Rogier Gruys
I was born and raised in the Netherlands, but emigrated to Canada when I was 17. I came to study wildlife biology, specializing in arctic and winter biology. Along the way I worked on various research projects in western Canada and Sweden and guided trips in northern Alberta and on the Lofoten in north Norway. No sooner had I finished a Masters in the Yukon, or I landed a job teaching tropical wildlife management in Ghana.
I eventually switched careers to Information Technology, first teaching computer maintenance in Manokwari, West Papua (Indonesia) and other parts of eastern Indonesia for three years. Subsequently, I lived in Mongolia for three years, first working as as computer expert and later as a guide for Karakorum Expeditions. After a brief stint in Malaysia, I went to Bhutan for six weeks, but stayed two years, working as an Information Technology consultant. In my spare time I edited a day hiking guide to Thimphu and spent a lot of time trekking in the Bhutanese Himalayas.
I finally returned to Canada in 2001. After a few years managing a university website in Victoria, I finally returned to my passion – tourism and conservation. I spent five years with Destination Canada in Vancouver, and after a decade as a tourism development specialist for Parks Canada in Jasper National Park, I now manage the visitor program for Gwaii Haanas in Haida Gwaii. In my spare time I spend as much time as possible in the outdoors, hiking, backpacking, biking, packrafting, kayaking, snowshoeing and backcountry skiing.
I got my first camera at age 6, and have been taking pictures ever since to document my travels. My work has been published in National Geographic books, Canadian Geographic, Explore Magazine, Geo (Germany), several visitor guides, and numerous Parks Canada publications, exhibits and advertisements.
Rogier
MI’10 The Explorers Club
Fellow, Royal Canadian Geographic Society