Our Guide Team

It’s lovely to meet you!

We’re Evergreen Escapes!

We’re professional nature guides with a deep love for our home – the Pacific Northwest – and for sharing it with travelers from around the planet! We’d be thrilled to show you around.

Our little team is family-owned and significantly experienced. Our guides were born for this – we’ve been working outside for as long as we’ve been working! We didn’t just quit our Amazon jobs so we could play outside; we’re not Facebook execs with money to burn (no offense–tech giants)! We have degrees in fun, nerdy things like Environmental Education, Forest Science, Sustainability, Environmental Policy, Wine & Spirits (yes–a master’s degree in wine & spirits!), and so on. Heck, our guides even write the guide books for the region! We live for this.

Our small-group trips are all-inclusive, comfortably paced, and we love spending time exploring our beautiful places on foot. We’ve been pioneering trips like these for the last 15 years – we have our imitators now. We’re flattered that you found your way to us; please give us a call or send our team a note if we can tell you more about our authentic Northwestern experiences or assist you in planning or booking a trip!

Gratitude,

Evergreen Escapes

Send us a Note.Call Us!

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Our Guide Team

We believe we employ the hardest-working, most-genuine, and most-talented local guides in the Northwest. Our team is built to teach, to listen and to learn!

Adam Sawyer

OR Guide

Adam Sawyer is an outdoor and travel writer, photographer, guide and published author based out of Portland, Oregon. He wrote as the Portland Hiking Examiner for Examiner.com and authored the bi-weekly column Portland Family Outdoors for Craigmore Creations. In addition to online writing for Travel Oregon, Red Tricycle, and Tillamook Coast, his work has appeared in Northwest Travel, Portland Monthly, Columbia River Gorge, Cascade Journal, Canoe & Kayak and Backpacker Magazines. He was the co-host of the KEEN HybridLife Radio Show for its duration and now serves as a sponsored athlete for the company. He is the author of the guidebooks Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon, Best Outdoor Adventures Near Portland, the forthcoming 25 Best Hikes on the Tillamook Coast, and the co-author of Hiking Waterfalls in Washington. Adam has been a professional guide for five years, specializing in the food, drink, history, and outdoor adventure of the Northwest.

Stephanie Manzo

OR Guide

A native of Oregon, Stephanie joined EverGreen Escapes in June 2014. She received her bachelor’s degree in horticulture science from Oregon State University and worked crush at a winery in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA during the summer/fall leading up to graduation. She learned more about the intricate techniques and science of winemaking throughout those six weeks than she ever thought possible and eventually took that interest and passion to the winery’s tasting room. Since then, her professional path has included roles in renewable energy, sustainability, the food & beverage industry, outdoor leadership programs, and more recently, documentary film production. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys biking, rock climbing, backpacking and exploring all the fantastic food and music that Portland has to offer.

Marty Wentzel

WA Guide

As a native of the Pacific Northwest, Marty has long enjoyed exploring the waterways and mountains of the Puget Sound region. He attended the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, earning a BA in Liberal Arts in 2000. His love of working in the outdoors has brought him to many exciting new frontiers including; Colorado’s Rocky mountains as a chair lift operator, and the rivers and lakes of Washington while working for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Marty spent 10 years living on Hawaii’s Big Island, where he began his career as a naturalist guide. He lead bike rides and hiking tours through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, guiding groups within feet of active lava surface flows of Kilauea volcano. Marty’s travel adventures have brought him to the beaches and jungles of Thailand, and the pristine wilderness of Alaska. But his most exciting adventure of all began on New Years day of 2011 when he welcomed his first daughter Milan into the world. Returning to the Pacific Northwest, Marty is in his element leading tours of the gems of Cascadia and is excited to share his love of his home. In his free time Marty enjoys spending time with his family, making Thai food and teaching his daughter how to play soccer and skateboard.

