Kate Monahan is the owner and guide for The Quiet Guiding Company. She loves an early morning cup of coffee on the shores of a still lake.
Hometown
Ithaca, New York (Visit Ithaca)
Dream Trip
I love to travel, so I want to explore as many places as I possibly can in a sustainable manner. (I’m looking at you Patagonia, New Zealand, Iceland, Arctic rivers, etc.!) In terms of what I aim to offer through Quiet Guiding Co. one day, my dream wilderness trips (yes, plural!) include paddling Quetico Provincial Park (Ontario…with the corresponding Boundary Waters on the Minnesota side), Bowron Lakes (British Columbia), and an autumn trip along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (northeast U.S. and a little bit of Quebec).
Certifications
- Paddle Canada Instructor: Lake Canoe, Tandem
- Paddle Canada Skills: Sea Kayak Level 2; Moving Water Intermediate, Tandem
- Wilderness First Responder
- Whitewater Rescue
Favorite Outdoors Memory
Oh, this is a tough one. Most of my time spent outside – perhaps stressful at the time – has a rose-colored tinge to it now. A couple of years ago I took a solo, Canadian Thanksgiving Day overnight onto Bon Echo’s backpacking trail. It poured buckets the whole drive from Toronto to Bon Echo and as I stepped out of my car in the parking lot, the skies parted. I was there to test out my knee after a summer injury and to film a short media project, but the trip reminded me that I need solo time outdoors and that I’m more than prepared to do it.
What Does “Quiet” Mean To You?
More than anything I want to facilitate the outdoors experience for you (and me, frankly) such that you can hear distinctive bird calls, smell the plant life, or see the future weather changing. If you’re like me and have a lot going on in your head, I would love for your inner chatter to soften. We aim to avoid having our day-to-day adventures consist of nothing more than getting from point A to point B. You’ll only wonder where your vacation went.
So to wrap this up, quiet means bringing presence and focus to each trip and allowing the same for you.
Want to travel with us? Book a trip with Quiet Guiding Co. We look forward to slowing down with you.