Meet Our Naturalist Guides
We take pride in our guides – their commitment to providing excellent service is the key to our success.
Each of our staff members has chosen guiding as a profession in order to share his or her expertise and passion for nature. Their dedication, depth of knowledge, loyalty, and strong work ethic is what makes our tours memorable, safe and fun!
Cathy Shill — Owner & Founder
Cathy is an acclaimed leader of the natural world. In 1989, she created The Hole Hiking Experience in Jackson, Wyoming. Her company reaches thousands of people each year to inspire with nature through lively interpretation. The trips are fun and engaging and clients are given the opportunity to connect to natural processes, wildlife, and learn innate natural connections. She is a dynamic leader and has inspired children, executives, and shared “ah-ha” moments with anyone who has a desire to learn. She has toured with Walt Disney, Phizer Corporation, Jansport, Carlson Companies, Young Presidents Organization, Mars, IBM, MCI, Atlantic-Bruecke, University of Wyoming, Shell, and many more. She has traveled to Kilimanjaro, the Galapagos Islands, Italy, New Zealand, Nepal, India and Bhutan to pursue natural exploration and cultural experiences. She enjoys the synergy of life found by balance. Her interests include meditation, yoga, qi gong, and a universal connection to all life.
Beverly Charette — Summer & Winter Naturalist
Beverly came to the region when she was 2 and has been deeply connected to this area ever since. Growing up in Wisconsin, she moved to the mountains of Colorado in the 1980’s and then to northern New Mexico, finally returning with her family to Teton Valley, ID, in 1999. An undergraduate degree in English and history and graduate studies in social work along with an 8-year career in children’s book publishing helped her to hone communication and leadership skills that serve her well as a guide. Her passion and avocation, however, has always been natural history and the environment. Years tending domestic plants in nurseries and landscaping led her to seek out their cousins in the wild, eventually leading hikes year round for Sierra Club and now for The Hole Hiking Experience. She calls herself a “Visitor Center junkie” and a perpetual student of nature, learning something new every day. “To get where I am today, I followed my heart to the mountains and then let my feet carry me the rest of the way.” In addition to being a naturalist, Beverly is also a Reiki Master therapist, a professional singer, and she fronts the rock and blues band, Blu Dog Howlin’ out of Teton Valley, Idaho.
Belinda Gunn — Summer & Winter Naturalist
Belinda was born into a military family in Colorado. Having lived in the Philippines, Hawaii and several other states before age 10, she was bitten by the travel bug early in life. After receiving her Masters degree in Economic Education from the University of Delaware and teaching for nearly a decade in the public school system, she decided to combine her love of education and her passion for the outdoors and the natural world by moving back to the west. She came to Jackson in 1996 to pursue a new career as a whitewater and scenic raft guide on the Snake River. Her time river guiding was spent learning about all aspects of the area including its natural history and sharing it with her clients. Belinda has also volunteered in wildlife studies for the Wildlife Conservation Society and for the National Forest Service leading snowshoe and ski tours as a naturalist. She was drawn to the Hole Hiking Experience as a way to combine her love of hiking and her desire to educate others about the local environment. She still likes to travel and has rafted, kayaked, biked, hiked and experienced nature throughout Asia, the Pacific, Central America, Africa and Europe. Locally and regionally, she enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking and long river trips in the Southwest.
Tessa Bennett — Summer & Winter Naturalist
Tessa was born and raised on the coast of North Carolina, where her deep connection to the environment began early—exploring the marshlands in her backyard. She earned a degree in Sustainable Development with a focus on Environmental Studies and Human Rights from Appalachian State University.
Since moving to Jackson, Wyoming in 2019, Tessa has immersed herself in environmental education and advocacy. She began by teaching local youth about the natural world and joined the Hole Hiking Experience team in 2020. A passionate advocate for wild spaces and wildlife, Tessa has also led five-day youth backpacking trips and co-led wellness retreats in the wilderness areas of Yellowstone National Park.
In 2024, Tessa became a certified Herbalist through Green Path Herb School in Missoula, Montana. She integrates her herbal knowledge into the experiences she creates for clients, deepening their connection to the landscapes they explore together. For Tessa, the wilderness is where she feels most authentically herself, and she’s passionate about sharing the magic of wild spaces and plant wisdom with others.
Rose Caiazzo — Summer & Winter Naturalist
In 2007, Rose sold everything she owned, came to Jackson as a guide with Backroads, and fell completely in “Teton Love” making the Tetons her new home. For the next 16 years, Rose worked with a local tour operator guiding bicycle trips all over Yellowstone and the Tetons. An animated and comical storyteller, Rose enjoys sharing the most fascinating tidbits about the history, geology and wildlife of our valley with guests. Rose is an extreme animal lover and has traveled around the world to swim with sharks, roam with gorilla trackers, get the best stingray flutter hugs, and chat it up with kangaroos… but she stays a safe distance from grizzly bears! Rose, AKA Jackson Hole Rose®, is a live stream host, voice over talent and emcee that loves venturing out into the wild with The Hole Hiking Experience!
