Meet the Lodge Family
Our top rated local Alaskan team makes sure that each guest has a tailored, in-depth experience offering a trip of a lifetime. Let us show you the best of Alaska!
Your Hosts
The McBride Family
Morgan McBride
Morgan is a lifelong Alaskan, world traveler and jack of all trades who grew up at the Lodge. He has spent most summers of his life on Kachemak Bay and is a talented naturalist guide with a wealth of local history. Morgan is a boat Captain who co-owns the Lodge with his sister, Shannon and is the one who keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes. In between traveling and exploring the world, he has spent winters in Hawaii, in India, and at a Buddhist retreat center. He loves to volunteer and is supportive of various charitable organizations in the community.
Shannon McBride-Morin
Shannon grew up at the Lodge and now co-owns and operates it with her brother, Morgan. After leaving Kachemak Bay for college and working professionally in Seattle, she and her husband Chris chose to move home to Alaska to raise their two girls. She is passionate about spending summers here with family and an amazing team of local Alaskan friends and co-workers, many of whom return year after year! Shannon loves being a boat Captain, picking berries, making jam, smoking salmon, kayaking, hiking, flying in float planes, and traveling.
Meet the Team
Sam Buenting
Lodge Team
Sam has lived in Alaska for 10 years and worked as a guide in youth outdoor education and environmental stewardship. Sam enjoys hunting/foraging, fishing, and trail running with his dog.
Denise Jantz
Reservations/Marketing
Denise has lived in Homer for over 27 years and is the first point of contact for the Lodge. With a passion for Alaska and Kachemak Bay, she loves assisting guests with their trip of a lifetime. She also enjoys exploring with her dogs and spending time at her second home located in the Wrangell St Elias National Park. Denise has been with the Lodge since 2013.
Summer McGuire
Lodge Team
Summer grew up exploring Kachemak Bay. She is an avid mountain runner, skier and loves introducing children to the outdoor world through painting and drawing. This will be her fourth season working with the Lodge family.
Joe Miller
Sous Chef
Originally from Virginia, Joe has lived and worked in Alaska for 10 years, working as both a professional cook and private chef. When Joe isn't at the Lodge he is running a successful food truck, serving Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine to the Homer community. When Joe isn't in the kitchen, he loves hiking, reading, playing disk golf, and traveling as a food tourist.
Cole Pomaikai
Executive Chef
Cole comes to us from Santa Cruz, California, with his roots originating from Kaua’i, Hawai’i. He has been cooking professionally for over 20 years and loves to fish and forage for wild foods. When he’s not in the kitchen, you can find him outdoors, either exploring new terrains, or enjoying familiar trails.
Anna Rath
Lodge Team
Anna has worked as a guide in Alaska for five years. She has a background in science communication and is interested in local environmental conservation. Anna spends her free time in the summer foraging and fishing around the Kenai Peninsula. She enjoys film photography, watercolor, and good food.
Joe Ravin
Lodge Team
Joe is a lifelong resident of Homer and looks forward to summers at the Lodge year after year. He has a degree in environmental studies and loves backpacking, camping, board games, sports, meeting new people, and good conversation. During the winter months he enjoys snowboarding and traveling to appreciate the beauty of the world.
Martine Sorensen
Lodge Team
Since 2015, Martine has been the person behind the scenes procuring all that is needed to keep the Lodge up and running, from lumber for building projects to fresh ingredients for your Chef. Martine’s life in Alaska has been varied. A Homer resident for over 40 years, she’s been crab fishing, long lining for halibut, an observer in a spotter plane for Alaska commercial fisheries and is involved with Homer’s art scene. Her passions include gardening and propagating and selling houseplants.
Parker Sorensen
Lodge Team
Parker has been with the Lodge since 2013, and his family ties to nearby Homer go back three generations. He has a degree in Environmental Ethics from Quest University in British Columbia. Parker is a bush pilot, mountaineer, and backcountry enthusiast who has a passion for wild unexplored places.
Lily Westphal
Lodge Team
Lily is an interpretive naturalist with a background in Marine Biology. She is broadly interested in the effects of global change on coastal marine ecosystems and science as a way of knowing that connects people to places. Born and raised in Homer, Lily has been with the Lodge since 2014.
Sitka
Lodge Team
Sitka is friendly, energetic, adores hikes, and watching over the Lodge grounds. She especially loves chasing squirrels.
Our Founders
Diane McBride
Diane and Michael built the lodge in the late 60's and early 70's. She is an extra tough pioneer. As an educator, she worked with Homer public schools to provide an environmental education camp at the Lodge for every fourth grader in Homer for over 35 years. Diane is an avid gardener, artist and has sewn all the handmade quilts in the Lodge cabins.
Michael McBride
Michael has more than 50 years’ experience as a master guide, interpretive naturalist, and bush pilot. He built and created the Lodge with Diane from the ground up. He is enjoying semi-retirement with his family around the Lodge and at Loonsong Lake. Michael has served as a Smithsonian National Board member and is a member of The Explorers Club.