Based in Lander, Wyoming for much of the year, we’re fortunate to have Brooks migrate south to guide with us during peak season in Joshua Tree National Park. A seasoned Wyoming climbing guide and instructor with National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Brooks brings a vast breadth of instructional experience to every course and climbing day. His background in immersive multi-day education courses, risk management, and experiential learning makes him not just a strong climber—but an exceptional teacher.

Brooks approaches guiding as an educator first. He has a gift for breaking down complex movement into clear, manageable steps, meeting climbers exactly where they are, and building skills with intention. Whether it’s dialing in footwork, learning to lead, refining crack technique, or understanding systems and anchors, he empowers his guests with the tools and confidence to progress independently. His calm presence and warm teaching style create an environment where growth feels both achievable and inspiring.

For Brooks, climbing is about possibility—helping people step into goals that once felt out of reach. He thrives on those breakthrough moments: the first solid gear placement, the first committed move above a bolt, the first time trusting friction on Joshua Tree granite.

He’s drawn to the park’s surreal formations and deep-rooted climbing history. Around every corner of Joshua Tree is a hidden classic, a proud line, or a reminder of the generations who shaped the culture before us. It’s a landscape that rewards patience, boldness, and solid technique.

In his spare time, Brooks plays bluegrass on his acoustic guitar and hunts elk in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. And if you mention a route in passing, don’t be surprised when he recalls the pitch count, crux sequence, and descent details—his encyclopedic memory for climbing beta has earned him the nickname “Beta Bot.”

Whether you’re brand new to outdoor climbing or refining advanced skills, Brooks combines elite instruction, wilderness education expertise, and genuine stoke to help you climb smarter, stronger, and more confidently.

Certifications: AMGA Rock Guide Apprentice; Wilderness First Responder

As an Ohio native, Brad didn’t grow up with much access to climbing—but he did grow up with a pull toward the outdoors. That pull led him to take a bold first step: his very first backpacking trip was the full 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. All of it. Somewhere between Georgia and Maine, surrounded by wild places and like-minded wanderers, he was introduced to new ways of moving through the landscape—rock climbing among them, and he was hooked from that point on.

What Brad loves most about climbing, and guiding,is its honesty. Stone doesn’t negotiate. It invites you to step up, confront fear, and commit. And in that space, something shifts. People discover strength, resilience, and courage they didn’t know they had. Helping others tap into that potential is what inspires him as a guide.

Brad is one of the few guides who calls Joshua Tree home year-round. In the heat of summer, he adapts to the rhythm of the desert. Chasing shade, exploring the park’s caves during the midday sun, and climbing in the golden hours of early morning and late afternoon. He also guides on the storied granite walls of Tahkitz in Idyllwild, where long routes and higher elevation offer a reprieve from the heat.

When he’s not tied in, Brad is usually on the trail. He’s logged more than 6,000 miles on backpacking trips, including 2,650 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and 1,000 miles along the Continental Divide Trail. He’s also an avid birder, and loves catching glimpses and hearing the unique songs of our avian friends along his journeys.

Certifications: PCGI Lead Guide; Wilderness First Responder

Carrie grew up in Madison, WI as the youngest of six kids—which means she mastered the art of scream-talking early. As a kiddo, she always felt most at home outside, spending long summer days in the local forest preserves building forts, catching bugs until sunset, hunting and fishing with her family, and going on camping trips in the Summer.

Before stepping into guiding, Carrie followed a winding trail. Getting a Bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology and working as a restoration ecologist across the Midwest, reviving prairies and stewarding native landscapes. Then managing multiple restaurants in small mountain towns in Colorado. Through every chapter, one thing stayed constant: she ran toward the mountains in her free time. She built her life around shoulder seasons, carving out space for road trips to climbing destinations across the country—seeking out new rock and landscapes to play on.

In early 2020, Carrie decided to take the leap to nomadic life and prioritize climbing and travel. She and her partner bought a school bus and hit the road, spending the winter in the American Southwest climbing, hiking, biking, and running beneath wide desert skies. The future was uncertain—but the direction felt true.

Along her travels Carrie met the owner of Devil’s Lake Climbing Guides, and they immediately hit it off, and was hired on the spot. She worked her way from apprentice to lead instructor and helped develop new programs and events for the community. Now, she’s thrilled to bring her Midwestern hospitality, dirtbag spirit, and deep love of wild places to Joshua Tree. For Carrie, guiding is about more than climbing—it’s about connection: to yourself, to your partners, and to the landscape around you.

When she’s not guiding, you’ll likely find her trail running, hunting, reading, practicing yoga, crushing a basket of french fries, or wrangling her 17 nieces and nephews—still working on recruiting all of them into climbing.

Certifications: AMGA Rock Guide Apprentice; Wilderness First Responder

Hailey Kellacky first entered the world of climbing in high school, as a tactic to get over her fear of heights. Her humble beginning was on a gym club. Much to her surprise it became an immediate obsession, and after getting her first taste of climbing outdoors in El Dorado Canyon she never looked back.

Once Hailey experienced climbing in Yosemite her focus transitioned from climbing for fun to loftier goals of high summits and big walls. At that time she was pursuing a career in computer sciences and after spending a spring in Yosemite it became apparent she wanted to switch directions and commit to a career of climbing. Immediately after, she completed her SPI course.

Fast forward to Joshua Tree and like so many of us who love it here, once Hailey landed in town she “just never really left.” Befriending one of the Cliffhanger guides, she fell in fast with the crew and began jumping into sub whenever last-minute help was needed.

Now we are lucky to call her one of our own! Hailey’s passion for climbing makes her a great guide to introduce you to the world of trad climbing here in Joshua Tree.

In her free time, you can find Hailey cooking, caving, climbing, and gaming.

Certifications: AMGA Rock Guide Apprentice; Wilderness First Responder