Our guides, Jake & Eryka, were fantastic. They were so friendly, caring, personable and went out of their way to make sure we had a great time and that our needs were catered for.
Eryka was our logistics person- no question too big or small- and there were lots during this COVID time. We felt safe and well cared for.
Eryka Thorley knows adventure. With Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as her childhood playground, Eryka quickly learned the draw of outdoor sports and grew up loving the challenges and adventures they entail.
She fine-tuned her appreciation for hiking, bikes, climbing and a fly rod while away at college in Montana. Skiing still topped her list, though, and starting in 2005 she added ski patrol to her list of job titles. In 2010 Eryka worked as a mountaineering guide on Mt Rainier in the Cascades of Washington. Here her love for the culture of mountains grew including the influence of two expeditions to Greenland (2011 and 2012). In 2012, Eryka’s cultural curiosity led her to graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver where she received a M.A. in Medical Anthropology with a focus on climate change communication.
In addition to raising an adorable little lady named Wynter, Eryka is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Leave No Trace Trainer.
Eryka lives to travel. Her thirst for adventure has taken her on the world’s longest kayak relay in Finland, leading dog sled expeditions in Greenland, studying health in rural Guatemala, and 75 consecutive days in a tent in the Alaskan wilderness. It is not the summit of mountains that draws Eryka to the alpine world, but the elegant dance of people and environment that she finds there.
The Bernese Oberland is set up for family adventures, and not just for the 7 year old who kicked my butt on a Bernese Oberland Tour tour a few years ago, but as a mother of a non-stop wound-up and sassy two year old, it’s the perfect place for a family adventure of any shape or size. [caption id="attachment_12820" align="aligncenter"...
Alpinehikers and Run the Alps first intern, Julia Maxwell, landed in the Alps in July and is excited to share her trail experiences with you. Here is a brief interview with Julia to introduce her as well as give us an idea what grounds her stories and what the heck she does when she's not actively exploring every mile of...
Here at Alpinehikers we're often asked questions about traveling solo in the Alps. I recently sat down with Abby Strauss-Malcolm, a veteran guide and head of sales for Alpinehikers and our partner company Run the Alps, to ask about her many solo miles traveled throughout the United States, the Alps and all over the world. As you read about Abby's...
One of the things I always share with people about the Alps is that while in this part of the world you are surrounded by non-stop postcard worthy photo opportunities. The Alps are strikingly beautiful. With that said, the biggest constraint on capturing these photos is the photography skills behind the camera -- at least for me -- obviously not...
Thanksgiving is a holiday of numerous meanings and traditions. At Alpinehikers we spent some time thinking about our own traditions and what makes the holidays special to us. The following stories are from our office staff who each celebrate in their own way and sometimes differently from year to year. Despite the location or yearly menu changes the one theme...
Traveling to the Dolomites? A stop at Gostner Schwaige is a must! If you find yourself trekking through the majestic peaks of the Val Gardena in the Italian Dolomites, say on our self-guided Great Dolomites Traverse, we've got a must do suggestion for you. Go to a foodie's hidden heaven, located just above Ortisei on the Alpe di Siusi. The...
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