animals in the Pacific Northwest and has enjoyed sharing that excitement with those she works with.

Credentials

CPR
First Aid

Favorite Places

Anywhere she can play whacky bats
Great Smokey Mountains National Park, TN

Favorite Trail Snack

Reese’s

2023 Guides

Grace Godwin

Summer Day Camps Lead

Grace is a graduate from Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelors in environmental studies. She finds a focus on the importance of public lands and providing access to natural spaces. She uses this vocation to create and execute nature programs for the Pierce County community. While Grace builds nature education programs, she also finds a place of belonging in the outdoors. She finds this through interacting with the community as she holds her education programs outdoors as well as exploring the Pacific Northwest on hikes with her dog Macaroni.

Credentials

B.A. in Environmental Studies
CPR and First Aid
Certificate on Blood Borne Pathogens

Favorite Places

Lake Twenty-Two, Washington
Puget Sound, Olympia
The Hoh Rainforest, Washington

Favorite Trail Snack

Apples

Hannah Gormley

Tiny Trails Program Lead, Backpacking Guide

Hannah has been working with youth of all ages since high school, and especially enjoys introducing pre-school and kindergarten age children to the natural world. They have worked with little ones at outdoor and child-led preschools, family shelters, and as a nanny. Hannah is deeply passionate about the natural world, especially the relationship of people to the land, and has a Bachelor of Science in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. They are uniquely gifted in understanding, communicating with, and supporting small children as they explore the outdoors.

Credentials

Wilderness First Responder

Favorite Places

Zion National Park
Loowit (Mt. St. Helens)
Chinook Bend Natural Area

Favorite Trail Snack

Rainbow Sour Strips

Sam Lingwall

Summer Day Camps Guide

Sam is a college student with a passion for activity and the outdoors! Running cross country and track in both high school and college has introduced him to the beauty of the outdoors. He loves grabbing a big group of friends and going for a run in the forest, a picnic in the park, or a walk on the beach. Sharing his favorite outdoor locations with friends and family is one aspect of Sam’s life that brings him lots of joy!