Your Leader, Bernie Palmer

“Trekking Made Simple”

Expertise
I bring all that I am to date to the table and I want you to know all that you can about me, and my commitment to you, if you are going to trust me to be your leader.

I came from a family of adventure spirits and became comfortable alone in the wilds of Northern British Columbia at a very young age. Few Canadians have the grounding in wilderness that I have. My family catered to those seeking wilderness and adventure and I grew up in the heart of the northern BC wilderness in a remote setting with no running water or electricity. I found that during prolonged periods of time in the wilderness I felt a true sense of calm, freedom, personal power and an appreciation for the greatness of the land that I was part of.

As an adult I continued to seek out true wilderness experiences. I began my career in the field of psychology, counselling youth. I worked in Outward Bound™ type programs introducing troubled youth to canoeing/kayaking, hiking, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing. On my own, I continued to expand and develop my outdoor skills and explore, seeking places more and more remote. Still today, I am happiest sitting atop a mountain or trekking along a beautiful stream somewhere in the wilderness.

I have published ten books and co-authored six. I currently volunteer for Ground Search and Rescue and gain new knowledge and skills everyday in rescue procedures and techniques.

My formal education and career has been varied, however, I find that my most useful and integrated education has been my informal life experiences. I have stood my ground with a charging grizzly bear, jumped out of airplanes, been rescued from life threatening situations, survived an airplane crash and felt the freedom and exhilaration of the wilderness.

Enthusiasm
As a nature lover and operator for adventure travel, I love pioneering new routes and destinations and introducing people to the experience of the wilderness. As the founder and owner of Natural Pursuits, I will be your personal leader on all excursions.

I want to introduce you to the exhilaration and beauty of the wilderness and ensure that you have a truly unforgettable journey of discovery. I promise to guide you through mental and physical challenges but never take you beyond what you can handle. As an avid adventurer I make incredibly detailed plans, which is the most important step to ensuring your safety.

Excellence
I am a person of principles. These trips are not just manufactured, mass tourism products that can be put together quickly and without thought. I will not take you on anything that I haven’t researched fully and checked out for myself. I strive to make your experience special and look for ways to enhance your journey. As my way of contributing to the local economy, I utilize local guides, porters, or arrieros rather then large companies that take away from the local economy. These local guides know their homeland, the language, ensure that we understand and respect their culture and differences, and add a down to earth approach to our trips.

My aim is not for high profits, it is instead to offer an affordable way for people to experience and appreciate the wilderness. I am based in Canada, I work out of my home and am therefore able to keep overhead to a minimum.

I take the hassles out of travelling for you so that you can focus on your journey of discovery. I take care of all the details including the pre-departure planning and booking. During the trip my role as your leader is to take care of all the details giving you a ‘hassle free’ expericnce.

I look forward to our journeys together.