Effie Fletcher is the founder and director of Himalayan High Treks. Effie maintains certification as a Wilderness First Responder and practices her first aid skills by volunteering as an instructor. Her area of expertise is altitude sickness and its avoidance. For many years Effie led backpacking trips for the Sierra Club including excursions to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon. She was a volunteer leader and instructor for the Sierra Club Snow Camping Training Series, as well as a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School's course for Outdoor Educators. As a student of Business at San Francisco City College, Effie earned her Certificate in Small Business Management. She led overseas treks to Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan and Tibet for over a decade.

Effie founded Himalayan High Treks in 1988 as an alternative to larger companies. Her focus was the Himalayan region, where she has vast experience and has cultivated close relationships with many local communities. "It's important to find ways to give back to the local people and help them create means to earn a living without leaving their land", she affirms. Effie is a student of Tibetan Buddhism and has studied with Ven. Robina Courtin since 1988. She is the Coordinator of the Chasing Buddha Pilgrimage, and is a graduate of Goddard College in Vermont where she went to school with her husband Marc during the 1970s. They have one daughter, Tara, born in 2000.

 Amber Tamang is from a small village in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal — a hamlet so small it isn't even on most maps! Amber began as a porter in 1992, working to put himself though high school and college. He is a strong advocate of better working conditions for all trekking staff. For his undergraduate degree in Law, he wrote his thesis on legal protection for workers in the tourism industry and has recently achieved his Masters Degree in in Nepali Culture, Religion and Philosophy. When he's not leading treks, Amber is an independent researcher in the culture and religion of the Himalaya and has published articles in Nepali and English. He is currently researching Buddhist Mani Walls — low stone walls inscribed with "Om Mani Padme Hum", other Buddhist prayers and imagery.

Amber became a guide with Himalayan High Treks in 1995 and has introduced trekkers to the wonders of Nepal, Tibet and India. He now is a group leader and our Regional Manager for Nepal. Those who've traveled with him praise his patience and kindness. His English is articulate as he enthusiastically describes the local customs of the Himalayan mountains and Buddhist people. Amber, wife Sushma and daughter Anjali live in the Thamel district of Kathmandu.

 Marin Johannsson is an experienced rafting guide who maintains first aid certification as a Wilderness First Responder. She started with Himalayan High Treks in 1990 — a College Senior needing an internship to complete her degree in Recreation and Outdoor Leadership from California State University.

In addition to leading many HHT treks in Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal, Marin has traveled to far-flung destinations such as Bali and Iceland. Stateside, Marin is based in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains near Truckee, California. When not traveling she relishes skiing and collecting Buddhist Art. Marin is the best kind of trekking companion and leader. Her reliable sense of humor endears her to trekkers and locals wherever she travels.

 Gary Loth grew up near Seattle, Washington and started skiing and hiking as a child. Later he became a downhill ski instructor and began climbing while a student at the University of Washington. He led his first climb on Mt. Rainier at age 20 and went on to complete a B.A. with honors at the University of Washington and later, a Masters degree from Antioch University.

Himalayan High Trekkers appreciate his extensive knowledge and dedication to Buddhism, which developed from years studying as a Buddhist Monk in the Tibetan tradition. He is invaluable to our travelers, staff and monks in local monasteries thanks to his command of the Tibetan language. Since joining HHT in 1998 he has led treks in the Annapurna, Langtang and Everest regions of Nepal, Mount Kailas in Tibet, Sikkim and the Zanskar and Ladakh regions of India. When not leading treks he works at Marmot Mountain Works, a specialty climbing and back-country retailer near Seattle.

 Priscilla McKenney made her first Nepal journey in 1987 and has studied both the Nepali language and Tibetan Buddhism. She leads occasional HHT treks specializing in the Everest region as well as Sikkim.

In addition to her love of the mountains, Priscilla has an affinity for the water. For many years, she lived in the San Juan Islands and led kayak trips there as well as Alaska. When moving to the San Francisco area to become Program Director for Girlventures, she packed her kayak on top of her truck and drove down to introduce herself to Bay Area waters. She is trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and maintains first aid certification as a Wilderness First Responder. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Evergreen State College in Washington and a Masters Degree in Experiential Education from Prescott College in Arizona.

 Kalsang Bodh, better known as "K.G." is our Regional Manager for Northern India. His experience as an guide began as a horseman and packer for the Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in 1974. At the time, he owned about twenty small horses. Although his duties were packing gear for the climbing students, K.G. became fascinated and learned to climb. He has ascended technical peaks beyond 20,000 feet, including Stok Kangri (20,188 feet) near Leh. In 1978 he became involved in Western Himalayan Holidays, an English company. He was a horseman, cook and guide with them for a decade before joining Himalayan High Treks in 1989.

K.G. guides and organizes all our North India treks — those originating from Dharamsala and Manali as well as those bound for Lahaul, Spiti, Ladakh and Zanskar. He still owns over a dozen horses and recently built his new house in the Kulu Valley where he lives with his family. He has a wife, Paulo, and three grown children (one of whom, Sanjay works as an HHT guide).

Dorji Tsering is from a small village near Paro, Bhutan. He is our Senior Bhutan Guide, starting with HHT in 1999. He completed the Guide Training Program from the Department of Tourism, Royal Government of Bhutan, in 1996.

Sanjay Bodh is our guide in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh since 2004. He lives near Manali, India with his father, senior staff member Kalsang Bodh. He is currently training at the The Mountaineering Institute located in Manali.

Prem our Cook has been feeding hearty HHT trekkers since 2003. He is one of several cooks who works their trailside magic on our treks. Both group leaders and clients praise his abilities "in the kitchen".

Uttam, our horseman, is from Mandi, India and has supported HHT treks since 1998. Throughout the year he keeps the 15-20 horses that haul our vital loads for treks in Northern India.

Saila is from the small village of Tapting in Solu Khumbu, Nepal. Saila started in the trekking world as a kitchen helper. He quickly become a cook and joined our staff in 1999. He has completed guide training courses in First Aid and English.

Sushma Tamang recently graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Tribuvan University in Nepal. In addition to being a student and raising her daughter, she also supports HHT as an office assistant in Kathmandu. Pictured with her daughter Angeli.