Meet Our Staff!
Wanderlust Tours offers half-day guided tours and trips in Bend, Sunriver and Sisters Oregon. Wanderlust Tours has specialized in outdoor tours, outdoor activities and things to do while on vacation in Bend and Sunriver, Oregon since 1993.
Our Mission: Wanderlust Tours exists to inspire our guests and vibrantly share the natural and cultural history of Oregon in order to instill appreciation and protection of the environment.
Our Ethic: We hold great respect for the natural surroundings of our tours and hope to introduce people to delicate ecosystems while maintaining a low impact on the environment.
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JARED - Owner | OPERATIONS MANAGER | NATURALIST GUIDE
While attending the University of Maine, Jared spent time working in Acadia National Park as a Ridge Runner teaching Leave No Trace. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism and a minor in Outdoor Education he relocated to Bend. He is an avid rock climber, but also dabbles in whitewater kayaking, yoga, and backpacking. Jared’s passion and excitement for the outdoors inspires everyone he meets.
COURTNEY - Owner | SALES MANAGER | NATURALIST GUIDE
Originally from Upstate New York she graduated from the University at Buffalo and spent her free time hiking in the Adirondack Mountains. She left NY for a 145 day thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail where she fell in love with Central Oregon and its High Desert! In her free time you can find her exploring the great outdoors by way of trail running, kayaking, rowing, climbing mountains, and skiing. Her dog Clementine found her in Bend and now enjoys frolicking in the outdoors almost as much as she does. Courtney is excited to share the knowledge, passion and excitement she has for the outdoors with others!
Jay - Marketing and Events Manager
Jay was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up loving all things outdoors, in particular, snowboarding. In January of 2020, Jay made his move from Cleveland to the beautiful mountains of Bend. Alongside the outdoors, Jay loves music, surfing, camping, and photography. When he's not searching for the next stash of fresh powder, you can find him catching waves on the Oregon coast, playing his guitar, and hiking the many trails around Bend.
Jeannie - Office Manager | Naturalist Guide
Growing up as the daughter to two military parents, Jeannie had the opportunity to travel and experience living all around the US, Europe, and the Middle East. The travel bug bit early and she’s been exploring ever since!
A cross-country road trip from Maine to California first introduced Jeannie and her husband to the magnificence of Central Oregon. A year later, they found themselves moving to Bend and enthusiastically adopting it as their new home.
Jeannie’s favorite ways to connect with a new place usually involve getting outside on the local hiking and biking trails, ski pistes, or snowshoe tracks. Naturally, this led her to Wanderlust, where she is excited to lead others in connecting with Bend, by engaging with the natural world around us.
Jose - Operations Manager | Naturalist guide
Jose is a native Oregonian who loves all the outdoor activities that this state has to offer. While growing up in Eugene, on the west side of the Cascade Mountain range, he spent a lot of time hiking, fishing, and camping. His passion for the outdoors and desire to share his enthusiasm for nature lead him to pursue a degree in Tourism, Recreation, and Adventure Leadership at the Oregon State University-Cascades campus here in Bend. In his free time, you can find Jose rock climbing, hiking with this dog, or paddle boarding.
Dylan - Naturalist guide
Dylan is originally from Australia and grew up exploring the great outdoors with his family. He has a degree in PE and Outdoor Education. In 2015 Dylan began working in outdoor education, leading students on one to three-week trips from hiking to white water rafting around Southeastern Australia. In 2016 Dylan completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. In 2019, Dylan moved to the US to guide in Yosemite and Southern Utah. He strives to connect people with beautiful spaces and pass on his passion for this wondrous land. He now calls Bend home where you can find him hiking, biking, climbing or skiing with his lovely wife.
Abby - Naturalist Guide
Hailing from the flat lands of the Chicago suburbs, Abby ventured out west toward higher elevations a few years after college and never looked back! She hiked from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2017, where she fell in love with the Cascade Mountains. She moved to Portland, OR after completing the trail, and then made Bend her home in 2019. After spending the last nine years of her professional career as a pediatric nurse, Abby realized that her true passion lies in the mountains, desert, lakes, and rivers of Oregon—which is what led her to Wanderlust! In her free time, you can find her trail running in the mountains, adventuring with her dog, sipping lattes at local coffee shops, and thrifting. She is so excited to share her love of the outdoors with you this summer!
