Owner / Operator - Bruce Wilson
Bruce was born in Ontario. Early on, he and his family moved south of the border, taking up residence in Massachusetts, where Bruce spent his days exploring the forests and coastline of an area steeped in North American history. Later in childhood, Bruce and his family moved across the Atlantic to Stockholm and the remote waterways of Sweden, where he enjoyed trekking in the Alps and explorations throughout Europe.
A few years later, Ontario beckoned again and back they went. Bruce spent these summers exploring the rivers and lakes of Canada. This included a 36-day canoe trip along the Missinabi and Fire rivers, where he first experienced the joys of remoteness and the camaraderie of travelling in a nomadic wilderness group.
Upon their return to Europe, Bruce's family settled in Geneva, Switzerland. The Swiss had the foresight to offer students every Thursday off from school to go skiing. This helped nurture Bruce's passion for exploring the mountains, glaciers and high peaks. During these years, he developed a thirst for adventure and a commitment to following his heart.
Remoteness and wilderness were in his blood, so Bruce returned to Canada to experience North America's fresh-water sailing capital: Kingston, Ontario. Many days were spent honing his skills and knowledge of the wind and water, by sailboat and sailboard, while he pursued his studies at Queen's University.
Once a degree was completed, Bruce's wanderlust struck again. The next three years were spent following the sun, wind and snow in such places as New Zealand, Australia, Greece, Switzerland, the Virgin Islands and California.
1989 was the year of the Volkswagen van and the move to BC to attend the Capilano College's Outdoor Recreation Management and Wilderness Leadership Certification program. This led to a job with BC Parks as a Back Country Ranger. During this time Bruce began working as an avalanche instructor and ski guide while developing and launching his first business, Sage Wilderness Experiences.
In 1990, the ocean kayak replaced the canoe as Bruce's watercraft of choice. This led to certification with the Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides and the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, followed by the inception of the Canadian Federation of Ocean Kayak Educators and Harmonic Wilderness Travel.
Bruce's guiding experiences include expedition-style tours in Alaska as an instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School, several leadership courses on the Queen Charlotte Islands, as well as tours down the entire coast of BC and the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Today, Bruce embraces several new challenges associated with being a professional guide, entrepreneur and outdoor educator. These include instructing for Capilano College, the University of British Columbia, the Canadian Tourism College, as well as curriculum design and implementation for high school outdoor education programs.
Bruce is currently enrolled at Royal Roads University in Victoria BC, where he is taking a Masters Degree in Leadership and Training.
Guiding and educating are a way of life for Bruce, he continues to find the lifestyle stimulating, fulfilling and ever-changing. Bruce's heart-felt love for wild places helps to facilitate his students' growth, skill development and appreciation for travelling in these fragile areas with empathy, knowledge and humility.
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