Rex Anderson

Guiding Since:

1990s

At REI since:

2015

Hometown:

Burlington, IA

What type of tours do you usually guide?

Hiking Tours and Casual/Neighborhood, Mountain, and Road Bike Tours

Hobbies:

I enjoy outdoor and travel photography. My wife and I enjoy exploring the U.S. in our camper van with our two dogs Charley (Standard Poodle) and Arlo (Golden Doodle). I am a avid recreational cyclist and triathlete. I am a songwriter and for many years I played in a band and managed a recording studio. I enjoy songwriting and collaboration with other musicians.

What do you love most about guiding/working in adventure travel?

I enjoy meeting guests from around the world, learning about their life experiences that brought them out to our trails here in AZ and teaching fundamental bicycle and hiking skills.

A memorable moment from your job:

I had a couple older guests who were a little apprehensive about whether they could do a particular bike ride. It had been awhile since they had ridden bikes. We focused on fundamental bike riding skills and set a comfortable pace. At the end the ride they were smiling and enthusiastic about riding bikes again.