Kirsten is a passionate outdoors enthusiast and truly enjoys sharing all the best possible experiences with YGS guests. She lives in Lake Tahoe, California where she enjoys hiking and backpacking during the summer, and snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in the winter months. In the summer, she spends a large amount of her time in Yosemite hiking, backpacking, and sharing her extensive knowledge about the natural history, geology, and unique flora and fauna of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada with her guests.

Kirsten is also a member of the Lake Tahoe Search and Rescue team, a position she has held for over five years. She holds current certifications in Swiftwater Rescue, High Angle Rope Rescue, and Snowmobile Avalanche Search and Recovery. Kirsten is also an EMT and Wilderness First Responder, and she teaches Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Kirsten holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology, and is both a Certified California Naturalist and U.S. Forest Service Licensed Interpreter.

In between guiding tours and backpack trips for YGS, you may find her camping by hot springs and rivers in her transformed truck camper, often reading stories or nature books about Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains. In addition to guiding, Kirsten also enjoys kayaking, building trails, climbing, and conducting native amphibian surveys in the Sierra Nevada wilderness.