Tracey Klettl
I am Cree/Mohawk Metis and I have a long family history of guiding. My people are the Aseniwuche Winewak, which means “Rocky Mountain People” in the Cree language. My people were a mixture of Cree, Beaver, Ojibwa and Mohawk and we lived in the valley of the mountains in which is now Jasper National Park. For years we lived off the land as hunters and trappers and with the coming of the fur trade we became the first true guides of Jasper National Park.
I was born and raised in Jasper National Park, and my guiding career started at the young age of 12 when the Merrill family who owned Pyramid Riding Stables employed me. Through the school of hard knocks, I learned to become a wrangler and a horse guide taking tours of up to 9 people on trail rides ranging from 1 hour to overnight trips. I worked for Pyramid Riding Stables for 13 years and learned a lot about the back- country and horsemanship during my time there.
Growing up in Jasper led me to a passion for the outdoors and I spent much of my life in the mountains either on the back of a horse or hiking and running. I eventually moved to Southern Alberta and now live with my boyfriend on 82 acres of forest-covered land close to the Rocky Mountains of Southern Alberta. We have formed a company called Painted Warriors, which has taken us in new and unexpected but very exciting directions. Our specialty is equestrian and archery skills. We have been hired to train aboriginal groups to become guides, worked with many youth groups and even trained actors for their roles in period pieces. We have occasionally been hired as advisors for certain outdoor skills.
We continue to grow and learn and I look forward to new trails to explore and fresh adventures.