About Don Pitcher

Don Pitcher in Grand Teton National Park

Perhaps Don Pitcher’s love of travel came about because he moved so much as a child; by age 15 he had lived in six states and two-dozen East Coast and Midwest towns. Don’s family hails from Maine, but being born in Atlanta made him a southerner with New England blood. He moved west for college, receiving a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where his thesis examined wildfires in high elevation forests of Sequoia National Park. When his first (and only) scientific paper was published, he appeared headed into the world of ecological research.

Shortly after grad school Don landed what seemed the coolest job on the planet: being flown around Alaska’s massive Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in a helicopter while conducting fire research. Wild places continued to beckon, and over the next 15 years Don built backcountry trails, worked as a wilderness ranger, mapped grizzly habitat, and operated salmon weirs–anything to avoid an office job. After that first season in Alaska, he spent three months in the South Pacific, and quickly found himself addicted to travel. These explorations eventually took him to all 50 states and 35 countries.

Don Pitcher has written or photographed 10 travel books. After authoring his first book, Berkeley Inside/Out, he went on to write five in-depth guides for Avalon Travel: Alaska, Wyoming, Yellowstone & Grand Teton, Washington, and the San Juan Islands. His photographic titles include three for Fodor’s: Alaska, Wyoming, and Alaska’s Inside Passage. He also served as editor for Best Places Alaska, and is a contributor to Triporati.com and other websites, along with such books as DK Eyewitness Travel Alaska and DK Eyewitness Travel USA. Don’s images have appeared in a multitude of other publications and advertisements, and his prints are sold in many Alaska and Washington galleries.

Don Pitcher bases his travels out of Homer, Alaska, where he lives with his wife, Karen Shemet, and their children, Aziza and Rio. When not busy on other projects, he also works as a wedding photographer and volunteer radio DJ. Find last year’s kid photos at www.donpitcher.com/2010.