Meet our Sea Kayaking Guides

Employment information

Megan and Erik Schorr: Owners and Guides

When it comes to "knowing how to live" Megan and Erik seem to be doing it right. Dedicated to exploring this wonderful planet, they have traveled to six different continents over the last 10 years, including a five month stint working for the United States Antarctic Program.

These two avid sea kayakers have paddled in some of the Pacific Rim's most beautiful places from the fjords of New Zealand to Southeast Alaska and on down to Baja Mexico and South America. In their opinion, however, the best part of traveling is coming home to the place where they were both born and raised--the Pacific Northwest. "Waters like the South China Sea or the Sea of Cortez are incredible places to be in a kayak", says Erik, " But there's nothing like exploring the inter-tidal one on Cypress Island during a warm Spring morning, or watching Orca whales swimming in the kelp off of the Burrows Island lighthouse. This is home to us."

Erik and Megan lived near Friday Harbor on San Juan Island for seven years. Megan guided visitors on kayak expeditions around the archipelago while Erik, who holds a 100-ton Masters license, captained a whale-watch boat taking folks out to see our resident Orca families. Although they enjoyed their years in Friday Harbor, they fell in love with the high-forested slopes and the quiet beaches of the eastern San Juan Islands. Eventually they moved east to Fidalgo Island where they teamed up with Island Adventures to create what would become Anacortes Kayak Tours. Building a first-class kayaking outfit has been a dream come true for both Megan and Erik. It is here that they can offer people the chance to not only have an incredibly fun experience, but also provide an opportunity for people to become better acquainted with their surroundings.

"If you live in the Northwest, or are just visiting for a short time, you owe it to yourself to learn a little bit about the area. In addition to providing something entertaining and rewarding, we are attempting to provide a means by which our guests can become more 'nature literate'. If we can recognize some of the players who share our natural community then suddenly we gain an amazing perspective on our sense of 'place' and our world opens before us. We can step out of our cosmopolitan urban lives and feel part of something bigger and older than all of us. It is a very comfortable place to be."

Taiga Schorr: guide-in-training

The latest addition to the AKT family, Taiga has already logged in more proportional hours in a kayak than most professional guides. When he is not out on the water, this little guy enjoys exploring the seldom visited nooks and crannies of our living room, scattering his toys around the house (for Dad to step on later), and making repeated attempts to escape the house and run down the sidewalk. Sometimes he expresses his zest for life in a most vociferous fashion....usually around 3 a.m.

It won't be long before our little dynamo is leading trips of his own. Stay tuned...

Andrew Rice: returning guide (5th season)

Andrew now has 8 years of professional kayak guiding experience in the San Juan Islands. Earning BS and MS degrees in biology from Walla Walla College in 1995 and 1998 respectively he first came to the San Juan Islands in 1992 for summer school at the Walla Walla College Marine Biology Station at Rosario Beach. Since that time he has focused on marine and coastal ecosystems and their ecology. Andrew is our "inter-tidal expert", if any of us are stumped by something we find out in the field then he is the one we go to for answers. He shares his enthusiasm and knowledge of the San Juans in fun and engaging ways which you can't help but remember. In 2000 Andrew started his island ecosystem and marine science school Academic Adventures. This "hands on" field school provides young people from grade 6 to grade 12 with a way to get to know their outdoor environment intimately. Through guiding and Academic Adventures, Andrew shares his love of the outdoors and marine biology year round.

Mira Lutz: returning guide (5th season)

Mira has been sharing her passion for the Salish Sea and wilderness adventures with our guests since we started running kayak tours. A lifetime of exploring wilderness throughout the Pacific Northwest by foot, boat, and bush plane have filled her with an infectious love and respect for the region and its natural systems.  Ask her about edible plants, traditional cultures of the San Juan Islands, or just about anything you can think of , it’s doubtful that she won’t know the answer to your questions!

James Klicpera: returning guide (5th season)

If you look up "outdoor enthusiast" in a dictionary you may just find a picture of James. This guy is into all sorts of active adventuring. He has taught Alpine Skiing since the tender age of fifteen, worked for the National Outdoor Leadership School for over two years, led canoe trips down the Colorado River, guided sea kayak tours on Catalina Island, and, most recently, worked for Naturalists At Large in California. His life "off the clock" looks very much the same. He enjoys rock climbing, surfing, telemark skiing, mountain biking, and, of course, sea kayaking. James has traveled extensively through South America, including an extended wilderness study expedition in Ecuador while he was attending the University of Washington. His experiences have given him a broad perspective on life, and a whole lot of great stories to tell. Our guests love his positive attitude and friendly personality.

