Our Guides

Our Guides are more than Guides; they're our most important asset.
Our staff is trained under the most extensive program of any company we know. They begin sharing their knowledge with each other weeks before our first guests arrive. They love what they do and return to work with us year after year. They are specialists in Alaska's natural history, they are great people to travel with and to get to know, and they'll inspire you with their enthusiasm. They'll guide your way to great adventuring.

Though not all of our guide staff is listed here, these are certainly representative of the excellent staff you'll find on all of our trips.

Wayde Carroll

Wayde is a digital photographer who lives in Anchorage, Alaska with his wife of ten years and their two amazing children. He specializes in outdoor and travel editorial assignments.

After receiving a B.A. in Art with an emphasis in photography from San Jose State University in 1993, Wayde fled to Alaska to hone his photographic skills. He spent a year documenting the lives of the Yup'ik people in the village of Eek, then two years assisting some of Anchorage's top photographers such as Clark James Mishler and Tom Bol whenever he had time to join them. He returned to California in 1998 to assist award-winning photographer Keith Sutter in Auburn, CA. He also worked for The Union newspaper in Grass Valley, CA for two and a half years shooting assignments and advertising images.

In 2004, he made the leap and started a full time career in photography and in the summer of 2006 returned to Alaska (a place he just can't get enough of). Wayde's been regularly published in numerous regional and national magazines, books, calendars, and maps including: National Geographic Maps, Alaska Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Sonoma Magazine, California Tour and Travel, Sierra Heritage, Sierra Alive, Sierra Outdoor Recreation, The Sacramento Bee, The Milepost, and numerous county visitor's guides. In 2006, he was fortunate enough to spend much of the year photographing for Placer Grown, a non-profit organization formed to assist farmers and ranchers, in Placer County California; his photography assisted with their marketing produce and farm product efforts. One image ended up hanging in the State Capitol Building in Sacramento.

In 2007, Wayde began leading our Alaska Photo Safari. He finds guiding and sharing his knowledge of photography to be extremely rewarding and is looking forward to continuing on with AWA and leading an Alaska Photo Safaris this summer! His love for discovering new places and providing fresh looks for familiar ones has kept clients coming back again and again. You can view Wayde's photography at Portfolio of Images by Wayde Carroll.

Nancy loves wildlife, wild places, and sharing her vast knowledge of these with others. Nancy holds a Master of Science degree in wildlife biology, and is a certified natural history interpretive guide and interpretive trainer by the National Association for Interpretation.

An Alaskan since 1978, Nancy has over 20 years experience as a wildlife biologist and natural history interpreter. She's traveled extensively in Alaska, and conducted field research on various bird and mammal species here, but she especially enjoys guiding and sharing her passion about Alaska with others. Although she arrived in Alaska as a "cheechako" (newcomer), her two children are proud "sourdoughs" having been born and raised here in Alaska.

Nancy completed her Masters thesis on moose in Denali National Park, and worked extensively on various species of loons during her past employment with state and federal wildlife agencies. She is also co-author of "A Guide to Wildlife Viewing in Alaska" as well as numerous other scientific and popular publications.

Her favorite recreational activities are watching wildlife, dip netting for salmon, hiking, skiing, berry picking, and partner dancing. Cha-cha anyone?

Elise Lockton

Elise has worked for Alaska Wildland Adventures for the last 13 years, sharing her love of Alaska with intrepid travelers. Field courses and a degree in Environmental Studies introduced her to the world of interpreting nature as a passion and profession. Since 1993, Elise has worked as a Naturalist, leading trips in the remote jungles of Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Ecuador, as well as less remote assignments in Hawaii and the Baja Peninsula.

There is nothing Elise enjoys more than incorporating biological, cultural, and historical information about an exotic corner of the world and sharing that with those seeking an ecological adventure. When she is not working or traveling, Elise resides near the entrance of Denali National Park.

Todd's love affair with guiding began his sophomore year of college at San Diego State University. While canoeing down the Colorado River, Todd heard his calling - to teach and share with other the wild lands of the world. He started to lead trips for S.D.S.U.'s Outdoor Program and to this day has guided hundreds of students backpacking into the Sierra Mountains, kayaking in the Sea of Cortez and the coastal waters of Baja, and by canoe on many rivers including the Colorado, the Green River in Utah, and the Rio Grande in Texas. He graduated from San Diego State University in 1986 with a Bachelor's of Art in Recreation Administration with an emphasis in Outdoor Education.

In 1993, Todd came to Alaska and started his own guiding company, renting canoes and guiding trips into the Kenai Wildlife Refuge on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. He has spent the last fourteen summers working as a naturalist and guide in Alaska. His adventures have taken him rafting, hiking and canoeing in most of Alaska's National Parks including the Gates of the Arctic, Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai and Kenai Fjords National Park. Todd's most recent adventures were 12-day journeys on the Kongakut River (the northeastern most river in AK.) and the Canning River (the western boundary of ANWR), rafting, and exploring Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Todd currently spends his winters in San Diego, CA where he continues to guide for his Alma Mater and leads trips into Baja, Mexico, always seeking out new and adventurous places.

Leigh Lubin has been a guide and educator since 1995.  She began working with environmental education students and progressed to professional guiding and certified teaching.  Ms. Lubin received her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Alternative Education from Prescott College in 2000 and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2006. She also became a certified and practicing yoga teacher in 2008.  In addition to her own river and backcountry skiing excursions, Leigh has guided backpacking, sea kayaking, ice travel, and natural history trips in the lower 48 and throughout Alaska.  She has spent over 650 days in the backcountry as a participant, leader, and on personal trips. 

Julie Hinkle