Wilderness Experts

Seth grew up in the WRO business, spending his summers logging many river miles in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Canada, among other places. Now, with around 300 multi-day river trips of experience and almost 20 years of guiding, he has dedicated himself to carrying on the WRO tradition of providing quality wilderness adventures in the years to come. Seth spends most of his time during the summer out on the rivers rafting, kayaking, fishing, and sharing wild places with others. In the winter, he stays busy running the WRO backcountry skiing business and getting trips organized for the coming season.

Seth graduated from Montana State University in 2008 with a degree in Geography and a minor in Native American Studies. Seth leads many of the WRO trips and works on all the WRO rivers. Seth looks forward to sharing some of his favorite rivers with people joining WRO trips, and can be reached at seth@wildernessriver.com or 406.579.8677.

Matthew first became addicted to river trips in North Carolina, where he spent many days swimming beside his kayak on a variety of rivers. After the hook was set he returned to his home state of Texas where he began to guide canoe and raft trips on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. Matthew first came to boat in the Frank Church Wilderness in 2015 in between Grand Canyon trips, and he immediately knew he wanted more. With a passion for “Old Fashioned Adventure” and a blind charisma for anything Wilderness related, it was only a matter of time before Idaho would call him back. These days, Matthew works year round as a river guide, and would have it no other way. Between river trips you can most likely find him at his home in the Chihuahuan desert, obsessing over music or riding his mountain bike.

Matt grew up in a small town in the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington. He started his guiding career on the Snake River in Grand Teton Park in 2001 and fell in love with rivers and the outdoor guiding lifestyle. House has spent the last 20 years guiding rivers through Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Matt is proud to make a living sharing his passion for adventurous pursuits in wild and beautiful places with people from all different backgrounds as well as teaching new generations of River Guides through many different guide schools over the years. New to the WRO family in 2021, he is looking forward to many future trips. In the winter, you can find House guiding backcountry snowcat skiing trips outside of Steamboat Springs, CO.

Carly is another local from Salmon, Idaho. Growing up in a very outdoorsy family, with parents who were wildland firefighters and close family friends who were river outfitters. She has spent lots of time exploring all the great activities Idaho has to offer, and especially enjoys kayaking, playing hockey, mountain biking, and skiing. Carly graduated from University of Montana in Missoula with a degree in psychology in 2019, and is passionate about the intersection between the outdoors and health. She especially loves her work with organizations such as River Discovery, a non-profit that Joe and Fran started to offer outdoor trips to cancer survivors, and the Redside Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to guide health and wellness. She first got her start guiding on the day section of the Salmon River, eventually moving on to guide multi-day trips on the wilderness section in 2015. Carly joined the WRO team in 2018, and also helps with some of the behind-the-scenes work such as developing guide resources, and some of our website/ newsletter/ blog writing. Carly is currently based in Salt Lake City!

Emily Lewis was born and raised in the Flathead Valley of Montana. She grew up in the outdoors, whether it was in the mountains skiing or hiking or on the rivers and lakes of Northwest Montana. She’s been rafting as long as she can remember and naturally started guiding as a summer job at Montana State University, where she earned her degree in Environmental Science. In 2009, she began her guiding career doing day trips in Glacier National Park, moving on to guide multi-day trips in Arizona, Utah and Idaho. During the winter, Emily is typically hanging around home in Whitefish, MT and working in the ski industry until the next river season begins. She can be found guiding on the Middle Fork Salmon, Main Salmon, Middle Fork Flathead, and Canyons of the Salmon with WRO.

Dove grew up in Eugene, Oregon and graduated from an alternative high school focused on outdoor education where she began her life long journey as a whitewater kayaker and rafter. She has guided all over the Pacific Northwest for nearly 20 years. She is a year round paddler and spends her winters in the southern hemisphere in beautiful Southern Patagonia, Chile. She studied botany and has a love for plants and ecology. Dove feels most at home in the wilderness.

Nyima grew up playing in the mountains in Crestone Colorado, a small town nestled in the San Luis Valley. From a young age, his dad introduced him to skiing and rock climbing, which quickly became life-long passions. It wasn’t until a little later in life that Nyima discovered the magic of rafting during a Main Salmon trip in high school. From that point on, rafting became a huge passion that eventually turned into a career. When the rivers are too cold to run Nyima can be found attending Westminster College in Salt Lake City, skiing, climbing, biking, and believe it or not, occasionally in the library studying! Nyima guides on the Main Salmon and Middle Fork Salmon for WRO.

