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Yellowstone Guide Laura Whale
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Guide: Laura WhaleShort Bio: Laura's been calling Montana home for over 12 years. She is a first and second grade teacher in a small rural school and spends much of her free time in and around Yellowstone National Park. She has enjoyed summers in Montana and Wyoming as a whitewater raft guide, climbing in the Tetons and rolling sushi for hungry folks. This is Laura's fourth season with Austin-Lehman. Her favorite activities include soaking in the Boiling River, horseback riding above the Paradise Valley and hiking up to Bunsen Peak with homemade ice-cream at the top!
Trips Guided by Laura:
Laura's Guide Survey:What's your favorite vacation destination?
Cinque Terre, Italy
What's your favorite hike?
Holland Lake Falls and Upper Holland Lake in the Clearwater Drainage
What's your favorite bike ride?
Third leg of the pole peddle paddle race in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
What's your favorite trip to guide?
The one I'm currently guiding.
Why?
Teton for the sheer beauty, Yellowstone for the amazing wildlife and Montana for a brilliant combination of the two.
What do you do that makes a guest's vacation special?
Getting to know a guest's individual needs and supplying those extra touches. I enjoy waking up early to take a guest running on some of my favorite hidden trails or driving them out to the Lamar Valley before sunrise to catch wolves in action. I love showing the kids why this part of the world is so special and how it works. It's incredible to watch the kids' eyes light up with excitement when they see old faithful erupt and know that they understand why it's happening. Guests get to experience so many benefits like the polar bear swim.
Favorite Movie: Short ones
Favorite Book: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Favorite Song: Darlin' Companion by Johnny Cash and June Carter
Describe the most amazing experience you've had while guiding a trip:
Let's see - watching wolves chase elk in Yellowstone National Park, paragliding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or maybe it's the homemade ice cream in the middle of a horseback trail ride overlooking the Paradise Valley in Montana. Sharing all this with people is my passion. Watching kids explain newly learned information about the region to their parents is pretty spectacular too.
When did you first catch the travel bug?
When I moved to Montana to attend college it opened up a different world to me. People here define "active" in a whole new way. Soon I thought nothing of road biking 20 miles in Yellowstone National Park and then driving back to Big Sky to skate ski with a friend. I completed college in New Zealand and exploring is part of that culture as well. Looking back, I think adventure and travel are in my blood, as is the desire to explore new activities. It's a combined rush of exhilaration, relaxation, and fulfillment of which I can't get enough.
What are your hobbies?
Skiing, trail running and racing, skiing, whitewater rafting, skiing, skate skiing, yoga. Did I mention skiing?
Montana Big Sky Family: Cowboys, Canyons and Campfires
Austin-Lehman has been guiding parents and kids on adventure vacations
in Montana for over 20 years. If there's a formula for family fun, we've
nailed it. Read More>23 years of experience
speaks for itself. As a leader in adventure travel and a tour operator since 1986, Austin-Lehman has extensive contacts and a longtime insider's knowledge in every market we visit. That means every experience – whether cultural, artistic or outdoor – offers guests an authentic feel for the local land, people and way of life.
Panama Boquete to Bocas Adventure
Explore verdant jungles teeming with wildlife, white-sand beaches
cradling deep blue Caribbean waters and picturesque small towns steeped
in character on this 9-day Panama vacation. Read More>
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