Albert Keller

Kate Keller

Sarah Rosen

Operations Manager

Albert grew up at Coast Mountain Lodge where he taught himself paddling skills, first in the sheltered waters of Evans Bay, later in nearby tidal rapids. After 19 seasons guiding in the Discovery Islands, Albert’s love of sharing his big backyard has only grown stronger. These days, Albert spends most of his time ensuring that our trips are well-equipped and run smoothly, which involves answering the phone, packing trip food, boat driving, maintenance….and he still fits some guiding days in as well! In addition to kayaking, Albert enjoys mountain bike adventures, backcountry skiing, and fun times with kids Koda and Shiloh. 

Administrative Jack-of-all-Trades

Kate grew up in the mountains, and still seeks out the high country in the wintertime, but has also found a love for the ocean that keeps her coming back every summer. A lover of wildlife, photography, and adventure of all types (especially with four-legged friends), Kate can be hard to pin down, but can most often be found behind the lens or behind the scenes in a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ role. Kate is mom to CME’s “guide’s in training” Koda and Shiloh, as well as Cedar’s BFF Luna. 

Multi-day Kayak Guide

Raised by a family of sea kayak guides on traditional Quw’utsun territories on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Sarah enjoyed the great privilege of spending many formative years in and on the water. Her love of the wild coast and its ecology propelled her to Squamish, B.C., where she completed an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Environmental Sciences in 2020. She now divides her year in two: summers are spent leading expeditions, school groups, and summer camps in the Southern Gulf Islands, Johnstone Strait, and south Broughton Archipelago; winters see her conducting oceanographic research and training to be an electrician. Sarah is passionate about providing opportunities for guests to (re)connect with their own inner nature through wilderness exploration, and is excited to share her curiosity and enthusiasm for marine ecosystems with you!

Andy Lewis

Katrina Laube

Caelin Harris

Multi-day Kayak Guide

Little is known of Andy’s origins, other than that he grew up in the distant land of Cornwall, UK and his love of the sea quickly influencing every major life decision he’s made. Andy cut his teeth studying Outdoor Pursuits at Duchy College; an education that led him to whitewater kayaking, expedition guiding, and ultimately to British Columbia to further his paddling journey. Andy has a clear passion for kayaking, teaching, and helping people (and plants) grow, having recently worked as both a gardener and circus arts instructor.

 

Multi-day Kayak Guide

Katrina was born in North Vancouver and raised to be a lifelong learner and keen adventurer. She has kayak guided for multiple seasons in the Gulf Islands, Greater Vancouver, and even Costa Rica. Her favourite kayaking memory is becoming surrounded by six magnificent orca whales circling a group of sunbathing seals. When not kayaking she enjoys yoga, hiking, jamming to live music, skiing, and a good pun. Beyond her love for the Canadian outdoors, she enjoys exploring the world, having travelled extensively in Central America, Europe, China, and the South Pacific. Katrina recently completed a degree in Geography and Global Development at the University of Victoria and is eager to share her love of life by the ocean with guests in the Discovery Islands!

Multi-day Kayak Guide

Caelin grew up surrounded by the ocean and is inspired by its many wonders and complexities. She is currently pursuing a degree in marine biology at the University of Victoria and plans to pursue conservation work, protecting fragile ecosystems and educating others about their importance. Caelin has worked in outdoor education for three summers through a summer camp, leading youth groups on hiking and kayaking trips around Vancouver Island. Through this, she has developed a passion for getting people out in and connecting with nature. When not down by the sea searching for critters, she enjoys hiking, climbing, photography, baking, and playing her ukulele with friends near and far.

Susann Hiller

Jen Leggett

Debra Fontaine

Multi-day Kayak Guide

Originally from Germany, Susi came to Coast Mountain as a volunteer worker in 2022, fell in love with the island lifestyle, and never really left. Returning as a certified kayak guide, Susi is sure to win you over with her enthusiasm for the marine environment and fun sense of humour. Susi loves adventures of all kinds, and is the first to embrace a new challenge. She recently completed a XC ski marathon, loves trekking (recently in Nepal), bike trekking (recently in Spain), and is a fan of watersports including kite surfing, wind surfing, and of course kayaking! 

Coast Mountain Kitchen

Jen has lived on Read Island with her husband full-time since 1998, and raised two wonderful kids on the island. Jen is Lannie’s “right hand” in the Coast Mountain kitchen and is responsible for much of the tasty food our trip participants enjoy on kayaking trips. Jen commutes to work by quad and boat and considers her occasional sighting of whales and bears to be a real perk of the job!

Discovery Islands Lodge Kitchen

Debra had the good fortune to be raised in a sailing family in the 1950’s on the coast of British Columbia. Her love of the natural world led her to buy her own sailboat which she sailed single handed using a kayak for her tender. She combined her love of cooking and nature by seeking out positions in beautiful surroundings. She was head chef at Hollyhock and Strathcona Park Lodge, and later cooked on sailing vessels for sixteen years travelling to Haida Gwaii, The Great Bear Rainforest and Southeast Alaska. These trips created a great love of bears, and she left cooking for four years to become a bear guide/kayak instructor in Glendale Cove. Debra is excited to have returned to cooking and kayaking in yet another spectacular location at Discovery Islands Lodge. Debra feels very blessed and grateful for the adventures she has had and continues to have.

Jasmine Harvey

Ralph Keller

Lannie Keller

Coast Mountain Base Crew

Jasmine is a local who has lived her whole life on Sonora Island (just north of Quadra Island). She has spent many days kayaking, sailing, and has plenty of experience boating herself, and her younger siblings to Surge Narrows School (on Read Island). On her free time, Jasmine loves to go hiking, backpacking, sailing, kayaking, swimming, and when its rainy, doing lots of art, crafts and reading. Identifying and photographing birds and plants are also another hobby Jasmine enjoys. Jasmine is excited to be part of the team at Coast Mountain Expeditions and to gain more experience for her future kayak guiding career!

Co-Owner, General Operations

Co-founder Ralph moved to Read Island in 1979 where he founded Coast Mountain Expeditions with wife Lannie. A passionate advocate for the preservation of island ecosystems, Ralph is a key organizer of the Coastal Tourism Working Group, a body of local businesses that advocates for conservation and responsible logging practices in the Discovery Islands. Ralph remains a jack-of-all-trades for Coast Mountain; he runs the boat, and operates and maintains all the complex off-grid systems that make the operation run and still finds time for kayak guiding. To say the place would fall apart without Ralph is no understatement!

Co-owner, General Operations

Lannie co-founded Coast Mountain with Ralph way back in 1987. Today, she tends the garden, rules the kitchen, helps get dinner or breakfast on the table and…she makes sure trip food gets packed out right. Lannie is reason everything happens on schedule ’round these parts. Passionate about the preservation of whole ecosystems, Lannie is the organizational drive behind the Discovery Islands Ecosystem Mapping (DIEM) Project, a community initiative to collect sensitive ecosystem data and make it accessible to conservation efforts.

Cedar

Luna

Lodge Dog

Cedar was born and raised on Read Island.  He graced us with his presence in 2012 and knows the business well! Nobody at Coast Mountain wears more hats than Cedar! Official welcoming committee, cuddle therapist, food disposal expert, stick fetcher, and wildlife manager are just a few of his many job descriptions.

Branch Manager

Luna came to us in 2015 via the BCSPCA.  She spends her winters as a powder hound in Nelson BC and her summers cruising the beaches of Read Island. Her main duties include: generating enthusiasm,  squirrel monitoring, stick & branch inventory and food-waste consultation.  This one has a real zest for life, and it is contagious.