About Us!

JAKE HAUPERT - Founder & Chief Escape Officer
A Pacific Northwest native, Jake Haupert owns and operates acclaimed eco-friendly adventure travel companies EverGreen Escapes & Explorers 3 Adventures based in Seattle, Washington. Jake graduated from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon with a Business degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. He added a certification from the World Leisure Travel Academy shortly there after. An avid outdoorsman and a responsible and active traveler, he has turned his passion for the transformational power of travel into his life’s work. Even his closest friends cannot decipher when he is working or playing. Professional experience was gained at reputable travel companies such as Four Seasons Resorts, Marco Polo Expeditions, Galapagos Cruises, Cruise West and Down Under Answers. An unquenchable entrepreneurial spirit and genuine personality has resulted in two adventure travel companies that combine a deep appreciation of nature, wildlife and active pursuits with sustainable, intimate and exclusive culinary, wine and luxe lodging experiences. Explorers 3 Adventures sends clients to Alaska, Antarctica, Latin America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. EverGreen Escapes welcomes visiting tourists and locals alike on authentic and experiential northwest adventures, treks and tours.

DAN MOORE - Chief Outings Officer
Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Dan has resided in Cascadia since the late '90s. It was a combination of this region's natural beauty, access to outdoor adventure and a world renown music scene that drew him away from his home and family. Upon joining forces with founder and CEO Jake Haupert in 2007, Dan quickly realized he brought more to the table then his naturalist and education background (see Dan's guide bio). Years of promoting his various music projects, an aspiration to living a sustainable lifestyle, and an innate joy for working with people proved to be useful traits when combined with the experience and passion of founders Jake and Jessica Haupert. Dan's main tasks at EverGreen is to recruit and train the incredible guide team and work with the operations team to help coordinate the complex logistics of our regional escapes. He also has integrated his passion for international travel and helps design travel programs for EverGreen Escapes International. Destination specialties include: Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Iceland and New Zealand.

When not leading tours or working in the office for EverGreen Escapes, he plays guitar in the band Roxbury Pound.

MARK KAMMERER - Escape Operations Manager, Seattle
After moving around the United States several times while growing up, I finally landed in Seattle. It didn’t take long for me to become completely infatuated with everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer an outdoor enthusiast. Some of my earliest memories are exploring the backwoods of Minnesota, but for me the wilderness of the Midwest doesn’t compare to the beauty and grandeur of the Northwest. It is the mountains, the Sound and everything in between that makes me feel fortunate to call Seattle home. I attended University of Denver where I graduated with a degree in Business Management; and while I loved Colorado and the Rockies, I always knew I’d come back. That opportunity came in the form of a job offer in Bellevue. After working in a different industry for some time, I decided to follow my heart and pursue opportunities in a professional environment that allows me to share my love of the outdoors with others. I’m very pleased to be working with Evergreen Escapes so I can share with the world why I’ll always call the Northwest home. When I’m not working I love to hike, backpack, climb, ski, run, swim, paddle and do just about anything that lets me get out there!

TYLER DAVIS- Escape Artist Manager & Destination Specialist
A native Seattlite, I've been exploring the Pacific Northwest since my earliest childhood memories, escaping at every opportunity to experience the beauty that this area has to offer. My childhood endeavors to turn over every rock or log and find the creepiest of crawlies blossomed into a desire to learn as much as possible about the flora and fauna of the region as I grew older. My ever-developing passion for ecology and conservation took me to Cornell University, where I obtained a B.S. in Natural Resources with a focus in ecology. While Cornell was a perfect fit for me, four years on the East Coast taught me what I've always known: that I'm a Pacific Northwesterner at heart and Seattle will always be my home. Thus, after a variety of field jobs around the world - from searching for Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the swamps of the Southern Mississippi to studying Superb Starlings in central Kenya - I'm glad to be back in the Pacific Northwest, escaping to and exploring some of the most beautiful environments the world has to offer by bike, ski, kayak, boot . . . you name it! I'm even more excited to share what I know with others - and have the opportunity to make a positive impact - through hands-on, exciting, sustainable adventure ecotourism.

DAN SALVATORA- Director of Sales
Grew up in Pennsylvania but realized early on that I yearned for the West. Graduated from the University of Utah in Recreation and Leisure Studies and continued to pursue my love of the outdoors. I quickly realized that my true passion was to live in the mountains and teach downhill and cross country skiing which I did in Park City, Utah and Sun Valley, Idaho. I continued my studies abroad and then taught skiing in Courchevel, France before arriving in Washington State. I owned my own tour company for many years and guided over 250 tours in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Central America, and Europe. Most recently I have focused my business acumen on hospitality /travel sales and marketing. My 30 year love affair with Seattle continues and my passion of exploring and sharing my knowledge of the Pacific Northwest excites me every day.

MIRA ANSELMI- Adventure Marketing & Photography
The two great passions of my life are art and nature and this is apparent in almost everything I do. The foothills of the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico were my backyard growing up. I spent much of my youth exploring these mountains, but while the desert is still in my bones, I longed to be closer to water. I studied photography at the the University of Oregon and then moved to Seattle in 2003. I have spent the last eight years exploring the region from "urban hiking" all around the city, to back packing, rock climbing, rafting, kayaking, sailing, snow shoeing and skiing all around the state. When I'm not playing outside or leading tours, I am an avid vegetable gardener, owner of my own portrait and special events photography company, Mirastories, and volunteer with the Nature Consortium working on the annual Arts in Nature Festival to teach conservation lessons through the arts. Seattle is the perfect city to practice conservation and be immersed in art and nature simultaneously. I feel so lucky to get to share this fascinating place with others and to teach photography while showcasing my favorite city.

