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I’m Adele

 

Seeking a position on a working ranch with horses, animals, and daily hands-on work. I bring physical endurance, practical skills, and a steady, grounded presence shaped by years of backcountry living and animal care.

Experience in the Field

Blending Land, Story and Soul

 

 

From Alaska to the ocean and across the American West, my life has been shaped by wild places, honest work, and hands-on living. I’ve split wood in minus 40, guided Class Five whitewater, and run sled dogs through remote terrain—experiences that taught me to stay calm in chaos, think ahead, and trust my hands to get the job done.

Now I’m seeking a ranch role on a working ranch. Somewhere I can deepen my connection with animals, contribute to something meaningful, and stay close to the land. I run a remote creative business with flexible hours, which gives me the freedom to fully commit to regular ranch life. Whether hauling hay, fixing fence, or caring for animals, I bring patience, presence, and a work ethic rooted in independence and community.

My background in design and storytelling add another layer to how I approach work and life—with attention to detail, respect for process, and a belief that beauty and function go hand in hand. I’m here to be useful, dependable, and part of something substantial.

Adventurer


At 18, I became a wilderness guide, leading trips that demanded grit, fast thinking, and clear leadership. Since then, I’ve worked and traveled across borders and backroads, through river canyons, frozen trails, and remote terrain. These experiences taught me to stay calm under pressure, adapt fast, and read both people and environments with accuracy. That awareness and resilience shape how I work in every setting, especially in rugged, high-stakes conditions where steadiness matters.

Artisan

 
I’ve spent years building what I need with what I have—rigs, tools, systems, and simple structures that hold up. I run a creative business from a truck camper I built myself, combining design thinking with practical work. My background in environmental education helps me see how things connect, and my time living remote taught me how to fix what breaks and make things run smoother. On a ranch, that means I stay useful, think ahead, and notice the small stuff that keeps everything moving.

Ranch Hand


I’ve always been drawn to physical work that matters—hands in the dirt, animals to care for, tools that need fixing. I’ve fed horses before sunrise, cleared fence lines, mucked stalls, and shown up for the quiet, repetitive work that keeps a place running. Years of guiding, dog mushing, and off-grid living taught me patience, endurance, and how to read the land with respect. I may not have grown up on a ranch—but I know what it means to pull your weight and be someone others can count on.

I have no special talents.

I am only passionately curious.



—Albert Einstein

Experience in the Field

 

2025-2026


Ranch Hand

Infinity C Ranch — Farmersville, TX
September 2025 to February 2026

Worked on a barrel racing ranch supporting daily horse care, facility upkeep, and ranch operations.

  • Turned horses in and out, managed daily feed and water
  • Cleaned stalls, groomed horses, and maintained tack
  • Repaired fencing and maintained pastures
  • Operated tractors and assisted with general repairs
Ranch Student & Rider in Training

Circle D Ranch LLC — Collinsville, TX
December 2025 to February 2026

Enrolled in hands-on horsemanship training at a working Western ranch. Focused on rider development, daily care, and ranch routines.

  • Trained in Western riding and ranch fundamentals
  • Practiced basic roping skills and horse handling
  • Learned foundational horsemanship and livestock behavior
Ongoing Ranch Skills
  • Half-day cattle drive (Steamboat Springs, CO)
  • Confident basic rider (trail, livestock, bareback)
  • Drives manual and 4WD vehicles
  • Firewood processing, hauling, and tool maintenance
  • General construction and rig-building (custom truck camper)
  • Trail maintenance and backcountry logistics
  • Basic 12-volt electrical (solar, camper systems, troubleshooting)
  • Camp cook

2013-2024


Class 4 Commercial Raft Guide
Paddle Raft on Clear Creek

Clear Creek Rafting — Commercial guide (CO)

Packrafting & Personal Trips

Six Mile
Nenana River
Moose Creek
Echo Bend, Eagle River
Chulitna River
Fortymile River
Upper Chena River
Portage Creek
Susitna River
Glacier Creek
Kenai River
Nigu River
Etivluk River
Colville River

