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Meet Don Nguyen

Mountaineering Guide
Hunting Guide
Survivalist
adventurer

“Persians teach their sons three things above all else. To ride well, to shoot straight, and to always speak the truth.”

Field Tested Expertise

Don Nguyen is a mountain guide, hunter, and outdoor educator whose life work is centered around leading people in complex and demanding environments. After discovering rock climbing early in life, he committed fully to the outdoors following a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail, an experience that helped shape a life focused on expeditionary leadership, wilderness travel, and fieldcraft.

He was also featured on the season finale of the sixth season of Naked and Afraid. Time spent in Namibia and the Amazon rainforest further shaped his approach to bushcraft, tracking, hunting, and operating in remote environments.

Don guides across a wide range of terrain and disciplines. During the summer he leads Denali expeditions. In the fall he guides backcountry elk and deer hunts throughout the Northern Rockies. During the winter and spring he leads high altitude expeditions in Latin America and Africa.

Across each environment and discipline, the lessons of leadership, fieldcraft, risk management, and wilderness travel continue to build upon one another.

His leadership philosophy is shaped by years of study and by the influence of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, whom he views as the founding fathers of the American outdoor sprit. From Roosevelt, he draws a commitment to responsibility and decisive action. From Muir, a deep respect for wild places and the role they play in shaping character. These ideas carry through in how he guides, with an emphasis on preparation, adaptability, and sound judgment under pressure.

Don is also the co-founder of Climbers of Color, a Seattle based nonprofit focused on developing leadership and expanding access within the climbing community.

For Don, guiding is not just about reaching objectives, but about building capable, resilient people in the process.

Achievements

  • \10 Seasons guiding mountaineering trips
  • \9 Seasons guiding elk and deer
  • \7 Denali expeditions
  • \4 Aconcagua expeditions
  • \Dozens of summits of Rainier, Baker, Hood
  • \Survived the Discovery Channel TV show “Naked and Afraid”
  • \Thru Hiked the Appalachian Trail

Certificates & Training

  • \AMGA Rock and Alpine "Apprentice"
  • \AMGA Ice Instructor
  • \AMGA Single Pitch Instructor
  • \Avalanche Pro 1
  • \NRA Rifle Instructor
  • \NRA Range Safety Officer
  • \Gunsite Academy Rifle 270 (Top Shot Winner)
  • \Gunsite Academy Battle Rifle (Top Shot Winner)
  • \One Shepherd Leadership Institute (Two Semesters)
  • \Royal Tine Guide and Packer School Graduate

Meet our other guides

Jake

Hiking Guide
View Jake’s Bio

Cecil

Hunting & Hiking Guide
View Cecil’s Bio

Paul

Hiking & Climbing Guide
View Paul’s Bio

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Jake “Nightsift” Rupert Hiking Guide

Jake “Nightshift” Rupert is a long-distance hiker, writer, engineer, and outdoor storyteller based in Boulder, Colorado. In 2024, he completed the Calendar Year Triple Crown, hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail—more than 7,000 miles across all four seasons within a single year.

Much of Jake’s backpacking experience has involved sustained exposure to extremes: alpine ranges in sub-zero temperatures, exposed deserts in peak summer heat, and thousands of miles of remote terrain in between. His engineering background informs a practical, methodical approach to moving through the backcountry.

What draws Jake to guiding is a genuine passion for teaching. He enjoys taking the intimidating challenges of long-distance hiking (route planning, gear systems, navigation, pacing, and environmental adaptation) and breaking them down into simple, effective systems for the field. He has seen it enough times to know that the two greatest barriers to traveling long distances outdoors are mindset and logistics, not athleticism.

Jake believes there is no wrong way to hike except to go about it somebody else’s way. Whether someone seeks relaxation, clarity, adventure, or challenge, his goal is to help them bridge that gap safely and confidently.

Cecil SherwoodClimbing Guide

I am originally from Southern California and Fresno, CA, but grew up in Northern Minnesota. I identify as Hispanic with ancestry rooted in the Zacatecas region of Mexico, and I continue pursuing a deeper connection with my heritage and culture.

I have lived in seven different states and traveled to more than half a dozen countries around the world, though Colorado is where I began my climbing journey. Today, I happily call the Pacific Northwest home.
I first started with rock and ice climbing, and over time expanded into alpine climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing.

I served 20 years in the US Army, from SAW gunner to Platoon Sergeant and operations NCO. I saw combat in multiple Iraq, and Afghanistan tours, with a peace keeping mission to the Balkans. I worked with special forces, British SAS, FBI, CIA, Black Water, Tripple Canopy, and other special military operations groups throughout the world.
I have attended and graduated from some of the hardest military schools.

Military Service
  • Multiple combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans
  • 20 years of active service; honorably retired
  • Won Top Gun Sniper school
  • Numerous military awards and citations to include Bronze Star with Valor
  • Recognized for saving a fellow Soldiers life in the battle of FOB Ghazni with MOA recipient SSG Mike Ollis
Certifications & Training

AMGA Rock Guide Course
AMGA Alpine Guide Course
AMGA Single Pitch Instructor
A3 Pro 1
AIARE Rec 1
AIARE Companion Rescue
US Army Sniper School
US Army Special Forces Selection and Assessment School
US Army Master Combative Instructor
Close Quarters Marksmanship

Achievements:

3 seasons guiding mountaineering trips
3 seasons guiding rock climbing trips
2 seasons guiding fishing trips in Minnesota and Canada
Dozens of summits of Rainier, Baker, Hood, St. Helens, and other alpine peaks
Featured on PBS Out and Back S3E3
Interviewed on Buddy Check podcast S1E6
Thru-hiked the Enchantments
Feel free to follow me on Instagram: @cecil_sherwood

PaulClimbing Guide

I was originally born in Queens, New York and grew up in the rugged mountain regions of south Florida!

My mom is Greek and my Dad is Jewish and I was the first one born in the US on my moms side. I was fortunate to experience both cultures growing up.

As a troublesome teen, I was sent to treatment programs in Georgia and Utah. Both of which helped me fall in love with the mountains. As an adult, the therapy world stole my heart and I worked as a wilderness therapy guide for 5 years, devoting most of my time to working with teens on the Autism spectrum. Recreational adventure climbing in my off time helped me refill my own cup after giving everything I had to the kids while I was with them.

I feel a passion for climbing of all kinds whether its big walls, long ice/mixed routes, death marching at altitude or just a single pitch of easy rock! It sounds cheesy, but I am similarly passionate about sharing that with other people so we can all appreciate the wilderness together!

I try to keep up with posting my adventures on Instagram @paul_barish Its important to me that I tell the honest story on there instead of just the highlights to show that climbing is an ebb and flow process, not just "sending the gnar". Feel free to check it out if you'd like!

Certificates and Training:

Single Pitch Instructor
Alpine Skills Course
AAIRE Level 1
Wilderness First Responder
5 years as a Wilderness Therapy Guide/Trainer, specializing with students on the Autism spectrum
Outdoor Recreational Leadership Associates Degree

Achievements
Solo Winter Ascents of all of Colorado’s 14ers
Ascents in Alaska, Himalaya, Andes, Africa and the Alps
7 routes on El Capitan in Yosemite, including a solo ascent
Many First Ascents, especially in the desert
149 different desert towers