KIERON WEIDNER- Base Camp Manager, Portland
As a kid I was constantly in the outdoors. Twelve years in Boy Scouts and growing up in rural Wisconsin provided plenty of opportunities to explore all kinds of outdoor recreation. By the time I graduated high school I already had logged hundreds of hours enjoying nature; canoeing in Canada, hiking the Rockies, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing and just about anything else you can do outside. I earned my degree in Biology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. My coursework focused Environmental Studies, Ecology and Conservation. During college I spent a semester studying Tropical Ecology and traveling in Costa Rica. Upon graduation I completed a UN sponsored, grad-level program in Europe called Ecosystem Management in Cultural Landscapes - during which I learned how cultural and political factors affect natural resource management. After college I further broadened my knowledge of the natural world via internships with the BLM and National Park Service, and two years work as a Restoration Crew Supervisor for the WA Dept of Ecology. I have lived, worked and played in a full spectrum of environments from deserts to rain forests. In addition to learning the natural history of a place, it has also been my hobby to explore the recreational opportunities that exist there as well. I love to share my knowledge and thirst for adventure with any who are willing to take the road less traveled and gain some enlightenment through nature.

KARA TIERNAN- Base Camp Manager, Seattle
Born and raised in West Seattle, I’ve developed a keen obsession with the Pacific Northwest, that keeps me running back home time and again! I’ve lived in Florence, Italy, Philadelphia, Portland OR, and Fremont, and have traveled all over Europe, Brazil and Argentina, and a sliver of Central America. I snagged my degree in Creative Writing from Washington State University, and have been busily scribbling travel stories, and bits on Seattle and Portland for local publications since graduating in 2009. I’ve had the travel bug for 10+ years, caught in the Netherlands when I was 14, and thankfully haven’t shaked it; it’s only progressed! I joined EverGreen Escapes because they have an admirable passion for the environment, and I can’t think of a more rewarding way to spend my time than showing others the art of local and international travel, from a local perspective. While I’m not busy behind the scenes at EverGreen Escapes, I enjoy running, tasting new local IPAs and Syrahs, live music, and paddle boarding Lake Washington. I’m a big Sounders fan, love food carts, and happy knit beanies are part of my work attire. I’m one of the voices on the other end of the phone; give us a call and say hello!

JEFF PIETKA- Escape Operations Manager, Portland
Born and raised in Portland, OR, when Jeff studied International Affairs and Geography in Washington, D.C. he had an eye on working in the foreign service, and becoming a professional naturalist and interpreter was the furthest thing from his mind. But upon graduation, his father asked: "So, what was the most important thing you learned back East?" And after a moment's contemplation, he replied: "That I belong back West." Travel became a central theme in his life, and he learned quickly that a good guide can make or break a traveler's experience. Inspired by his own travel experiences with guides both skilled and dubious, he started his interpretive guiding career in Southeast Alaska, and branched out year by year, working in the Pacific Northwest, then Mexico's Baja Peninsula and British Columbia. Jeff is a National Association of Interpretation Certified Interpretive Guide, and has learned from some of the best working, as an Interpretive Ranger at Glacier Bay National Park in '09 and '10. After seven years guiding from 30 to 60 degrees North latitude, he has returned to his roots in the Portland region - smack in the middle at about 45 North - where he is prepared to put the places that are nearest and dearest to him on center stage and make them shine for you.

ANDREW SMITH- Director of Epicurean Escapes
The son of a Presbyterian minister, I was introduced to wine at an early age through the Biblical text. The first wine I drank was port and then discovered dry table wine in my very early 20s. During college, I worked in restaurants to make a buck, and continued to be fascinated with wine and its effects. After 10 years in the restaurant industry, I decided to formalize my drinking career by actually learning about alcoholic beverages, and completed my Sommelier Diploma with the International Sommelier Guild in 2010. In the fall of 2011, I worked as a harvest intern for Shea Wine Cellars in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, putting that D- in AP chemistry my junior year of high school to good use. Over the coming months, I'm taking my first stab at making wine, which is currently sitting in a five gallon carboy in the outdoor closet attached to the back porch of my apartment (this is certainly a recipe for success). At EverGreen Escapes, I head up our epicurean programs, making sure you have the highest quality, most delicious food and drink wherever your Escape may take you.

BERNADETTE "CRAZY LEGS" HAUPERT“
The mutt of all mutts! An amusing blend of hound, lab, shepherd and dane, Bernie is our office dog and mascot with a smile. Seriously, we have never seen her upset. While you will never see her on tour, unless requested on a private escape, she has scouted many of our escapes with founders Jake and Jessica Haupert. Her favorite one is the San Juan Island tour as she likes to spot for birds, orca and sip wine. She has aspirations to become a marine biologist but can’t seem to find the time. She is however a Tennis Ballologist, foodie, expert crotch nudger and an excellent horse for Quinn and Olive, her human brother and sister. If you are ever in the office be prepared for some “nudges", hugs and big puppy kisses... Just telling you now, so consider yourself warned! We all LOVE our BURN~aaa~Dette as Co-owner Dan likes to call her in his favorite a Roscoe P. Coltrain voice.