Meet the Team
RGA brings together an amazing team of quality guides. The depth of experience on our team is unsurpassed. Our success begins with hiring the right people, giving them in–depth training and then treating them well so that they want to return year after year. We have the most in-depth training program and one of the highest guide return rates in the business. Our guides remain fresh and enthusiastic through the season and have lots of stories to share with you about life in Alaska.
Joe Ordonez
Joe arrived in Haines in 1986 working as a naturalist aboard a small, eighty-passenger expedition ship. Haines captured Joe’s heart and imagination, and he moved here in 1987 to manage and guide for a local rafting company. Joe founded Rainbow Glacier Adventures in 1992. The first tours RGA offered featured small group visits to local artists’ homes. Since that time, the company and variety of tours has grown but the concept of local guides and high-quality, educational tours remains. While Joe spends much of his time running the organization, he particularly enjoys guiding private photography tours, rafting tours and special charters. Joe enjoys backcountry skiing, international travel, photography, and, above all, spending time with his wife, Edie, and daughters, Stella and Sapphire.
You can see Joe’s most recent updates on Instagram at @joeordonezphoto
Lettie
Lettie was born in Whitehorse, Yukon but the exact details of her early life are unknown. She came to Haines in 2014 and joined RGA right away. She is in charge of security and public relations. In her free time, she enjoys chewing on sticks and taking walks.
Michelle Zeiger
Michelle, was born and raised in Washington State. She received her BA in Psychology and Sociology from Linfield College where she met her husband, Mark. They lived in several states before coming to Mark’s native state of Alaska in 1992. Over the years Michelle owned and ran a Licensed Home Child Care, worked as a Special Education Para-educator, a Case Manager for a local counseling center and homeschooled her daughter at the family’s off-the-grid log cabin home near Haines. On a typical day she commutes to work by hiking a mile through the woods and crossing a tidal basin in rubber boots or with a kayak to get to her car to drive past the Rainbow Glacier on the way to town. Michelle has worked at RGA since 2015.
Libby Kanupp
Libby was born, raised, in the foothills of the East Coast and graduated from Lees McRae College with a degree in Medical Science. She also attended Western State University Colorado where she received a certificate in Accounting. After an early retirement, she moved to Alaska to escape the humidity and stop lights. Haines has been her home for well over a decade, where she enjoys seafood, wild game, mountains, and the ocean. In her spare time, Libby enjoys watching HGTV, the Food Network, experimenting with different recipes and quilting.
Aurora Alten-Huber
Aurora grew up in Haines, Alaska. She recently completed one year working for the Chilkoot Tribe in Haines through Americorps. Her responsibilities included leading children's activities for their summer Tlingit Language class. Aurora works in the Rainbow Glacier Adventures office and guides the occasional walking tour for RGA. In her free time, she enjoys baking and gardening.
Jim Jurgeleit
Jim lives in Haines with his wife Anna. Maintaining our vehicles is Jim’s top priority with Rainbow Glacier Adventures. Jim was born in Juneau, and then moved to Haines with his family while in high school. After graduating from college he worked as a licensed engineer aboard the Alaska Marine Highway system for 26 years, retiring in 2011. He now works part time for RGA. Jim likes to play banjo, ride motorcycles, and travel with his wife.
John Crowley
John Crowley was born in Arizona and grew up with a profound love of the Grand Canyon. He started his hiking adventures there at the age of ten and never seems to grow tired of its presence in his life. He’s been boating in that “big ditch” for over thirty years. John counts himself fortunate that his river guiding experience has allowed him to continue his boating adventures in Utah and Alaska. He lives in Flagstaff, Arizona where he graduated from NAU and raised two amazing daughters with his artist wife, Jo.
Karla Kennedy
Karla was born and raised in rural Illinois, where she gained a deep appreciation for nature. Karla is a yoga instructor, retired dental hygienist, and now guides photography and nature tours for RGA. Karla attended Daytona State School of Photography which broadened her knowledge of photography, lighting, and even the business aspects of photography. Traveling, meeting other wanderers, being in Alaska, and working for RGA is a dream come true for Karla.
Richard Cook
Richard is a California native that first came to Alaska with the Coast Guard over three decades ago. After traveling around the State, he decided that Haines was the place to be and moved to Haines. Based in Haines, he worked a full career as an Engineer with the Alaska State Ferry system. Now retired, Richard stays quite busy on his small homestead and enjoying the great Alaska wilderness. Richard leads rafting and sightseeing tours for RGA.
Steve Daly
Alaskan river enthusiast Steve Daly spends every chance he can out on the local rivers. Steve is comfortable in a raft or canoe. When not working for Rainbow Glacier Adventures, Steve guides extended wilderness trips in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Steve recently retired from a career with the US Postal Service.
Steve Ritzinger
Steve has over 22 years experience guiding raft tours in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. He has spent seven winter seasons in the Alaskan Arctic. Steve enjoys exploring the wilderness by by canoe, backpack, and cross-country skiing
Steve has a BA in Music Performance/ Education Focus from Minnesota State University has been teaching and performing music for the last four decades.
