About • MB Guiding

Professional Certification

Mike Blake ACMG Hiking Guide — Mike guiding the team through temperate rainforest on the North Coast Trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park.

MB Guiding is an Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) certified guiding company. Mike Blake, an ACMG Hiking Guide, is the lead guide and instructor on all of our trips and workshops. Mike has been guiding and instructing adventure sports since 2004. He is passionate about creating and sharing beautiful wilderness adventures. Mike has a particular interest in our diverse wildlife, geography, and history. He combines his technical expertise with wilderness education and natural interpretation. Continuing professional development is an ongoing process. Mike is keen to learn and strives to deliver his knowledge in fun and entertaining ways!

Dedicated Team

Tennent Lake Circuit Carwithen Lake Marine Fog — Lara above Carwithen Lake in the wild backcountry of Strathcona Provincial Park.

We are a team of two that found love in exploring and discovering the wilderness together. Lara Campbell was born and raised on Vancouver Island. She has a life-long appreciation for wild places and new adventures. Curious about the natural world, she loves the physical challenges of backpacking. Lara has a successful career as a professional pharmaceutical scientist and spends a lot of time writing technical papers in her field of expertise. Drawing from her science background, she loves to blog about our adventures and inspire an appreciation for the wilderness. Looking to expand her portfolio, she trains to improve her outdoor skills. Lara holds the record for participating in the most MB Guiding trips and workshops!

Repeat Alumni

Augerpoint Traverse Mount Albert Edward Summit Ridge Sunrise Hiking — Our enthusiastic alumni enjoy hiking to new destinations year after year.

One of our greatest pleasures is helping repeat trip participants experience a new adventure. Sometimes past workshop participants book a guided trip to practice their new skills. Other times, participants desire new terrain challenges in different locations. Several of our participants are skilled in the outdoors, but enjoy the safety, camaraderie, and logistics advantages of joining our guided trips. Our relationships with these folks span many years, evolving into friendships near and far. We help fulfill personal hiking dream lists. Our alumni always book well in advance for their next trip, often up to a year. We are a small company and they know that space is limited. We are always delighted when a past participant contacts us to see what we have planned for the next hiking season.

Vegan Lifestyle

North Coast Trail Laura Creek Wolf Tracks — Wolf tracks are a common sight on the North Coast Trail. On most mornings, we woke to a fresh set stamped along the beach. Laura Creek Camp had some large samples, preserved in the sand until the next tide.

Science has demonstrated that animal products are not necessary for optimal health. The Dieticians of Canada write that “a healthy vegan diet has many benefits including lower rates of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. It may take planning to get enough protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamins D and B12 and omega-3 fats from foods or supplements. A healthy vegan diet can meet all your nutrient needs at any stage of life including when you are pregnant, breastfeeding or for older adults.”

A plant-based or vegan diet includes grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), nuts, and seeds. It excludes meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, and products containing these foods. A vegan eats a plant-based diet, but also doesn’t use any products or gear that come from animals (e.g. leather, beeswax, down).

Lara has been vegan for 16 years and Mike for 5 years. When Lara went vegan in 2002, her family thought she was nuts! Living in Vancouver, she would return to Victoria for holiday dinners, only to be teased with curiosity. Her granddad would ask if she brought home her “wooden (tofu) turkey.” Today, Lara and Mike cook delicious vegan feasts for family members and share tasty baked goods with co-workers. Mike’s dad sends us articles about the rising demand for vegetables.

The vegan lifestyle is delicious and easier than ever! When Lara first went vegan, there was only one mainstream cookbook available. Today, there are hundreds of vegan cookbooks, how-to pamphlets, businesses, grocery stores, books, restaurants, documentaries, websites, blogs, and online videos to provide goods, services, instructions, evidence, and inspiration. Data from Google Trends shows that searches for the term “vegan” have exponentially increased over the last few years. Many professional athletes (including ultra-runners, body builders, and NHL hockey players) choose to eat healthy plant-based diets to fuel optimal performance.

We serve yummy plant-based food on our guided trips. But you don’t have to be a plant-based eater to join the adventure! In fact, most of our participants have been omnivores. Everyone brings their own personal day snacks. You can refuel with our food at breakfast and dinner without missing your own favourites during the day. Our satisfying dehydrated vegan meals have impressed our most skeptical participants. The menus contain balanced nutrition to support intense hiking and recovery. Participants who are already vegan or vegetarian welcome an experience where their dietary preferences are taken care of.

We are often asked why we are vegan. The health and environmental reasons are important to us, but our primary reason is love of animals. One of the joys of a wilderness experience is seeing wild animals alive and happy in their natural homes. We love to answer questions and share what we have learned. We invite you to be curious and try something new during your adventure with us.

Family Of Partners

Nootka Trail Starfish Lagoon Air Nootka De Havilland Beaver

World-class adventures require world-class support. We appreciate our extended family of partners:

Summit Bid

We are proud to be a sponsor of the Alpine Club of Canada Summit Bid!

“The ACC maintains a permanent Environment Fund from which Environment Grants are awarded annually to projects that contribute to the protection and preservation of mountain and climbing environments including the preservation of alpine flora and fauna in their natural habitat. All proceeds from the Summit Bid auction will be directed into the ACC Environment Fund to assist in promoting projects of this nature.”