Albert Keller

Caelin Harris

Andy Lewis

Operations Manager, SKGABC Level 3 Lead Kayak Guide

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, as well as his dog, Nova.  

SKGABC Level 2 Lead Kayak Guide

Caelin grew up surrounded by the ocean and is inspired by its many wonders and complexities. She is currently finishing up 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. 2025 will be Caelin’s third season guiding with CME. She previously worked in outdoor education for three summers through a summer camp, leading youth groups on hiking and kayaking trips around Vancouver Island. Through all of her experiences, Caelin 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.

Caelin recently finished a degree in marine biology, so feel free to ask her all the hard questions. She’s a pro. 

SKGABC Level 2 Lead 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. 2025 will be Andy’s third season guiding with CME. 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.

Ask Andy to play the didgeridoo, walk a slackline, or ride a unicycle. He can do them all…just maybe not all at the same time!

 

Kassandra Tymoshuk

Madeleine Luntley

Jasmine Harvey

SKGABC Level 2 Lead Kayak Guide

Kass comes from Ontario where she was raised in the outdoors paddling the Great Lakes and exploring Algonquin Park. She attended Algonquin College for the Outdoor Adventure Naturalist program, then migrated to Vancouver Island to pursue life as an outdoor instructor and divemaster. Her passion is to connect others with nature and empower folks in the outdoors. When she is not paddling, she loves foraging, scuba diving, hiking, cooking, photography, and trying new outdoor activities. 2025 will be Kassandra’s second season guiding for Coast Mountain; she returns as a fully fledged lead guide!

Kass holds a wealth of knowledge about the region’s flora, fauna, and marine life. Ask her a question; we bet she’ll know the answer!

SKGABC Assistant Overnight Kayak Guide

Madeleine is an outdoor enthusiast and lifelong learner who thrives on connecting with people while exploring wild places. Whether sea kayaking, skiing, or leading community events, Madeleine brings curiosity, calm, and a genuine love for learning to everything she does. She fell in love with paddling on Canada’s west coast on a trip to the Octopus Islands with Coast Mountain Expeditions in 2013, and has returned as a guide!

Madeleine’s focus lies in facilitating outdoor access for all; she has previously worked in adaptive recreation. She also led a research project in Colombia focused on evaluating the effects of over tourism in vulnerable communities. An artistic soul, she has just finished a Bachelors of Music at the University of Toronto, so she’s always ready with a paddling song, whether you like it or not!

When not playing outside in the sea or snow, Madeleine loves to cook for friends and family, and can always be found with a book somewhere close by. Above all, she’s dedicated to creating safe, inclusive, and joyful outdoor adventures — and she’s always eager to learn something new along the way.

SKGABC Assistant Overnight Kayak Guide

Jasmine is a local who has lived her whole life on Sonora Island (an 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 (a 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.
 
Don’t let her tender age fool you; Jasmine knows these waters like the back of her hand and will probably out paddle you as well!
 

Jen Leggett

Nela Pospisilova

Ralph Keller

Coast Mountain Lodge Cook

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 Chef

Nela grew up in Europe, which enabled her to taste many various cuisines and learn a couple languages in her early years. In her 20’s, Nela adopted a “travelling chef” lifestyle, which took her to Spain, Georgia, Israel, Bali, Turkey, New Zealand, the Bahamas – and you’ll taste some of the inspiration drawn from this experience during your stay with us. A trip to the Discovery Islands convinced her to stay, and she’s happy to call BC her long-term home. If you want to strike up a conversation that isn’t about food, she’ll gladly chat away about intrepid travels, yoga, music and art. When not in the kitchen, you may spot her swimming (usually far away from the dock), strumming her guitar on the porch, running the local trails or sketching in a quiet corner by a tree.
 

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!

Lannie Keller

Cedar

Luna

Co-owner, Coast Mountain Lodge Chef

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.

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 left us earlier this year after a lengthy illness. She left a lasting impression on us, and many CME guests with her fun-loving attitude, hilarious antics, and amazing cuddles. This one had a real zest for life and we all miss her dearly.