Mikey Eggert
Growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, Michael dreamed of seeing Alaska ever since he watched The Simpsons Movie at six years old. Now that he's here, it's his goal to connect people with the state and its abundant natural beauty. This past December, he earned a bachelor's degree in documentary filmmaking and photography from Northern Arizona University and has already found success, with his wildlife photos published in various magazines.
Davey Ozahowski
In 2013, Davey, originally from Vermont, was walking the docks of Haines harbor, trying to get a job on a fishing boat after a ski mountaineering trip and still a little rattled from running the 2013 Boston Marathon and watching the bombing. Then he met Joe Ordonez and was captivated by Joe’s passion and knowledge of Haines and Alaska. When Joe offered him employment, he walked away from the docks and spent two amazing summers guiding for Rainbow Glacier Adventures. After taking care of his parents and a ten-year hiatus from Haines, Davey’s thrilled to be back and looks forward to sharing the spectacular beauty of Haines––and the stories of its people and landscape––with guests. Davey obtained a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College where he focused on the power of storytelling through poetry and fiction. After leaving Rainbow Glacier Adventures in 2014, he was a high school English teacher, vegetable farmer, volunteer firefighter, truck driver, and ran a small adventure company.
Joe Uchytil
Joe is originally from northern Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse with a degree in marketing. Photography runs through his veins—he enjoys exploring every style, from weddings to wildlife. When he’s not behind the camera, you can find him traveling, fishing, lifting weights, or lost in a good book. Joe is excited to share the beauty of Alaska with everyone who joins him.
Grace Negelspach
Growing up in Oregon, Grace has always enjoyed the outdoors and being active. She attended Western Oregon University, where she played college soccer while earning her degree in Business Marketing. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, traveling, exploring new places, and spending time by the ocean. Grace is excited to meet people from all over and help them experience the incredible scenery, wildlife, and adventure that Alaska has to offer.
Jack Kendall
Jack was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he recently earned an engineering degree from the University of Alaska. Growing up in Interior Alaska gave him a lifelong appreciation for the state’s natural beauty. He has worked on road crews far above the Arctic Circle, tested scientific equipment in Southeast Alaska, and even served as a deckhand on a fishing vessel. In his free time, he can be found skiing, painting, and hiking.
Nicole Webster
With a background as a professional underwater photographer, scuba diver, and journalist for the past decade, Nicole brings a deep love of storytelling and the natural world to every tour. After years spent exploring life beneath the surface, she’s now embracing a new perspective at the water’s edge—captivated by Southeast Alaska’s dramatic landscapes and incredible wildlife. Nicole soaks up the region’s history, culture, and local knowledge like a sponge, and her favorite part of guiding is sharing those stories with guests in a meaningful way. Known for her warm, attentive approach, she combines her hospitality experience with a genuine passion for connecting people to place, creating memorable and engaging experiences for everyone she meets.
Katt Hendershot
Born and raised in Colorado, Katt developed a deep passion for the outdoors and wildlife, especially for bears. Her travels have taken her across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Africa, further shaping her love for wildlife and photography.
During her senior year of high school, Katt attended an outdoor leadership vocational program that inspired her career in outdoor recreation and tourism. Since then, she has worked across a wide range of roles, from climbing gyms and outdoor education to guiding for REI, teaching wilderness first aid, and working for a safari operator. She also volunteers with the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge and Wild Aware, where she helps lead a community-focused human-bear coexistence program. Katt holds certifications as a CBVA Level I Bear Viewing Guide, Leave No Trace Trainer, and Wilderness First Responder.
Katt earned her B.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from Colorado State University, with minors in Conservation Biology and Diversity & Inclusion in Natural Resources. She continued her studies at CSU, earning a Master’s degree in Tourism Management with a concentration in Adventure Travel.
Marla Dillman
Derek Larson
Derek is a native of Rochester, New York, and one of the photography guides for Rainbow Glacier Adventures in Haines. A retired U.S. Army noncommissioned officer, Derek brings years of leadership, experience, and a calm presence to every tour. When he’s not guiding photography adventures in Alaska, he leads hiking trips in Mexico, where his fluency in Spanish helps guests connect more deeply with the culture and local communities.
An avid cyclist, packrafter, and outdoor enthusiast, Derek enjoys exploring wild landscapes both on two wheels and on the water. He and his wife are proud parents of five children, and he brings the same sense of adventure, hospitality, and family spirit to every experience he shares with guests.
"Gil" Michael Gil
Gil is a photographer and filmmaker whose work is rooted in a deep connection to nature and storytelling. Raised in North Carolina, he developed an early appreciation for the outdoors and the quiet moments that often inspire meaningful images. In 2025, Gil thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and photographed the vast mountain ranges, remote deserts, alpine lakes, and the fleeting human moments that make long-distance hiking unforgettable. Driven by a passion for photography and adventure, Gil continues to seek opportunities to connect people with the natural world through visual storytelling.