Remote Expeditions
  • 4-week arctic river trip as UAF logistics guide for research trip (Put-in at the headwaters of the Nigu River > Etivluk > Colville > Take-out in Nuiqsut)
  • International travel through Indonesia, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Germany, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and Singapore

2008-2013


Dog Mushing Guide

Seavey’s Ididaride
Summer — Seward, AK
Summer handler and cart dog mushing guide

Paws for Adventure 
Winter — Fairbanks, AK
Guiding day trips all winter
2-6 day backcountry trips in February/March

Destinations to Tolovana Roadhouse, White Mountains, and Maclaren River lodge with arctic oven overnights.

Remote Expeditions
  • 4-week geologist field hand & cook (remote helicopter drop in the Yukon-Koyukuk region) 
  • 3-week skijor trip loosely following the Taiga 300 dog mushing route (Lake Louise, AK)
  • 1-week skijor trips to Tolovana Roadhouse (Nenana, AK)

2004-2008


Class 5 Commercial Raft Guide
Paddle Raft & Oar Boat

Prescott College — Field instructor (AZ)
Raft Masters — Commercial guide (CO)
Wilderness Aware Rafting — Commerical guide (AZ)

Arkansas River (CO)
Clear Creek (CO)
Upper Salt River Canyon (AZ)
Grand Canyon (AZ)
Cataract Canyon (UT)
Gates of Lodore (CO)
Snake River (WY)

Remote Expeditions
  • 3-month sea kayaking in Sea of Cortez (Based out of Kino Bay, Mexico)
  • 3-week Grand Canyon raft trip — Lees Ferry to Lake Mead take-out (trip leader)
  • 4-week Green & Colorado River trip — 300 miles (field instructor)
  • 3-month expedition with NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) — semester in the Southwest

Education


Master of Fine Arts

Graphic Design
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA — 2016

Bachelor of Fine Arts 

Environmental Education
Prescott College
Prescott, AZ — 2007

Medical/Technical

Avalanche Training (Level 1)
Alaska Avalanche School with Joe Stock
Manitoba Hut, AK — 2016

Wilderness First Responder
NOLS Wilderness Medicine
Talkeetna, AK — 2014

Volunteer Fire Fighter
Ester Volunteer Fire Department
Ester, AK — 2009

Wilderness EMT
NOLS Wilderness Medicine
Lander, WY — 2007

More About Adele


Living, Learning, and Working Close to the Land 


I split my time between creative work and physical labor. I’ve worked in design, taught at the college level, and taken on jobs that require more grit than polish—outdoor guide, carpenter, seamstress, and backcountry cook. That mix keeps me steady and adaptable.

My design studio runs out of a DIY truck camper I built myself. I studied graphic design and environmental education, but I’ve learned just as much hauling firewood, grooming horses, and fixing what’s broken. I care about doing things well, staying useful, and continuing to grow.

I’ve lived and worked around the world, but these days I’m on the move in the American West—riding, learning, and helping where I can. I value patience, presence, and the kind of work that keeps you close to the land.

To say that our trip to Alaska was a once-in-a-lifetime experience doesn’t do it justice. I have dreamt about going there since I was a kid, so I wasn’t sure if it would match up to my expectations. I was proven wrong at every turn with Adele’s guidance. The pure, unspoiled beauty of the landscape, the wildlife, the people... I honestly don’t know how to put it into words.

One thing I do know is that the trip would have been nothing without Adele. You couldn’t ask for a better host, guide, travel companion, and friend.


Her knowledge, expertise, and sense of adventure are second to none: whether you are dog mushing, skijoring, hiking, or cross-country skiing to some remote cabin, jumping in the snow from an outdoor hot tub, or doing donuts in the truck on a snow-covered airfield. Adele has a thirst for life that is completely infectious. More importantly, she’s one the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet. My experience of Alaska will stay with me forever! 

—Andrej Person