The Guides

Hi! My name is Kelly Kate Warren, I'm a backcountry cook, writer, and wilderness guide.

I've been working in the wilderness for 13 years, as a trail worker, backcountry cook, wilderness ranger, youth educator, guide, and field biologist. 

I've spent the last 5 summers working in California's Sierra Nevada Mountain Range at Rock Creek Pack Station, and its sister outfits, Cottonwood and Virginia Lakes. I've worked over 60 trips, ridden close to 2,000 miles, and served over 400 guests.

I live in the Eastern Sierra, although I travel much of each year. I spend Fall in the Northwest, monitoring Steelhead populations for Watershed Restoration projects in Eastern Washington and Oregon. I spend my Spring in the Southwest, cooking for hiking retreats on the AZT.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and lived in San Francisco for 7 years. I've worked in bars and restaurants for most of my life, and the restaurant world in SF introduced me to food as a means of celebration, nourishment, and cultural exchange. I believe that the most important part of cooking is eating well, and I am constantly seeking out new dishes, cooking techniques, and ingredients.

Be it the chemistry of cooking or the reproductive habits of salmon, I love science, and I've built my life around sharing that love with other people.

When I'm not working, I'm walking my dog, eating frozen dumplings, writing stories, dancing in the moonlight, hosting dinner parties, and giggling with my friends.

You can find me on instagram @thebackcountrycook

Danny Boi

Danny has worked 4 seasons in the wilderness, and has extensive experience in bear deterrence, pest management, washing dishes, and crawling into your lap to steal your body warmth. He will accompany me on trips in the National Forests or on BLM land, but dogs are prohibited in the National Parks. He is low-shed and well-trained, but please contact me if you have allergies or other concerns.

Matt Berger

Matt Berger is a botanist with an expertise in the flora of the Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, Mojave Deserts, and Cascade Range. He is also a passionate backpacker, having completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail -  the triple crown of thru-hiking. He works as a field technician conducting rare and invasive plant surveys throughout the West. Matt writes about botany on instagram as @sheriff_woody_pct, where he’s helped thousands of people to get educated and excited about plants. He’s also worked with Backcountry Press as a photographer and educator, and you can purchase his webinar The Botanical Tales of the Pacific Crest Trail on their website. As a naturalist guide, he will identify plants and answer questions about the flora of the Sierra.


Matt can be found on Instagram at @sheriff_woody_pct.

Mark Midgett

Mark grew up on the California coast, and has been working with mules since the 1970s. He's a lifelong horseman, hunter, and fisherman, with a passion for ecology and wildlife conservation.

As a citizen scientist Mark's been monitoring deer and mountain lion populations in the Owen's Valley for over 20 years. He is one of 2 black packers working in the Sierra, and he's been packing mules and guiding pack trips for over 30 years.

In 2016, Mark helped to rescue a threatened population of endangered Golden Trout from Volcano Meadows, packing 52 fish 15 miles out of the Wilderness on 2 mules named Trudy and Fancy.

Mark is a phenomenal guide and storyteller with decades of experience navigating the High Sierra, caring for mules, and sharing his love of wildlife.