Archives
Jake Weaver
Guide
Born in the one road town of Rockton, Ontario Jake was brought up in the canoe camping world and always loved going on out-trip as they called it at Camp Wanakita. These years are what cemented his outdoor lifestyle, from hiking to canoeing to whitewater kayaking. Jake spends most of his free time in the open air and preferably on the water. This is what led him to move to Vancouver, B.C. (alongside being able to paddle year round), but the lack of canoe tripping is what motivates him to make the pilgrimage back to Ontario every summer. Outside of the guiding season, Jake is an Educational assistant, specializing in providing support to children with Neurodiversity. Jake’s passion for the outdoors combined with his natural curiosity is what led him to pursuing guiding professionally. While on expedition with Jake you will likely find him huddled around the fire cooking up a storm, leisurely sipping his morning coffee all the while wearing a smile you can see for a mile.
Liz Evans
Guide
Liz grew up backpacking and canoeing in the Rocky Mountains attending summer camp that shaped her love for the outdoors! She returned to work there for three summers until graduating with her engineering degree. She worked in her field for a couple of years, always dreaming of returning to the outdoors. One fall, Liz took a chance and left her consulting job to travel South America. Upon returning, she rekindled her love for paddling and began working at a summer camp in Ontario. Looking to grow her experience and confidence paddling in whitewater, she joined the River Roots program in 2021, and will be working her second season with MHO. In the off season, you can find Liz backcountry skiing in British Columbia and dreaming about travelling. This summer she is looking forward to sharing her excitement for the outdoors with everyone and enjoying her last sips of coffee as the boats push off in the morning!
Bethany Knappett
Guide
Bethany comes to us as a native of Muskoka, having spent most of her life exploring nature, venturing on canoe trips and backpacking excursions. She is a passionate outdoors person and currently working her way through a nursing program to develop further medical skills for the backcountry. Bethany has traveled coast to coast from Canada to Mexico, with water having been the driving adventure force from lakes and rivers to oceans. At one time Bethany owned and operated a cafe and catering company in Gravenhurst, ON and currently spends her free time helping with the families commercial Maple Syrup operation. She is passionate about FOOD and if not on the river you can often find her helping out in the MHO Adventures kitchen in the Barn.
Matt Howell
WMA Instructor, Lead Guide
If you have the opportunity to spend some time on the river with Matt you will find his relaxed and jovial demeanor a pleasure. Though all MHO guides are excellent cooks, Matt has taken a particularly strong interest in hors d’ourves, and is continually trying new recipes, and perfecting the cooking and presentation of old ones. Though Matt is a big outdoorsy guy (that means lots of hair, and a mean stare), and can at times look a little scary, he loves having children and youth join our trips. Having worked with children, youth and young adults in various capacities throughout his professional life, Matt is dedicated to providing youth with a positive wilderness experience that is sure to leave them wanting for more time in the wild. As an Ontario Certified Teacher himself, Matt works with teachers from various schools to ensure that our Experiential Education trip destinations and activities will meet the curriculum goals of the school, while also providing an amazing experience for the youth. Much like his dog Blizzard, Matt is always trying to expand his territory. Having travelled to most parts of Canada, while also visiting South East Asia, Central America, and New Zealand, Matt has developed a keen sense of what makes a wilderness trip one that you keep talking about for months, even years, afterwards.
Sam Auger
Duke of Edinburgh Award Program Coordinator, Equipment Manager, Lead Guide
Growing up with Temagami as her backyard, it’s no wonder that Sam fell in love with paddling. After attending Laurentian University for Outdoor Adventure and Leadership, Sam started guiding full time. Always looking for a new adventure, Sam loves planning new and exciting canoe trips for MHO. Besides dreaming up impossible trips (remember Punishment and Pain?), you can find Sam in the office preparing dehydrated food, ordering new equipment, creating curriculum and so much more. Taking a step back from being out in the field this season to start a family of her own, Sam is looking forward to a whole new type of adventure!
Kyra Ranney
Guide
Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Kyra grew up roaming the forest year-round. During many years at summer camp, she was introduced to canoe tripping. On these trips, she fell in love with life on the river and backcountry cooking. Kyra went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership, and gained experience leading extended canoe trips in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Labrador. Kyra has recently put her second degree (this time in nursing) on hold to pursue her passion for the outdoors even longer. In her free time, you can likely find her in the kitchen making a big mess, or exploring the local trails on foot, skis, or bicycle!
Micah Harris
Guide
We are so excited to have Micah making his way back from Fernie, BC this spring to join the MHO guiding team for another season! Micah grew up at a canoe tripping camp and has been guiding canoe trips and whitewater paddling for the last 8 years. Micah has a degree in Sports Media from Ryerson University. In his free time you will likely find him skiing, kayaking or rock climbing, he also has a love and an eye for photography and we can’t wait to see his photos from the rivers this summer.
Erin Pehar
Lead Guide, Owner/Director
A native of Toronto Erin left the city life behind long ago in favour of rivers and trails. Erin brings more than 20 years of experience working in the outdoor adventure industry as a former director for YMCA Camp PineCrest and Lead Instructor and Program Coordinator for Outward Bound programs. Erin has guided canoe trips throughout Northern Ontario, Quebec and the NorthWest Territories, while spending her winters guiding dog sledding trips in both Ontario and Algonquin Park as well as the Yukon. Erin has managed various trade shows, including the famous One of a Kind Show & Sale in Toronto. Erin is an ORCKA paddling Instructor, she paddled the Yukon River Quest, a 740km canoe marathon from Whitehorse‚ Dawson City, YK in 2012. A wonderful wilderness photographer, when Erin’s paddle is not in the water you can be sure that her camera is in hand! A trip with Erin is one filled with smiles, laughter, and learning. When on the river with Erin, you can be sure that your meals will be 5 star, a gourmet wilderness chef as well.
