Your Guide

	David Morin: Director and founder of Missinaibi Headwaters. With over 7,000 km of commercial guiding experience, Dave is a gifted paddler, teacher, photographer and whitewater instructor--and pretty good at cooking fish too. Not only does he train all of MHO's staff, it is Dave who decides which trips to offer. In other words, he gets first dibs on what trip he gets to guide! You know you are in luck if you are on one of Dave's trips, as each year Dave leads the exploratory and high-end, remote whitewater trips. This year he will be leading the Pukaskwa River trip in May, the Moisie River in Quebec/Labrador, the Family Canoe Trip, as well as directing the instructional programs.
Julie Morin: Co-founder of MHO, Julie occasionally gets to leave the base camp and get out on the river. When she does, you are in for a treat. Think of Julie as the social convienor of the trip; beyond the regular role of a guide, Julie functions as choir director, aerobics instructor, storyteller, therapist and one heck of a bartender. This year, Julie will be co-leading the Moisie River trips with Dave, and the Family River Trip.
	Greg Meredith: A professional naturalist and outdoor education teacher based out of the Guelph Lake Nature Centre, Greg adds his wealth of knowledge of the natural world to his trips. His extensive guiding experience, 12 years as a trip leader with the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, is apparent as he describes the flora, fauna and the aquatic environment of a river. Greg is past director of the F.O.N., Canada's largest naturalist organization and is a Senior Resource Interpreter with the Grand River Conservation Authority. Watch for Greg as "The Leech Hunter" in a Discovery Channel feature on the Missinaibi this winter.
Margaret and Peter McLaren: This couple is regarded among Ontario's foremost authorities on birds. Peter has a doctorate in Ornithology, and Margaret is a biologist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. A paddle on a river with Peter and Margaret becomes an unending lesson in the plant and bird life of the forest. But their knowledge goes beyond the natural world, as they are authorities in other kingdoms as well, like the world of single malt Scotch.
	Fred Neegan: To paddle with Fred is to experience the living history of the Missinaibi. Fred is a 72 year-old Ojibway-Cree, a man who has lived his entire life on the Missinaibi River. There is no other living human, without exception, who knows more about the river than Fred. When he says he knows every rock, he means it! His traditional family hunting grounds are above Thunderhouse Falls, and for him a paddle downriver to Thunderhouse is like commuting to work. Fred still keeps an active trapping cabin on the river, and when he is not playing Ice Hockey or leading canoe trips, he can be found at his camp near Alice Island, or greeting paddlers in the town park in Mattice.
Erhard Kraus: Organized, meticulous and the embodiment of efficiency, Erhard is the ideal trip leader. Not only will you feel completely confident of his leadership ability, Erhard will go well beyond the call of duty to ensure that his guests are happy, safe and informed. Now that he is retired from the computer industry, Erhard works with forestry companies to preserve the ancient aboriginal canoe routes and portage trails. He is active in the executive of the Wilderness Canoe Association and is hard at work getting paddlers active in preserving their canoe routes. Visit his website, www.kanulinks.com
	Bob Fisher: For years Bob has led canoe trips throughout Ontario under the banner of his own company, Up the Bay. A skilled paddler, naturalist and gadgetman extraordinaire, Bob adds certain civility, we'll say, to the wilderness. Always with a cautious eye to safety, Bob balances the element of risk with safety. You are in excellent hands on one of Bob's trips. In the winter Bob leads backcountry ski excursions in Central Ontario, and works to develop alternative energy products. If you are interested in Bob's "soft adventure" weekend excursions on Georgian Bay, visit his site at www.upthebay.com
Natalie Farmer: Most Ontario whitewater paddlers know Natalie as the girl in the playboat doing rodeo moves on huge waves or running nasty drops. But when she takes a break from kayaking, open boating or playing in a C-1(which isn't very often), Nat leads trips for MHO. She is one of the most qualified guides anywhere, with experience as Vice-President of ORCA, Canoe Tripping and Flatwater Instructor, SWRT...the list goes on. Natalie's winter job is a high school phys-ed teacher.
	Stephen Wierzbicki: Fun-loving, hard-working, Frisbee-throwing...these are the descriptors of Steve. When you are on a trip led by Steve, you feel like you are back at Summer Camp, only now as an adult. Stephen is a high school Outdoor and Physical Education teacher, who runs a unique outdoor learning program called "GeoVenture" for 16 year-olds. On a trip Steve uses his skills as a teacher and coach to motivate adults to push their limits, while respecting their need for comfort and safety.
Graham Fisher: Qualified as a canoe tripping instructor, Graham has led trips for his own company for many years. We are delighted to have Graham return for a second season with MHO. When he is not paddling, Graham is a writer of children's literature, based out of Toronto.
	Paul and Eddy Morin: Well, perhaps these two guys don't have all the required guide certifications (yet), but they help us out on the Family Canoe trips by assisting the other children on the trip. Part of our MHO family (literally) they have grown up paddling the northern rivers. While they spend most of the season at base camp, they are most at home in a canoe or kayak, paddle in hand or pack on theirs back.