Justin Roberts

WA Guide

Like many other Seattleites, I am a transplant to the region. Wooed by the opportunities of the city and the proximity to so many amazing outdoor wonderlands, I think I’ve found my home in the northwest. Originally, I hail from the Ozarks region in southern Missouri. The crystal clear rivers, limestone bluffs, and lush vegetation of the Ozarks represent my initial source of enchantment with the natural world. I moved out to the North Oregon coast when I was a kid and was further captivated by the massive trees and tumultuous coastline. At college in Tacoma, WA, at the University of Puget Sound, I studied Science, Technology and Society, along with a minor in Environmental Policy and Decision Making. For a time after school I worked in the non-profit world, raising money and political support for environmental campaigns in the region. Now as a naturalist guide for Evergreen Escapes, I’m cultivating my long-held interest in northwest ecology and human history so that I can share it with people from all over the world. When I’m not out “escaping” with a group of travelers as a guide, I’m often out in the same areas, just pushing a little further with a heavier backpack and a night or two in the backcountry ahead of me. I also enjoy playing music, cooking, rock climbing, and “studying” the local beer scene, if you catch my drift. I look forward to continuing to see the seasons change in Washington’s beautiful parks and to share that beauty with you!

Laurence Cotton

OR Guide

Laurence’s career has taken him into several different arenas–international humanitarian assistance, state government, nonprofit management, and public broadcasting. Laurence majored in cultural anthropology at Hampshire College, but also did course work in environmental studies, film and photography. After moving from Boston to Portland in 1995 to serve as Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Oregon, he took on nonprofit work in the arts and conservation arenas. He also continued his career as an independent producer of documentary films, principally about historic topics. His most recent is the 2014 co-produced, Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America, focused on the Olmsted park legacy, nationwide and in the Pacific Northwest. The film was broadcast nationwide on PBS. He also currently serves as a Trustee of the Oregon State Parks Foundation. Laurence spends some of his guiding time as a naturalist/historian on week-long Columbia-Snake River cruises. As an Escape Artist, he weaves natural and cultural history to engender a sense of place here in the “Oregon Country.”

Emma MacDonald

WA Guide

Born and raised in Seattle, Emma knows the city and its surround natural wonders like few others can. She's dedicated her education to field biology and place-based environmental teaching so she can share the wild places that litter the state with explorers from around the planet. Emma has taught at the North Cascades Institute and is currently working on her masters degree in Urban Environmental Education! Motivated, organized, and charismatic--Emma believes her working future lies in raising awareness for local environmental issues by exploring with and teaching others!

Jordan Singh

OR Guide

Jordan was born in West Covina, one of the many cities in the megalopolis that is Los Angeles, California. After spending the first 18 years of his life there, he decided to move away from the sunny beaches of Southern California to the rainy Pacific Northwest to study at the University of Oregon. Weekend trips from campus to the lush wildernesses of the Three Sisters mountain range, the coastal sand dunes, and eastern Oregon revealed the extensive diversity and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Upon graduating with a BA in Environmental Studies, and having just returned from studying abroad in the Patagonia region of South America, he moved to Portland with the mission of working in conservation and outdoor education. When the opportunity arose to become a naturalist guide with Evergreen Escapes, he jumped at the chance to introduce travelers to the Oregon experience, just as he had his friends and family who visited him during his time in Eugene. Jordan spends his time away from work improving his climbing and mountaineering skills scaling the vast selection of snow-capped peaks in the Cascade range. He is also a passionate and involved member of the Portland Area Climbing Coalition (PACC), a non-profit that works toward keeping climbing areas safe, clean, and accessible.

Stephanie Schrankel

WA Guide

Stephanie was born in Germany and moved to the United States at an early age. Growing up in Tucson, Arizona did not present many opportunities to explore the wide world of food & wine. After graduating from Smith College however, Stephanie moved to Germany for a few years to hone her appreciation for food, wine, travel, and foreign languages. She has since been able to visit various wine regions of the world, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, and Spain. Stephanie holds certifications from the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust, and the Society of Wine Educators. In addition, Stephanie completed an MBA in Wine & Spirits this past January, and is now putting her concentration in Wine Tourism to good use as a guide for wine tours throughout Washington wine country.

