Meet Our AMGA Certified Guides
As an American Mountain Guides Association Accredited Business since 2021, we take great pride in our commitment to excellence. Our team consists of experienced educators, environmental stewards, and life-long adventurers who share a passion for exploring and creating exceptional experiences in Joshua Tree National Park. With our focus on ethical business practices and unwavering dedication to providing unforgettable guided Joshua tree rock climbing trips and Joshua Tree guided hikes, we invite you to join us for a truly unique and memorable journey in Joshua Tree National Park.
Seth Pettit
Founder of Mojave Guides
AMGA Apprentice Rock Guide
AMGA Certified Rock Instructor
AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor
Wilderness First Responder
Seth's first climbing experience was on an artificial wall at a Dick's Sporting goods in Indiana, around 1999. It didn't go so well, but apparently left him wanting more.
By 2008 he had visited most of the famous climbing areas of the United States and earned his first certification with the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). His guiding career began the same year, as a Trip Leader for Indiana Universities' Outdoor Adventures program. In 2010 he received an outdoor recreation and natural resource management degree from I.U. with a focus on rock climbing (yes, you can get a university degree for rock climbing!). In 2013, following an intensive training period and subsequent exam, he earned an AMGA Rock Instructor Certification. This certification covers all rock climbing terrain available in Joshua Tree National Park!
Seth has been a Joshua Tree resident, enjoying the National Park and its exceptional rock climbing, since 2013. He has now worked with thousands of clients, through ten different organizations, in seven states.
James “Murf” Murphy
AMGA Apprentice Rock Guide
AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor
Wilderness First Responder
Murph is originally from Washington but he has spent the last decade climbing and guiding in New Hampshire and Maine. Like many others today his first climbing experience was in the gym, however, he was lucky enough to have a traditional climbing veteran take him under his wing and outside right away. After several years as a bartender with a climbing habit, he let his passion take over and dove head first into guiding. He’s had the opportunity to climb all over the country, some favorites include Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and Maine, and of course, California. Climbing has even taken him internationally to locations like Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Ryan Mann
AMGA Apprentice Rock Guide
AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor
Wilderness First Responder
Born and raised in Maryland, Ryan was hooked on rock climbing in 2013 when introduced to the sport through a NOLS course in Squamish, BC. After beginning to develop his skills on rock around the Mid-Atlantic, he headed west to pursue this newfound obsession and a career as an outdoor educator and guide. Since then Ryan has worked year-round leading a variety of climbing and expeditionary trips throughout California and Washington and has instructed skiing in the Wasatch Range of Utah. Ryan's passion for all types of climbing has taken him all over the country and abroad, but the expansive landscape, quality rock, and abundant sunshine of the Mojave desert has led him to call Joshua Tree home. Whether going out with first-timers or seasoned climbers seeking to improve and build their skill set, Ryan looks forward to the opportunity to share his excitement for climbing and all that Joshua Tree has to offer!
Emery Hightower
AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor
Certified Wilderness First Responder
Emery began climbing in his local climbing gym in Bloomington Indiana. Emery got his first taste of instructing while volunteering for the Youth Climbing Club, helping the kids learn the basics of climbing and climbing safety. Soon after that he began his guiding career with Indiana University Outdoor Adventure, the university outfitter, leading rock trips around the midwestern US. Since graduating Emery has explored several of the climbing areas around the Western United States. Emery received his AMGA SPI certification in April of 2024 and hopes to continue to share his passion for rock climbing though teaching and guiding here in Joshua Tree National Park for years to come.
Zia Zhao
AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor
Wilderness First Responder
Zia was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but didn’t develop a taste for outdoor adventure until their early twenties, when they got their first seasonal job guiding at a Via Ferrata in West Virginia. Zia became fascinated with the bold, old-school trad crushers that would summit the nearby Seneca Rocks. Despite a fear of heights, Zia decided to become one of those super awesome climbers themself. They pivoted from a career in animation to touch rocks full-time, and the rest is history.
Since then, Zia has traveled the United States in their semi-reliable van, guiding and climbing from the hills of Appalachia, to the Colorado Rockies, to the California desert. In the infrequent moments Zia is not rock climbing, you can find them parked somewhere in the desert, drawing comics, reading books, walking their potbellied dog, and thinking about what they'll climb next.
