Meet Our Guides
Jim Brickley
Jim has always loved a good adventure and the opportunity to explore. Now retired, Jim served for over 30 years as an Advanced Math teacher for high schoolers. He has been married for over 30 years to his wife Kathy and has 2 grown sons. Jim enjoys interacting in various environments with different cultures, and welcomes the challenges travel brings. His hobbies include motorcycling and scuba diving, as well as hiking and travel. He anticipates growing through diverse international encounters that challenge his paradigm of “normal” and looks forward to sharing these learning experiences with you on tour.
Scott & Ruth Burk
Sharing the best of Europe and America, the Burks have been leading Walking Adventures for several years. Unforgettable Utah is one of their favorite domestic destinations—complete with other-worldly red rock formations and a palatable Wild West aura. They are excited to lead walks in each of the five National Parks at the cornerstone of this Adventure and explore countless other unexpected gems along the route. Always on the lookout for a great vista or neighborhood foodie hangout, they enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for travel with others. In between tours, you’ll likely find Ruth attending to her backyard chickens and Scott reading the newspaper on the front porch with their dog, Titan.
Dan Friesen, WAI CAO (Chief Adventure Officer)
Dan has been guiding tours for over 30 years. He took over the reins of the company from George Friesen, its founder and Dan’s father, in the mid-nineties, and has been expanding the reach of Walking Adventures ever since. His personal interests lie in the areas of history and current events, and he enjoys exploring new areas of the planet, interacting with different cultures, and sharing these experiences with others.
Tim & Jeannette Friesen
Tim and Jeannette have the dubious distinction of sharing the last name Friesen with certain other Team members (Tim is Dan’s “little” brother). Tim and Jeannette currently lead summertime walking adventures, mostly in Europe, and are looking forward to the time when they can leave their day jobs behind and hit the trail on a year-round basis.
Scott Isom
Scott Isom has had a passion for the outdoors ever since his childhood days spent exploring the waterfalls and outstanding hiking trails of the Columbia River Gorge with his family. That sense of adventure continues with his wife, Debbie and their three girls on the terrific trails of Mt. Rainier National Park and in other natural wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest. Currently living in Puyallup, Washington, Scott loves to explore the unknown, knows how to have a good time, and enjoys including others in the fun! Scott has led tours on all 7 continents and is one of WAI’s busiest guides and on-site Adventure planners.
Todd & Chrissy Jones
Todd and Chrissy Jones both work on a public school calendar – Chrissy is a physical therapist supporting students with physical disabilities, and Todd teaches high school history, government and economics. Both of their daughters are off at college, which means they have summertime to enjoy walking adventures with you! They have traveled in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, and are immensely grateful for opportunities to discover and appreciate new environments and cultures.
Kurt and Therese Lewandowski
Kurt and Therese are recently retired college math instructors, but their passion lies in most anything outdoors. Backpacking, hiking, skiing, and boating top the list, but travel has been a constant throughout their over 35 year marriage. Taking teams on annual short term mission trips has opened opportunities to visit many countries, especially Mexico, where they also lived for a time. After raising their 4 children in Oregon, they have recently relocated to Des Moines, Washington to be nearer a grandson and all three daughters. They are excited to begin this new adventure with WAI.
Michael & Andrea Le Roy
After many years leading university study abroad programs in Europe and Latin America, Michael and Andrea are excited to shift their focus from college students to adventuresome lifelong learners. Andrea began her work as a wilderness guide as a college student, later worked as a social worker, and is interested in religion, history, and culture. As a professor, Michael taught courses in International Affairs and later served in administration while pining to be outside on the trail . . . any trail. They are excited to be part of the WAI guide team.