Benton - Naturalist Guide
Benton grew up in rural southern Indiana as an only child spending much of his free time exploring the forests around his home on foot and on horseback. This experience taught him that nature is a loving and challenging companion during the easy and the difficult times in life. After high school he bought a one way ticket to the US Virgin Islands, beginning his quest to find a new home and eventually settling in Oakland, California where he became a paddle sports instructor and guide and explored the coasts, deserts, forests, and mountains of the Golden State. After an 8 month road trip throughout the west he found that Bend was his favorite town of all the places he visited. 1 year later he moved up to Oregon. Benton enjoys riding his motorcycle in the National Forest, stand up paddle boarding, snow shoeing, rock climbing, the cold water of local rivers, music production and sitting in the woods and being still.
Dylan - Naturalist guide
Dylan's upbringing in the Willamette Valley fueled his enduring passion for outdoor exploration. From a young age, he immersed himself in nature, cultivating a deep curiosity about the world. Pursuing this interest, he earned a degree in Earth Sciences at Oregon State University, spending his summers guiding and captaining boats in Glacier National Park. Following graduation, Dylan and his partner relocated to Bend, drawn by the proximity to the mountains he grew up exploring. Excited to continue sharing his love for natural science, he is grateful for the opportunity to share geological insights amidst the beautiful Oregon wilderness. On his days off, Dylan loves to read, run, climb mountains, and take peaceful naps in a hammock.
Jeremy - Naturalist Guide
Jeremy joined Wanderlust in 2009. You might find Jeremy working for Outward Bound in central Oregon, working with Oregon Adaptive Sports, or exploring the great outdoors by foot, bike, raft and canoe. Jeremy’s favorite parts of winter are overdosing on holiday music, bluebird ski days, and feeling the days gradually lengthen as winter progresses.
JAMES - NATURALIST GUIDE
James has a degree in outdoor recreation leadership from Oregon State University and has been guiding with Wanderlust Tours since 2007. James is an Eagle Scout, youth leader, and maybe the fifth most handsome Wanderlust Tours guide. When not on tour, James' other passions include riding bikes with his 3 sons, photography, bird identification, fly fishing and home brewing beer, wine & mead. If you're going on tour with James, you may or may not want to get him started talking about lichens, native birds or fermentation science.
DAVE - Founder | Naturalist Guide
Dave founded Wanderlust Tours in 1993. Dave’s passion is to help people understand the intricate links between nature and us; after all, we rely on everything she provides for us. Dave and his wife, Aleta, received the 2000 Governor’s Tourism Award. Governor Kitzhaber gave this award to Wanderlust Tours in recognition of their leadership, cooperation and support for building sustainable tourism in Oregon. In 2005 Wanderlust Tours received the Gene Leo award for their outstanding contributions and efforts in outdoor recreation and for its focus on Oregon’s natural beauty. In 2007 Dave and Aleta were awarded the Excellence in Family Business Award from the Austin Family Business Program at Oregon State University for promoting the understanding of natural, cultural and environmental issues in Oregon. Outside of business, life is active with his family pursuing outdoor recreation in Bend’s nearby forest, traveling and volunteering in various capacities.
ALETA - CO-founder
Aleta co-founded Wanderlust Tours with Dave in 1993. Aleta's role and passion for Wanderlust is in marketing, public relations, and the company image. She has a degree in communications and has marketing experience ranging from Chicago PR firms to the High Desert Museum. Aleta met Dave while guiding in the Canadian Rockies and they created Wanderlust Tours together before they married. Aleta's other full-time job has the title of "Mom" to daughter Annika. Aleta loves trail running, fitness, reading, theater, independent films and rock climbing with her daughter. Annika is a Wanderlust guide-in-training, born and raised in Bend. She loves to run, snowshoe, sing, act and swim.
