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 See Joe’s complete bio.

 


Yvonne (Edie) Granger
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Yvonne studied the flora and fauna there as she achieved her BA in Humane Studies/Religion. Post-Bachelor certification in Botany and Horticulture followed as she worked at Yosemite and Mount Rainier National Parks for the National Park Service, and at urban and rural businesses in the tech or plant realms of the greater Seattle area.
Yvonne comes from an entrepreneurial family, so business is a familiar landscape for her. Running Rainbow Glacier Adventures has been a natural progression, while simultaneously off-grid homesteading and raising a family. After over 20 winters in the Chilkat Valley, she continues the financial and managerial duties as Vice President of RGA, all the while appreciating the wild and pristine beauty of the Upper Lynn Canal communities. Yvonne’s art and poetry have been published, drawing inspiration from nature and our collective human condition.

 


Michelle Zeiger

Michelle, the General Manager for Rainbow Glacier Adventures, 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 his 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.

 


 

Holden Pierce

Holden Pierce is our Skagway Manager and photography guide. He also is a seasoned professional videographer with a deep passion for adventure. With a decade of experience in capturing moments and stories through the lens, he has honed his skills to bring life’s most incredible moments to the screen. From breathtaking landscapes to heartwarming human interactions, he believes in the power of visual storytelling to inspire and connect.

 

 


Christine Rogers

Christine joins Rainbow Glacier Adventure from San Tan Valley, AZ. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1996 with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She worked as an outdoor portrait photographer for 17 years and loves to explore, hike, and camp in cooler climates.  She genuinely enjoys people of all ages, so a summer in Alaska as a photography tour guide has been an absolute dream job. In her spare time, Christine enjoys hiking, fishing, wildlife and nature photography, cooking, and baking for our Skagway crew.

 

 


 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.

 

 

 

 


 

Lydia Andrieson

Lydia was born and raised in Haines, Alaska. She is a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Environmental Change. She also recently studied abroad in Madrid, Spain. Growing up in Alaska, she has realized the importance of preserving the nature surrounding her and hopes to do just that by implementing renewable energy in rural Alaska. Lydia spends her summer leading tours with Rainbow Glacier Adventures sharing her hometown with visitors. In her free time, Lydia enjoys making wheel-thrown pottery and glass art, singing, and running through trails in this beautiful place she calls home.

 

 

 


Aly Zeiger

Aly grew up in Southeast Alaska, first in Juneau, then in Haines. Her parents took her hiking and canoeing within her first two months of life, and she has loved the outdoors ever since. When the family moved to Haines and off the grid, Aly thought she must be the luckiest girl in the world. More than 15 years later, she’s quite certain of it. Haines is her home, and she works both as a raft guide and a librarian. She learns new things every day, and gets to share her love of this place with visitors. Aly earned her BA degree in Anthropology from The Evergreen  State College in Olympia, WA. 

 

 

 


Chad Soiseth

Chad earned a BS in Zoology from North Dakota State University and a MS in Aquatic and Population Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He spent more than thirty years in Southeast Alaska as a federal fisheries biologist with the National Park Service in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. There, he monitored fisheries harvest; aquatic species, and assessed human impacts to park ecosystems. Youth education and outreach proved to be one of the most rewarding aspects of his career. Hiking, backpacking, camping, skiing, paddling, rowing and power boating in Alaska have consistently reaffirmed the power of connection to the natural world as a critical component of the human experience. Chad enjoys learning, sharing his natural and cultural history knowledge, and showcasing the wonder and beauty of Haines with our guests. He also loves spending time with his partner Christy and volunteers with Haines Assisted Living and Hospice of Haines. 

 


 

Garrett Shively

Garrett earned a degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University in his hometown of Bellingham, WA. He spent a decade wrenching on boutique mountain bikes and even more time outdoors riding them. While working for a camera resale business, Garrett got the opportunity to play with a lot of cameras and lenses. It’s easy to see how guiding wildlife and photography tours in Haines became a perfect fit. Garret also spent the last year working with a disaster relief non-profit in Louisiana and Florida, responding to Hurricane Ida and Hurricane Ian. He is very glad to be doing a much less stressful job here in Haines. 

 

 

 


Lindsey Reese

Lindsey is originally from Texas and has a bachelor’s degree in art education from Tarleton State University. After 9 years of bringing joy to her students as an art teacher, she made the leap and moved to Southeast Alaska. Her “yes year” led her to Juneau, where she fell in love with her fiancé, Austin. They now homestead 25 miles outside of Haines, across from the Chilkat River. Lyndsey loves to share her “happy place” with her Rainbow Glacier Adventures guests, educating them on the vast history and incredible nature on display in all directions. 