Dylan Collins

WA Guide

Dylan grew up in Seattle and studied Environmental Geography (what?!) at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. His field work has put him in close contact with everything from grizzly bears to coastal island wolves, Salish Sea whales to mountain lions, orangutans and more! Dylan has an insatiable hunger for wild places, exploring with strangers, and tracking down and photographing animals in their places. He may even take you to one of his secret trail cameras on tour to see what wildlife has wandered by!

Aaron Wilder

OR Guide

After seeing Mt. Hood for the first time, Aaron Wilder knew he would not be moving back to his childhood state of North Carolina. For the past 25 years, he has been hiking, snowshoeing, mountain biking, rafting, rock climbing, skiing, and any other outdoor activity you can think of in the Great Pacific Northwest. Aaron has been applying his experiences and skills leading groups into the wilderness for almost 20 years now. Aaron is a high school history teacher most of the year, but considers the outdoors the best classroom of all, and spends his summers leading tours to his favorite places. He is passionate about reliving the tales of Lewis and Clark and Oregon Trail pioneers making their way west, risking life and limb, to this wonderful place he now calls home. If he can do this over a local Pinot Noir or craft-brewed IPA, all the better!

Marisa Gant

WA Guide

Marisa is a passionate educator and believes that spending life in nature provides inspiration to awaken our gifts, talents, and expressions. An avid athlete by nature, she plays soccer regularly, dances, snowboards, runs and practices yoga. She has a heightened sense of adventure that she applies in trying new things and consistently challenging herself and others around her to grow. Marisa believes we each bring unique gifts and intelligence to the world and that through spiritual and personal growth as well as deepening our connection to nature, we each hold the key individually and within groups to unfold and blossom so as to serve ourselves and the planet in beautiful and harmonious ways.

Sean Petersmark

WA Guide

Clare Cooper

WA Guide

Clare grew up in Connecticut and moved to Seattle a few years ago because she loves the Northwest! Stemming from a long tradition of adventuring, she was fortunate to travel from a young age. She has visited over 30 countries and will travel to her 42nd state this summer. Clare studied biology for many years and received her Master of Environmental Management while living in Australia. Some of her favorite places in and around Seattle include Discovery Park, Vashon Island, and the Skagit Valley. She spends her days off wandering through farmers’ markets, eating her way through the Seattle restaurant scene, and planning her next adventures.

Bri Whitacre

Andrew Plaks

WA Guide

Dan Moore

WA Guide

Dan has over 15 years experience as an outdoor educator, professional adventure guide, and high-level facilitator for retreats, meetings, and teambuilding programs. He takes great care to help create a meaningful and lasting visit. Dan grew up in Minneapolis MN and spent a large percentage of his childhood out exploring the wilderness and wild areas around home and afar. In 1996, after graduating from college in St. Paul MN (Macalester College), Dan left to spend most of a year in South America – trekking and researching tropical forests in Bolivia, Peru and Brazil. It is here he understood the importance of creating positive experiences for people in the outdoors. Says Dan: "You can’t love what you don’t know, and people won’t protect what they don’t love." In 1999 Dan completed a certificate course in Environmental Education from the University of MN at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center and shortly thereafter moved to Seattle. Dan is on the faculty for Adventure EDU, the education and mentoring arm of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. He is an avid outdoorsman, loves hiking, skiing, and gardening and also plays guitar in a handful of Seattle-based bands, including his Neil Young inspired band – Still Young.

Anastasia Bendebury

OR Guide

Anastasia is a climber, thinker, writer, and seeker who believes that the fierce, independent self we usually find in wild places can exist in all times and spaces. She's fluent in English, French, and Russian (and learning Japanese and Spanish)! She's taken her cats on camping trips and sang in a gospel choir during her microbiology studies at Columbia University. She's taken the train from Beijing to Siberia, and once rode through the Gobi desert with some incredible ecotourists! Her years of climbing have created a wellspring of strength, always at her fingertips – from opening jars of salsa, to surviving the subway at rush hour, to writing a dissertation. Anastasia wants her life to be lived in the pursuit of passion and love and art, and says "may the consequences be damned."