Ryan Hopkins: returning guide (5th season)

Ryan is our "seldom seen" kayak guide and self proclaimed "King of the Razzle Dazzle". He's not around too often (his other career is a desk-type job for Central Washington University) but if you are fortunate enough to be on a trip with Ryan you are in  for a great time. Ryan is a fifth generation Washingtonan from the sunny side of our state. He was born in Yakima and attended college at Seattle University (he's too modest to talk about it, but he graduated at the top of his class). Lately Ryan has spent his time traveling the world, exploring the American desert, and working abroad. For the last several summers he has occupied his time working as a professional kayak guide in the San Juan Islands. Paddling with Ryan is simply a delight, you will come away from the trip with a wealth of knowledge about the area and a great big smile on your face!

Freddie Sico (2nd season)

A veteran kayak guide and instructor from western Massachusetts, Freddie holds certifications with the American Canoe Association, is a registered Maine Guide, graduated from the Outdoor Leadership program in Greenfield, MA, and is a widely accomplished professional outdoorsman. Pedigrees aside, this guy is loved by his guests for his wonderful personality and his fantastic culinary abilities. We love him for his comprehensive understanding of sea kayaking and his "can-do" attitude.

His favorite kayaking trip to date was on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, a trip he helped design while guiding for H2Outfitters in Maine. (We'll see if we can change his mind after a summer here in the San Juan Islands.)

Freddie came out West this year to experience some new horizons, and to finally watch the Sunsetting over the ocean. We're glad he came!

Monica Blanchard (2nd season)

Monica is another Washington native who grew up just north of Seattle in the town of Brier . Her fascination with paleoecology, salmon, alpine environments, and fire ecology brought her to Western Washington University where she is currently pursuing degrees in Ecology and Geography.

Like so many people in this industry, Monica loves to travel. She's traipsed around Europe, Central America , and a good part of the North American West. Right now she is saving her pennies (and her tips) for a trip to Africa where she hopes to climb up to the glaciers of Kilimanjaro, and to explore the deserts of Morroco.

Although her summers are filled with great sea kayaking adventures, she still manages to get up to the Cascade Mountains for climbing trips and backpacking. Her winters are filled with snowshoeing and snowboarding expeditions.

Monica's charming smile and sunny disposition complement her great knowledge of the area. She's a true joy to have on our team!

Todd Belanger

Somehow we were fortunate enough to convince Todd to commute down from Bellingham to lead trips for us this summer. His "real job" is as a geologist. Todd will receive his Masters of Science degree this year from Western Washington University. His thesis is titled- Comparison of deformation in two accretionary wedge terranes, central San Juan Islands, Washington. What does that mean? You'll have to come on out on a tour to find out. But rest assured, it's fascinating. This guy has forgotten more about the geology of the San Juan Islands than most of us will ever know. And if you think that "rocks" are not important, think again. They literally are the foundation upon which the rest of this place sits, everything that exists here has it's roots in geology.

Even if Todd wasn't bringing everyone's level of understanding to new heights we'd love having him around. He's one of the most friendly people that you will ever meet, and his quiet humor keeps us on our toes.

Julia Wentzel (2nd season)

Born in Honolulu and raised in Seattle , Julia has never been far from the water. She spent the last three years working with boats and kayak guiding in Seattle , learning everything she could about sea kayaking and the marine life found in the Pacific Northwest . Julia's current kayaking skills are proof that she was serious about becoming an accomplished sea paddler, she's good!

With a love for people, the outdoors, and strange animal facts, guiding kayak tours is right up her alley. She's bright, charming, and a little bit goofy..a good recipe for a great guide.

Julia loves to move around - when she's not in Washington ; she's at school in New York, studying in Political and Latin American Studies at Bard College on the beautiful Hudson River; or she's using her Major as an excuse for another adventure in Central or South America.

She may be the youngest guide at Anacortes Kayak Tours, but she's already got enough stories to keep you entertained for days!

Corey McCartney (2nd season)

Following in the great tradition of hiring a token Philosophy major to entertain us throughout the summer (Wayne Roberts-2005, 2006), we found Corey. He was building a driftwood fort down on West Beach while muttering something about finding a place out of the Sun where he could make his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in peace. As luck would have it, he possessed the kayak skills and the great personality to be a fantastic asset to the Anacortes Kayak Tours team. If guest feedback is any indicator of how well he is doing, then we've found someone with the the perfect combination of silliness and professionalism. Two critical ingredients in any great guide.