Jonas grew up in Steamboat Springs, CO, while spending his summers near Copenhagen, Denmark. With an affinity for fishing, boats, and skiing, spending time on rivers fly-fishing and rafting in the mountains was natural for him from a young age. Jonas attended Colorado State University, where he began guiding on the Cache La Poudre River. After graduating with a degree in Natural Resource Recreation & Tourism in 2014, he felt drawn to Idaho’s mountainous interior. Following some life changes, he landed in Idaho for the 2016 season and has made it his home ever since. Most recently, Jonas has spent his winter working for Idaho Conservation League in the fight to restore Idaho’s Salmon and Steelhead. After guiding in Idaho for several years, he joined the WRO team in 2020. Jonas looks forward to another great river season casting flies, paddle boating, and trading stories on Idaho’s best rivers. You might even get the odd Danish lesson! Jonas currently guides on the Middle Fork Salmon, Main Salmon, and Canyons of the Salmon.

Tessa is another Salmon, ID local, and grew up working on local multi-day sections from a very young age. She has over a decade under her belt on the Salmon River, and still never gets tired of it. Tessa graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City with a degree in Geology and Outdoor Leadership, and can most often be found looking for rocks in her free time when she's not skiing, biking, fishing, or hiking. Tessa joined the WRO crew in 2020 and is also the owner of Beaverhead Gear Exchange (which you can check out at our office while you're in town!)

Andrew was first exposed to river travel during family camping and canoeing trips in the Midwest and Canada. After finishing up his undergraduate studies at North Carolina State University he spent the remainder of his 20’s chasing summer and crafting his river guide skills. Andrew got the opportunity to work on world class rivers such as the Futaleufú, Zambezi, Pacuare, Gauley, New, White Nile, Marañón and even ran a small rafting & kayaking outfitter in Guatemala for a few years. His passion for paddlesports and teaching has led him to his current role as a faculty member of the Oregon State University – Cascades Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership program where he gets to inspire and educate the next generation of hydro-therapists. Andrew is looking forward to sharing the magic of river life with the WRO family & friends.

Will Findell grew up outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado on the banks of the Elk River. He spent much of his childhood on rivers, from being a toddler on his family’s raft to falling in love with kayaking as a teenager and eventually beginning his guiding career on the Colorado River in Utah. In between river seasons in Utah, Will earned a BS in resource conservation from the University of Montana in Missoula. From Missoula, he began exploring the rivers and mountains of Idaho and western Montana, and still can’t get enough, maintaining an ever growing list of new rivers to run and peaks to ski. He has been guiding rivers for nine years and is excited to join the WRO team this year.

Jon is another local on the WRO team, hailing from right here in Salmon, Idaho. Jon has been guiding and running rivers in Idaho for over 20 years, and has also spent time teaching Idaho history in the neighboring town of Challis. His local knowledge and extensive guiding experience make him a pleasure to spend time with on the river, and he’s also a stellar teammate when it comes to running challenging whitewater! In the spring, Jon guides on the Owyhee and Jarbidge-Bruneau Rivers with WRO, and in the winter he helps with our winter yurt skiing operations. When not floating rivers around the state of Idaho, Jon can generally be found outside somewhere, either hiking, hunting, fishing, or spending time at his property a few hours drive into the mountains from Salmon.

Destrey was raised in Ogden, Utah and got her start guiding on the Kennebec river in Northern Maine as a college summer job. She immediately fell in love with the river and since then has spent time guiding in Maine, Utah, Colorado, and most recently, Idaho. At Colby College, she studied European Politics with a minor in education, and she is currently working on her nursing degree. Winters take her to Snowbird, Utah, where she works as an alpine ski racing coach. Skiing and mountain biking are two activities Destrey enjoys, but she just generally loves being outside!

Addy grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah spending much of her childhood exploring down in the desert or up in the mountains. Addy first started guiding in 2018 on the Upper Main Salmon in Stanley, Idaho, and joined the WRO team in 2022. She fell in love with the river and the way it puts you right in the present moment. She sees rivers as being one of the most amazing ways to explore new terrain and connect with our environment. Addy recently graduated from Westminster College with a degree in Public Health. She spends her time skiing, mountain biking, traveling and writing in the off season. She is passionate about spending time outside, people, and protecting the ecosystems we get to live and play in and hopes to share her passions with others

Charlie has been running rivers since the age of 5, as his dad was a guide on the Yampa and Green rivers in Dinosaur National Monument before he came along. Family river trips every summer were the norm. In 2015, Charlie started his professional rafting career guiding on the rivers bordering Glacier National Park. His passion for the outdoors, the rivers and the wild areas of the West gives him many opportunities to share these loves with others, especially those new to river running. His goal as a guide is to create memories for each client that remain with them long after the trip is over. He believes river trips are so much more than whitewater. It’s the beauty of the river, the peacefulness, the meals, the stories, the camaraderie and the friendships that keeps him coming back year after year. Charlie has his bachelor degree from the University of Utah, majoring in Health Promotion and Education with an emphasis in EMS and Wilderness Response. During the off season I enjoy shredding the slopes of Alta and Snowbird with friends, traveling, fly fishing and mountain biking.

