John Beye
Growing up as the son of two teachers in southeastern Wisconsin, it didn’t take long for John to gain an appreciation for the value of both education and summer vacations. Each summer was spent loading up the family van to explore America’s national parks and enjoying the peace and solitude of a small cottage in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. These early experiences influenced John to pursue a B.S. degree in Geography at the University of Wisconsin, focusing on the relationship between humans and their environment. After graduation, he moved to Cape Town, South Africa, to teach in a local township school and lead an outdoor program focused on surfing as a reward for students giving their all in the classroom. This experience opened John’s eyes to the power of outdoor education. Upon his return to the U.S., John began graduate education in Grand Teton National Park where he completed a master’s certificate in environmental education while fully immersed in the ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. With an M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources focused on sustainable tourism, John is motivated by helping people explore, appreciate and learn about the natural world and other cultures without compromising either, in hopes of preserving them for future generations.
John has led month-long expeditions in India and Norway and has spent extensive time teaching and guiding in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, with a penchant for the winter environment. For the past six summers he's been based out of a very remote corner of Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska helping guests discover the temperate rain forest while hiking ridges, kayaking through ice floes, and furthering a deep appreciation for a wilderness ethic. Beyond a singular element of a wild place, such as birds or charismatic megafauna, John is drawn to a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystems he is immersed in. The interconnected relationships among wildlife, vegetation, geology and human culture in any given place is what drives his exploratory interests.
When he's not guiding, you can find John chasing adventure high in the mountains as a climber, alpinist and ski mountaineer. With a professional avalanche certification, he enjoys teaching people how to stay safe in the wintry backcountry almost as much as he loves pursuing his own skiing and climbing objectives. Some of the wildest environments on the planet are those closest to the clouds, and these are the places he seeks to explore.
Upcoming Adventures with John:
Canyons of the American Southwest
Glacier & Waterton: An International Treasure
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