Alpenglow Adventures Sitka
Meet Your Guides
Laura Tirman, She/Her
Hiking Guide & Owner of Alpenglow Adventures Sitka
Laura is an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast who fell in love with the outdoors at a young age. After completing her Master's in Public Health in 2016, she decided to make her passion for travel and being active into her career. Laura has since worked as a hiking and biking guide in countries such as Iceland, Scotland, Norway, Slovenia and France. She moved to Sitka in 2020 to work as a wilderness therapy guide taking teenagers on backpacking and kayaking trips in this beautiful area. Laura strongly believes in the power of the outdoors in fostering a healthier, happier life.
Feeling most at home in the mountains of northern latitudes, Laura can't wait to take you on her favorite hikes in Sitka while sharing her passion for Alaska! Laura is a trained Wilderness First Responder and completed a course in Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership with American Alpine Institute in April 2023.
Nick Fruendt, He/Him
Hiking Guide
Nick's love for guiding started at Camp Foster in Okoboji, Iowa where he worked as a camp counselor leading hiking and canoeing trips for youth ages 7-18. Nick moved to Sitka in 2020 and in his four years here, he has built a strong connection to the land and local trails. Before guiding for Alpenglow Adventures Sitka, Nick worked at a substance use treatment program centered around creating opportunities for youth to connect with nature. This experience involved leading weeklong kayaking and backpacking expeditions all over Sitka.
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Nick is a trained Wilderness First Responder. When he's not playing outside, Nick likes to read, write poetry, and hang out with friends.
Emily Pound, She/They
Hiking Guide
From hiking and snowboarding on the traditional lands of the Abenaki in the green mountains of Vermont to trail running and split boarding in the Southeast Alaskan alpine with her two huskies, Emily has learned to cultivate joy and community through outdoor recreation. While studying prelaw and sociology at American University in Washington, D.C., Emily would scamper home northeast during the summers to work as a guide at Stowe Mountain Resort. In 2018, she moved to Sitka through JVC NW Americorps to volunteer as a children’s advocate at the local domestic violence shelter: Sitkans Against Family Violence. After finishing her service year, she transitioned to Sitka Conservation Society where she worked as a catalyst connecting youth with their environment and community while finishing her masters in Environmental Justice and Policy from Vermont Law School.
She has since moved on to seasonal work as an operations manager of Selkie Snorkel Tours, a hiking guide with Alpenglow Adventures Sitka, and a trail crew member at Sitka Trail Works learning from the lands and waters of the Tongass National Forest on Lingít Aani. You can find her fishing and foraging during this season of bounty!
Emily has a Wilderness First Responder certification.
Why Alpenglow?
The name Alpenglow Adventures was inspired by the magic of the pink and orange glow on the mountains at sunrise and sunset - my favorite times of the day! These moments are best when shared with others. We hope you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the glow with us!
Alpenglow Adventures Sitka acknowledges that tourism as an industry has a large carbon footprint. We are committed to operating as sustainably and regeneratively as possible. We encourage you to leave your single use plastics at home, as we provide reusable water bottles for your hike. We purchase as much as we can locally, and support other small local businesses whenever possible.
Commitment to Sustainability
Supporting Sitka Trails
We are so grateful to have such an incredible network of trails here in Sitka. Thanks to the hard work of residents and local organizations, we are able to recreate on and learn from this land. Alpenglow Adventures Sitka encourages you to support the maintenance of our trails.
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We love our logo and we hope you do too! Check out our Alpenglow Apparel store where you can purchase t-shirts, hoodies and goodies to ensure you're hiking in style.