Born and raised in Seattle, Skylar went on her first river trip when she was 16 and has been hooked ever since. Her professional guiding career began on the Cascades' eastern slope, where she guided daily trips on the Wenatchee River. Her enthusiasm for longer trips led her to the Deschutes River in the Oregon desert, then to the Colorado Plateau, where she guided trips on the Yampa River and the Gates of Lodore section of the Green River. As much as she loves canyon country, she is excited to be back in her home landscape of the Northwest, and to explore its wild rivers. She recently finished graduate school at University of Montana, receiving her MFA in creative nonfiction writing. When she is not on the water, you can find her reading, writing, biking, or playing guitar.

Isaac grew up on the Olympic coast of Washington. Surrounded by mountains, rivers, and oceans, he developed a passion for spending time playing and working in the wilderness. Isaac’s guiding career started in the Cascades of Washington and Oregon as a summer job while attending Western Washington University to study Journalism and Political Science. Soon into his first season he recognized river guiding to be a lifelong pursuit. Off the river, Isaac can be found rock climbing, backpacking, snowboarding, or reading a book on the beach. He spends his winters working on and around the slopes of Mt. Baker, Washington.

Born and raised in the small town of Page, Arizona, Cayla had no choice but to love the outdoors. Her family spent many summers on the Colorado River and Lake Powell, enjoying water sports and camping trips. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Geography at Portland State University, Cayla moved to Idaho to become a river guide in the summer of 2013 where she has worked ever since. Guiding is so much more than a ‘summer job’, being able to show others the true raw beauty of nature is what she lives for as a guide. Cayla joined the WRO team in 2022. When Cayla is not rafting she is kayaking, exploring her new home, Salmon, ID and painting! Check out her art at www.caylasanderson.com

Sally grew up in central Colorado where she was raised with a great respect for the outdoors by skiing, rafting and playing outside with her family. After studying Fashion Design in Los Angeles she decided the fashion industry wasn't for her and decided to try guiding daily trips on the Arkansas River in Colorado. She has been guiding off and on for the past fifteen summers. Most recently guiding on the Green and the Yampa river through Dinosaur National Monument. Sally is excited to join WRO this season and ready to share the beauty of Idaho's wild rivers with WRO's friends and family. In the winter you'll find Sally in Steamboat Springs, Colorado working as a ski patroller, crafting outdoor clothing and spending time with her river guide husband Matt and dog Tucker.

Pepper was one of the original guides at WRO in the early 70s, and he has plenty of good stories about how things used to be in the good old days! Pepper left river guiding in the 80s and moved to the bay islands of Honduras to run a dive resort on Barbareta. He lived the island life for 26 years, which has also left him with many great tales of adventure, from running off thieves on the island to day-to-day life in Central America. After moving back to the states ten years ago, Pepper has traveled extensively in Central America, South America, and Southeast Asia. Pepper has been spending more and more time in Idaho the past few years. After he began guiding a few WRO trips here and there, he decided he likes spending more time on the river.

After 40+ years and the Tonsmeire family still running WRO, we are happy to have Pepper back on the guide roster! Pepper guides on both the Middle Fork and Main Salmon.

Amy also spent her summers growing up on the river as part of the WRO family business. She knows the ins and outs of WRO and guides on many of the different rivers we offer trips on. Amy is a graduate from Montana State University in graphic design and business. She still does some freelance design work, but spends most of her time these days managing Sweetwater Hollow, which she founded a few years ago on the banks of the Salmon River as an event venue hosting weddings, concerts and other events in Salmon.

Her passions are snowboarding and hockey in the winter and kayaking and rivers in the summer. She is enthusiastic and loves sharing a good time with others. Amy doesn’t guide full-time for WRO anymore as her other business ventures keep her busy, but we are happy to have her when it fits her schedule.

Kate joined the WRO family in 2023. She has been a long time Idaho river guide with 15 years of guiding experience on the Middle Fork Salmon. Her focus has shifted from the river to raising two small children in Salmon and focusing on family life and more time in town with Wren and Esme. Kate usually still gets out on the river for a few trips here and there, but overall her role on the team is office manager. We are super lucky to have someone with so much river experience as a resource on the phone. Kate is available to help answer any questions you have and help manage all guest reservations. If she doesn't answer, she is probably chasing one of the kids, but will surely get right back to you. On occasion you might even be lucky enough to have Kate as a guide and even enjoy some evening guitar around the campfire.