 

 

 


Paul Cunningham

Paul rediscovered photography more than 15 years ago after a long career working with software companies. Now he is on a quest to explore the beauty of the world and share it with others through photography. He enjoys shooting portraits and events for clients, as well as landscape, nature, and travel subjects for his own portfolio. He prefers shooting film because it lets him slow down and enjoy the process, but often grabs a digital camera to capture the ‘critical moment’. Paul also prints and publishes fine art photography using the traditional platinum palladium process.
Visit www.theCunninghamPress.com to learn more.

 


Anna Mulyca

Anna left Haines to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration from the State University of New York at Delhi. When she returned in 2015, she worked as a seasonal deckhand on a commercial salmon boat, at the Mountain Market deli, and as a construction flagger on the Haines Highway project. Anna works in the office as a booking agent for RGA. When not in the office, Anna also guides tours, sharing stories of local life in Haines from her uniquely local perspective.

 

 

 


Joanie Wagner

Joanie moved to Haines from Chicago in 1994, trading the skyscrapers for the mountains. She retired from the USPS as a rural mail carrier, traveling 100 miles a day through all kinds of weather. She’s been doing a weekly radio show for 25 years on the local public radio station, KHNS. And when she isn’t guiding tours, she’s an artist, an avid gardener, and she plays music with a local ukulele group.

 

 

 

 


 

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. 

 

 

 


Pat Kennedy

Pat, a life-long Floridian, retired from law enforcement after 38 years. He came to Skagway on a cruise in 2022 and went on a photography tour with Rainbow Glacier Adventures. During the tour, he learned of a photo guide position opening and made a monumental shift to came to work for Rainbow Glacier Adventures in 2023.  Photography has been a favorite interest of Pat’s for 16 years. He loves to share his artful expertise, connecting RGA guests with Alaska through wildlife, micro, and small landscape photography.

 

 

 


Anna Jurgeleit

Anna was born and raised in Haines. She lives on 2 acres of paradise that includes an orchard with close to 100 cherry trees. Besides guiding for Rainbow Glacier tours, she makes jewelry, is a photographer, knits, hikes, bikes, and skis. She loves to travel with her husband, Jim, during the winter months.

 

 

 

 


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.

 

 

 

 


 

Kim Clune

Kim has traveled the world as a professional wedding, wildlife, and nature photographer, noting strong similarities across all fields. She’s been a 3-time winter wolf photo expedition leader in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks, but best loves guiding alongside the brown bears and eagles of Alaska. Reeled in by what she finds to be the most soul-satisfying place on Earth, Kim and her husband Tim have since settled in Haines from Upstate NY. When not sharing her love for this place with visitors, Kim happily kayaks, hikes, cycles, snowshoes, and romps in the rivers with her dogs  — almost always with her camera in hand.

 

 

 


Cindy Schultz

Cindy Schultz is an award-winning photojournalist who’s worked in the newspaper business for 25 years. A native of Minneapolis, Cindy spent most of her professional career at the Times Union in Albany, NY, photographing presidential visits to NCAA tournaments. She has taught photography, presented her work to college students and photo clubs, and has been a mentor to up-and-coming photographers. In 2017, Cindy’s “Year of Yes” took her to Southeast Alaska where she was captivated by the area’s natural beauty and friendly people. When offered the opportunity, Cindy embraced the chance to guide photography and sightseeing tours here. Visit Cindy’s portfolio, at cschultzphoto.com.  

 

 


 Barb Blood

Barb has been guiding for Rainbow Glacier Adventures since 2001. She has been in Alaska since 1973 and in Haines since 1990.  She especially loves the history of Haines and never tires of sharing what makes Haines a wonderful place to live.  Now retired from a nursing career and from the Haines Borough Public Library, she spends the winters traveling to visit grandchildren and volunteering at the school, the library, the Sheldon Museum and for Hospice of Haines.  

 

 

 


Deb Marshall

Deb came to Alaska in 1974 to strike her fortune in the restaurant business. She owned and operated Juneau’s celebrated eatery, the Fiddlehead Restaurant and Bakery, for over twenty years. Early on she discovered the beauty of the Chilkat Peninsula, and built a cabin in the woods in Haines in 1985. Now she feeds her soul by living the subsistence lifestyle, exploring the planet and guiding for Rainbow Glacier Adventures. Since 2007, Deb has guided almost every type of tour offered here at RGA. Sharing her love of the wild with Alaska’s visitors is the high point of her year.

 

 


 

Jen Reid

Jen has been guiding since 2007, but living the rugged Alaska life for over 30 years. She loves showing off the glaciers and wildlife in this  paradise we live in and sharing about the freedom we have to be ourselves and do whatever we want. Jen is an artist – she carves fossil ivory and makes jewelry. She also loves to hike, sail, kayak, fish, ski, knit, sew, garden, read and she loves trying and learning new things. Jen says, “I can’t imagine any lifestyle that could possibly beat what I already have!