Summer Naturalist Guides
Ben Read
Ben first came to Jackson Hole in 1981 to interview Mardie Murie for a conservation magazine. Heading north on a very empty cold morning past the elk refuge, a blowout became the unforgettable experience of spinning across the highway and using hand tools in temperatures below – 20F. Undeterred, Ben returned to the area as intervals as an ice climber, a trip leader of volunteer trail work trips for the Appalachian Mountain Club, and for several years a climbing guide with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, before moving to the valley in 1990 with his wife, Anne, and two children to work with planning politics and growth management issues for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. Later, Ben launched a tree care business, from which he has recently retired, that used the techniques of roped arboriculture in trees of every size. Still involved with climbing, he did an ascent of the Grand Teton’s North Face with a long time partner, Bev Boynton, when their combined ages were 104. An avid hiker and recreational gardener, he spends as much time as possible outdoors. A graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon, he has written a book on rapid growth in gateway communities like Jackson that are doorways to the parks beyond. Now in his fifth season with The Hole Hiking Experience, Ben is grateful for the opportunity to share his enjoyment of this area with those who have come here to see, hike through and learn about these remarkable landscapes.
Andi Kanervo Caruso
I have called Wyoming and Jackson Hole home since 2001, moving here from San Francisco. Being a flatlander from Indiana, I fell in love with the mountain west and the adventures the mountains provide — there is no better place to raise two boys. As a kid I was always outside riding horses, trekking in the woods or building snow forts. My love for hiking came later when I met my husband. Now, we look for travel adventures that involve seeing the world by walking it and have explored the Inca Trail, Nakasendo Pilgrim Trail, West Coast Trail, Mount Etna, and more. There is no better way to experience a location than by walking or hiking. You get such a sense of place and history by reading the land when hiking. I am happiest when I am out on a trail and want to share that with others in hopes they, too, will discover a love for the outdoors.
Lynn Kennan
Lynn grew up in New England, where she developed a love for the outdoors in her father’s plant nursery. She began teaching skiing at the age of 13 at her local hill in Wachusett, Massachusetts, where she could share her passion with others. After earning a degree in Recreation Management and Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire, she moved west in search of bigger mountains and better snow.
Pursuing her dream to work and play outdoors every day, she began competing as a skier on the IFSA Big Mountain Freeride World Tour and guiding whitewater rafting trips in the summer. She became a professional big mountain skier and, over the next few years, developed the necessary safety and guiding skills to be hired as a backcountry guide in the mountains and on rivers. Lynn has guided or taught nearly every outdoor activity imaginable—including yoga. She is a queen of logistics, approachable, easygoing, fit, and strives to connect with each guest to ensure they have their best day in the outdoors.
Lynn has been a heli-ski guide in Alaska for 12 years. She is currently a full-time backcountry guide at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and also guides for Pulseline Adventure. In the summer, she guides vintage wooden river boat tours for JH Vintage Adventures and leads multi-sport trips with Adventurers in Good Company.
A passionate environmental advocate, she leads by example—taking thoughtful steps to live as eco-consciously as possible and encouraging others to do the same. Lynn has traveled to more than 25 countries, inspiring people to adopt more sustainable habits in their daily lives.
Mike Fatsis
Mike grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia before attending Rhodes College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. After graduating, he moved to Jackson, Wyoming, and began teaching elementary and middle school ecology at Teton Science Schools. In the summers, he led adult education hiking trips in the Tetons and Yellowstone, which eventually led him to transition into guiding. Mike has now been a guide in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for over eight years and is excited to be back on the trail with The Hole Hiking Experience. In his free time, he enjoys fly fishing for native cutthroat trout.
Brion Magnani
Brion first felt drawn to the Tetons and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem while living here in 1994. He later moved to the shores of southern New Jersey, where he owned and operated two Irish pubs. What Brion loved most about that work was sharing stories and connecting with his patrons and the community.
A lifelong learner, Brion enjoys reading and researching new destinations, leading motorcycle tours, and exploring uncharted territory. He also has a deep appreciation for the natural world, especially birding and beekeeping.
Some of Brion’s favorite hikes have taken him through Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in Iceland, the slot canyons of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, and the rugged canyons that wind from Wyoming into Idaho through the Tetons.
He is excited to share his knowledge and passion for the outdoors with guests of The Hole Hiking Experience, and to spread his deep admiration for the beauty and wildlife of this remarkable area.
Claire Wiley
Claire grew up in upstate New York, where she developed a deep love for nature while exploring the forests and peaks of the Adirondacks. She went on to earn a degree in Environmental Science from SUNY Plattsburgh and soon after moved to Wyoming, where she gained hands-on experience in the mountains and deepened her understanding of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
During the school year, Claire teaches middle school Earth Science in Idaho, blending her academic background with real-world experience to engage her students. In the summer, she works as a guide, sharing her knowledge and passion for the outdoors with others.
In her free time, Claire enjoys skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and spending time outside with her dog, Sage. Her life reflects a strong commitment to education, adventure, and the natural world.
Office Assistant
Kylie Schleicher
Kylie grew up in Colorado, where she developed a deep love for nature and wildlife. She earned a B.A. in Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a focus on Cartography and GIS. Her passion for animals led her to Thailand, where she volunteered at an elephant sanctuary and taught English. After returning to Colorado, she worked at a wolf and wildlife sanctuary.
In 2019, Kylie moved to the Tetons, where she began pursuing long-distance backpacking and challenging herself to summit various peaks. That same year, she hiked the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. In 2020, she completed a solo thru-hike of the Colorado Trail, covering 500 miles in just 28 days. Shortly after, she set a new goal: to climb all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers—a challenge she hopes to complete in the coming years.
Beyond hiking, Kylie enjoys interior design, camping with her boyfriend and their three dogs, float trips, gardening, arts and crafts, and spending time with family. She’s excited to share her love for hiking by inviting guests to join our talented naturalists on personalized adventures here in Jackson Hole, where there’s endless beauty and a trail for everyone.
