Christine Hawes
Christine is from idyllic Galiano Island, tucked away in the Southern Gulf Islands of BC Canada. She grew up in the outdoors and developed a passion for the earth’s wild places at young age. She pursued a career in wilderness and adventure guiding, graduating with an Adventure Guide diploma, a degree in Tourism Management, and to top it off a major in “Adventure.” Christine has been working in the guiding industry for close to 10 years.
She spends the northern summers working on the giant westerly swell of Haida Gwaii (The Queen Charlotte Islands) doing self-supported mulit-day kayak trips. For the last 5 years she has been spending the southern summers working amongst the ice in Antarctica. In 2009, Christine took the summer off from work to complete a personal expedition. She paddled 2417 km from Galiano Island, BC to the depths of Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska in her nimble pink kayak, Gypsy.
Christine has joined these expeditions:
What skills do you bring to the job?
"I am a certified Sea-kayak Guide. My education and training is as an Adventure Guide."
What keeps you coming back season after season?
"The privilege to experience these areas of immense wilderness and beauty."
If you could time travel, which historic expedition would you join, and why?
"It is impossible for me to choose just one...I long to experience different aspects of all expeditions - primarily the experience of living in an era of constant discovery. In the true spirit of adventure, I dream of creating my own journey...of exploration, distance, endurance, and comradery.
Christine's advice for Polar Travelers
"Come free of expectations. Be open and ready to embrace and enjoy the true glory of what the polar regions have to offer. They are like nothing you have ever seen!"