Claire Burnard
Guide
Claire went on her first multi-day canoe trip when she was 3 years old. Some might say she was doomed to be a guide, but she considers this the best job in the world. She spent many afternoons running around the Canadian Canoe Museum killing time while her mum finished work. This is where she developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the history of the canoe, the indigenous peoples who invented and specialized them, and the perfection of this design for exploring the rivers of this great land. When highschool rolled around, one of her first jobs was delivering educational museum programming to students.
Claire has over a decade of summer guiding and canoe instruction experience paddling in Royalex, cedar canvas, and everything in between.
In her free time she enjoys woodworking, swimming, whitewater kayaking, and learning traditional skills. In the winter Claire can be found mushing friendly and enthusiastic dog teams in Algonquin Park
Noémie Wolfe
Guide
Noémie grew up car camping with her family and spending most of her summer mountain biking. She was introduced to backcountry camping and paddling in her late teens, and is a graduate of our inaugural River Roots Program where her love and knowledge of canoe tripping soared to new heights. During the off season she currently spends most of her time in a classroom studying to become a physiotherapist, but she is not ready to stop spending her summers on the river. During the winter, Noemie spends as much time backcountry skiing as possible. She also loves spending time in the kitchen testing out new recipes. This will be Noémie’s fourth summer working with MHO and we are always excited to have her back.
Rianna Sterk
River Roots Program Coordinator, Lead Guide
Good luck finding Rianna anywhere other than on the river. Rianna has been an outdoor educator and guide for the past 9 years, in which time she has spent almost 1500 nights in a tent! If you get the opportunity to be on an adventure with Rianna her energy and passion for her profession is contagious. She will teach you how to move your canoe down the river safely, is full of environmental science nuggets, games and educates herself with stories and history about the people and area you are travelling in. In her personal time Rianna enjoys lots of whitewater paddling, mountain biking, running, skiing in the winter, and dog sledding. You can often find her on personal expeditions sharing this love with family and friends. It might be a good idea to keep quiet in the morning until Rianna has had her first coffee 😉
Miles Pirie
Boss Man, Guide in Training
Miles’ trip log totals 32 days and over 290kms in a canoe, all before his 8th birthday. His first backcountry trip was 6 days on the Moose River when he was nine months old. He has since paddled the French River, Georgian Bay, Noire River, a number of trips in the Frost Center area and the Spanish River. At 4 years old he had been begging all winter to go on a canoe trip ‘because I just want to sleep in the forest’!
I guess time on trail is a given when your parents own a Canoe Tripping Company. He is super comfortable in the wilderness and we can only hope that this continues!
Fred Neegan
Happy Trails Dear Friend!
Fred Neegan was an amazing friend, a fabulous teacher and guide, a very well respected First Nations Elder, and someone that had an impact on everyone that was lucky enough to spend time with him. He had been working with MHO Adventures much longer than any of us and we feel very privileged to have spent so many days travelling the river with Fred. The lessons he taught and messages he shared just by living were nothing short of amazing! May the Missinaibi River always be graced with your paddle Dr. Fred Neegan. In 2015, Dr. Fred Neegan’s life long commitment to the Missinaibi River was commemorated with a plaque dedicating the landing in Mattice to him. At the age of 87 on June 8th, 2018, Fred passed away at Sudbury Regional Hospital. On the 8th floor with a panoramic view of the sailboats down on Ramsey Lake, he was, of course, telling stories and sharing memories right up to his last days.
Naomi Jones
Guide
As a wilderness canoe trip guide, Naomi blends a lifetime of outdoor adventure with a passion for social service. Growing up in eastern Ontario she was introduced to the wonders of rivers and lakes at an early age, embarking on predominately whitewater canoe trips with her family any chance she could get. These formative experiences instilled in her a profound appreciation for the outdoors and a desire to share that love with others. Whether navigating remote rivers or the rivers of her backyard, Naomi brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every excursion.
Naomi is an avid skier, having spent several winters on the powdery slopes of British Columbia. This passion for the river has led Naomi to finding a variety of work along the rivers such as her many summers as a raft guide on the renowned Ottawa River, these days she can often be found in her kayak around the Ottawa and Madawaska Valleys.
Currently, during the off season, Naomi can be found studying social work through an Anishinaabeg lens, aiming to merge her dedication to community service with her love of the outdoors. With her heart firmly rooted in both realms, she strives to foster connections between people and nature, weaving together cultural understanding and environmental stewardship in her guiding endeavors.
Greg Nettleton
River Roots Instructor, Guide
Greg Nettleton loves being outside. As a child, family camping trips, scouts, and summer camp helped shape him and his love for the outdoors. He’s worked as an outdoor educator, white water canoeing instructor, and guide for the past seven years, and also attended Brock University to study Outdoor Recreation and Leisure studies. In his spare time Greg loves to go paddling as much as possible along with skiing, fishing, and skipping rocks. His love of canoeing and canoe tripping have taken him across Canada and New Zealand, and he’s super excited to share that love with the River Roots students during their 21 day expedition.
Emy Nantel
Guide
Coming to us from Quebec, Émy grew up paddling the lakes and rivers of Ontario and Quebec with summer camp. With the closure of the camp due to COVID 19 restrictions, she spent two years planting trees both in Quebec and British Columbia. As an Adventure Guide Graduate from Gaspe, you can find her teaching PE during the off season, or on the slopes deep in the backcountry. She is very excited to be back on the MHO team for another season. What is she looking forward to most? “A lot of time in a canoe with all the mosquitos!”