Paul Gerald

OR Guide

Paul Gerald is an author, publisher, guide and slightly obsessive traveler. He had a career in newspapers and as a freelance writer before moving to Portland from Tennessee in 1996 to be closer to the mountains, big trees and waterfalls. Since then he has written several hiking and camping guides to Portland and Oregon, as well as one on places to eat breakfast all around the city. Paul has led trips all over the Pacific Northwest as well as in California, England, Italy and Nepal. His latest venture is a guidebook to soccer in England; he’s seen nearly 100 games at more than 50 different clubs in the UK and wants you to know that few pleasures on Earth can match learning a bawdy soccer song on the terraces of an English soccer club.

Brad Long

OR Guide

Brad is a Pacific Northwest native who is excited to share his love for the outdoors with you. Growing up in Seattle and living most of his adult life in Oregon, he knows the hidden treasures that this unique region has to offer. He is a certified Master Naturalist for Oregon and volunteers his time to teach students about the diverse ecosystems of the region and to promote conservation and sustainable recreation. He has lived and traveled extensively in Asia during his professional career and enjoys sharing with our clients the history and natural wonders of Oregon. His passion for wine and knowledge of the industry can be intoxicating! When he's not out exploring the Northwest with travelers, you can find Brad somewhere beautiful--skiing, sailing, cycling, hiking or canoeing.

Chris Larson

OR Guide

From an early age Chris developed a deep love for and knowledge of nature and outdoor skills by spending summers at a fishing cabin in the woods and lakes of northern Ontario Canada, and in the high Sierra mountains of California. Chris has a degree in cultural anthropology and has led sports and walking tours of major cities throughout Scandinavia, the U.K., Northern Europe, and the U.S.. Currently he holds a Wilderness First Responder certification and is the founder of Oregon Outdoor Discovery. Working in the outdoor industry gives Chris the opportunity to use his athletic coaching background to teach outdoor skills during immersive, restorative and energizing outdoor recreation experiences. He specializes in guiding hiking, stand up paddle boarding, camping, bicycling, and kayaking trips. Additionally, Chris leads in-depth tours of Oregon’s beautiful wine country. Chris’ tours focus on local life, knowledge and traditions. He aims to help others feel rejuvenated and energized through enriching outdoor adventures and fostering a deeper cultural understanding and connection to nature.

Jeff Carter

WA Guide

Born overseas (in Spain), I caught the travel bug early on in life. I’ve traveled around the world, lived for two years in Niger, Africa (as a Peace Corps volunteer), and continue to explore as often as possible. I grew up in Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania, lived in Michigan (while earning a graduate degree and working in environmental education) and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1999. Since then, I’ve worked as a seasonal sea kayak guide in the San Juan Islands and outreach specialist in salmon recovery and marine resources. I’ve hiked, skied, biked, and paddled throughout the Northwest and enjoy sharing my knowledge of this beautiful area with others.

Jennie Flaming

WA Guide

A fourth generation Seattleite, Jennie has spent a lifetime learning and playing in the Pacific Northwest. Except for two years in the Netherlands in middle school, and six years in Alaska, Jennie has lived in Seattle her whole life. Jennie holds a BA from the University of Washington and a Masters Degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. During her varied and winding career, she has guided tours in Alaska, traveled to nearly every corner of Washington State with the Pacific Science Center in Seattle to share the joys of science with elementary and middle school students, guided high schoolers on the path to college, and managed an AmeriCorps team. In addition to guiding, Jennie also works in the public school system helping high school students on the path to higher education. When not at work, Jennie enjoys doing pretty much anything outside on the water, in the mountains and among the trees. She also enjoys canning delicious local food concoctions, and watching the sky.

Our Guides

It’s lovely to meet you!

We’re Evergreen Escapes!

Our Guide Team

Adam Sawyer

Stephanie Manzo

Marty Wentzel

Justin Roberts

Laurence Cotton

Emma MacDonald

Jordan Singh

Stephanie Schrankel﻿

Dylan Collins

Aaron Wilder

Marisa Gant

Sean Petersmark

Clare Cooper

Bri Whitacre

Andrew Plaks

Dan Moore

Anastasia Bendebury

Paul Gerald

Brad Long

Chris Larson

Jeff Carter

Jennie Flaming

Evergreen Escapes

Stephanie Schrankel