Betsy S.

Betsy grew up climbing tall trees and letting her imagination run wild in the temperate coastal rainforests on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. The woods were alive and, in those years, seemed entirely magical. Early on, she developed a fascination with the old stories of peoples’ connection to rivers, forests, and the Earth. She studied Cultural Anthropology at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where she received her B.A. in 2011. She spent time in other countries and worked seasonally in Utah, Arizona, and Alaska before spending a winter in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. A decade later the Rocky Mountain State continues to be her home base for an eclectic range of adventures, and her guiding career. In 2016 she volunteered as a Volcano trekking Guide in Nicaragua and knew immediately that she wanted to be a professional guide. Later, she went to work with teens in Utah’s Uintah Mountains and pinyon-juniper woodlands. A reverence for the wilderness and attunement towards others informs Betsy’s approach to guiding. She always puts people and safety first in the backcountry. In her spare time, she loves bagging peaks, writing poetry, stargazing, and traveling the world solo.