Joanne Hager, Certified Lead Sea Kayak Guide & owner/operator of Green Coast Kayaking Ltd.
Jo was never the best dressed, but that never stopped her from having a good time! Here she is modeling her fashionable sun hat and sunglasses (perfect for those long, sunny Haida Gwaii days), an odour-free merino wool top that she wears for weeks on end (her Haida name would be “One Shirt”), one of the company’s snazzy Werner paddles, a towel skirt (for when you need to get on the water right after playing in the water), and her keep-your-feet-dry gumboots (a minimum of 14” is ideal).
Basically, paddling and exploring in Gwaii Haanas is Jo’s favourite thing to do. She has been doing it since 2000, and if she is lucky enough to still be doing it when she is seventy, it will have been a great life!
PS. Jo does NOT condone the 2-foot entry or exit method. This pose was strictly for photo shoot purposes.
Dominic Legault, Certified Assistant Sea Kayak Guide
Dominic loves living in the small Haida Gwaii community
of North Beach near Masset. He thrives outdoors; harvesting food, gardening, canoeing, raising chickens and ducks, and coordinating his life with the seasonal changes. He also teaches piano and an introductory gardening course. Dominic has built himself a log home from salvaged wood that he has gathered and milled himself. He spends most of his winters playing, writing and recording music on pump organ and accordion (www.elephantizer.com). He’s also an outdoor educator with Mount Moresby Adventure Camp and is looking forward to the paddling season to learn more in beautiful Gwaii Haanas. Dominic has his current Wilderness First Responder certification.
Brie Altrogge, Certified Assistant Overnight Kayak Guide
Brie did it backwards…. a prairie girl in origin, she built her own skin-on-frame kayak before she had ever kayaked before! After she finished, she discovered an affinity for all things water, including surfing. A certified Assistant Overnight Kayak Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, she has guided trips for both adults and children, with the former Gabriola Cycle and Kayak, as well as with a local youth adventure camp (Mount Moresby Adventure Camp) on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
When not kayaking, Brie is a volunteer with the local Coast Guard Auxiliary, is building a house with her partner, and likes to spend her time painting and making art, woodworking, and gardening. As for surfing, she’s not a pro yet, but any day on the ocean is a perfect day!
Janet Gifford Brown , Office Manager
Janet has spent most of her life on Haida Gwaii. She grew up in the “Bush” and now lives in Queen Charlotte, where, with the aid of a Border Collie and an African Grey Parrot, she owns and operates Northwest Coast Books (also the Green Coast Kayaking office.) In her spare time she is an artist, photographer, jeweller and rescuer of wild birds.