Morning Routines
It was a calm and misty morning at Nimmo Bay. The fog had enveloped the entire bay and there was a still silence in the air. The only sounds was the cheerful calls of the swallows, as they dipped and dived just above the flat water. The team was starting to fall into their daily routines, and I was ready to learn more about guiding at Nimmo Bay.
For those who may not have had the opportunity to visit Nimmo Bay, all our adventures are led by the talented and incredibly knowledgeable wilderness guide team. There are 16 guides who are always ready to pivot and jump into action, and take you on a journey by sea or by land that you’ll never forget.
Our Head Guide
At the helm of this team is Head Guide Sarah Glenn, who I had the pleasure of sitting down with at Nimmo Bay on the docks in August, on the morning I described above. She has held this position for the last two years.
Sarah Glenn has over 15 years of excursion experience and connected with Nimmo Bay while working at Power To Be, a non-profit organization that Nimmo Bay has partnered with over the years that creates access to nature for youth, families, and adults living with various barriers. After experiencing Nimmo Bay with Power To Be several years back, it stuck in her heart and was always in the back of her mind. She’s a strong believer in the benefits of being in the remote wilderness with the ability to disconnect and be present in nature.
With that experience and ethos, she arrived at the lodge with fresh eyes and an open mind. Her goals are to support the guide team and foster cohesion, while staying immersed in the day-to-day adventures that she loves so much.
A Day in the Life
From the very first moments of the day to late in the evening, the Nimmo Bay guide team are pulling together adventures and helping create memories that will last a lifetime.
The days begin with the first light moments of leading a morning paddle through the mist and the fog, where the water is so calm there’s barely a ripple across the surface. The only noise you can hear is the dew dropping off the trees into the water. Our guides create space where you can quiet your mind and experience nature in its purest form.
And of course, there is the exhilarating thrill of taking the boat out for a coastal safari. The adrenaline pumping through your veins as the boat flies across the water in anticipation of seeing the wildlife of the Great Bear Rainforest. The guide team are the best at what they do and know the waterways like the back of their hands.
Key Characteristics
So what does it take to be a wilderness guide at Nimmo Bay? I was able to gain insight into a few key guiding characteristics while talking with Sarah Glenn. At their core is an adventurous and wild spirit, mixed with a desire to learn, teach, and be challenged. Things move quickly on the docks, so adaptability is a must. It’s essential to be both a team player and self-motivated. Being a people person with an innate understanding of laid back but attentive service is also important, as our guides are with our guests all day, every day! Each guide brings their own special skill set as well. Every chance she gets, Sarah Glenn highlights the whole guide team at Nimmo Bay.
“It’s such a beautiful, diverse group of people here that really care about providing good experiences for people. And we don’t just have one skill set, we have many skill sets. And that’s what I think is really unique about this team. People’s passions really come through when they’re put on programs and able to create programs for guests that are meaningful to them”.
Each guide is a piece of the wilderness excursion puzzle, and every piece is required to form the complete picture of experiencing Nimmo Bay to its fullest.
Building Relationships
Our guests and our guides develop strong connections over the course of their trips. Even in such a short amount of time, the bond of friendship often forms. Some of the best memories that Sarah Glenn has from her time at Nimmo Bay are during excursions with guests. Being out on the water, no phones, no distractions, taking a quiet moment to soak in the smell of the water and the ambient sounds of the forest. The vast wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest is the perfect backdrop for genuine connections to form.
“Yeah, it [Nimmo Bay] definitely makes it a lot easier for connections because you’re not just connecting with people but you’re connecting with the water, you’re connecting with the land, you’re connecting with the history of this place”.
It’s also a relationship built on trust. While it’s a fun job, safety is paramount for the guide team. They are trained to have full confidence in their ability to provide a high level of service and activities to our guests in a safe manner. Safety around big water and trekking are our top priorities, as well as with wildlife, for the safety of the animals and ourselves.
Turning Dreams into Reality
Our guides also take great responsibility in bringing the hopes and dreams that our guests share with us to life. Taking the time to curate and execute an exclusive collection of activities, in collaboration with other teams across the resort, to pull off the perfect adventure is thrilling and reflects our version of true luxury. If a guest ends the day or finishes the trip feeling as though they captured a little spark of Nimmo Magic, it’s a success.
“The ultimate hope is that people leave here feeling like they really experienced this place for what it is”.
Throughout these trips, the guide team has the unique opportunity of getting to share in so many first-time experiences with guests. They are woven into core memories that will last for decades. While it’s a challenging and pressure filled position, Sarah Glenn reminisces on those moments. “There’s a lot of benefits to the job, because we get to share in many of their [guests] first-time experiences. We get to create those moments that people talk about over and over, and they take photos of. And that’s a beautiful thing.”
Thank you
The wilderness guide team is a skilled group of adventurers, and each member brings their own unique skill set and perspective to the greater Nimmo Bay team. They have dedicated themselves to the challenging task of showing off the indescribable energy and emotion that envelops Nimmo Bay and this special region of the world. The passion they have for guiding is undeniable and lifts the excursions that we offer up to a level all of their own.
Photos by Jeremy Koreski