As the snow falls on this spring morning in Alaska, the mood is a bit surreal. For the past 27 seasons, April is when Gastineau Guiding has thrown open its doors to welcome new and returning staff, who come early in the season to partake in one of our industry’s most intense and dedicated
training programs. Normally, our little office team would be busy preparing for a dinner and welcome event, our first of many training evenings spent reconnecting with returning staff and getting to know the new naturalists joining our team.
This training program with Gastineau Guiding is more than just brute memorization of facts and operational tidbits: we immerse ourselves not only in the natural history of Southeast Alaska, but in each other’s perspectives and passions about our rainforest home. This 3+ week program is where naturalists take facts and learn to weave them into stories, informed and enhanced by our shared dedication to conservation and outdoor education.
During this time of uncertainty, we find ourselves missing all of our amazing colleagues and friends. So, in the spirit of making room for good news, we wanted to pause to reminisce and share with you a few brief moments of the amazing 27 year history we’ve had with our staff and our guests.
While this may currently feel like a shout into the void — or just a shout into our empty houses — we’re here to tell you: THE GASTINEAU GUIDING TEAM WILL ASSEMBLE AGAIN! We sure do hope it will be sooner than later, but until then, know that we are thinking of you. Thanks most to our team, whom we miss and whose passion makes what we do not only possible, but exceptional. We look forward to the day where the melodious tones of lunch table arguments about which whales are pregnant or what the true use of tubercles are fill our office with noise once again.
And, to our guests — past or future — we are wishing you safety and health in these trying times. Pending the end of lockdown and a firm idea of the future of our 2020 Alaskan summer season, we will be back here on the blog to share with you more specifics of what we are doing to ensure your safety this summer, and always. If you’d like to share your memories with us, reach out on Instagram or Facebook and tag #gastineauguiding or #stepintoalaska. You never know, we might repost your memories on our company page (@gastineau_guiding). Keep a lookout!
Photo Credits include: Scott Ranger, Cam Brynes, Annie Goodenough
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