“Believe me my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
~Water Rat, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
We take great pride in our community of guides here at Winding Waters River Expeditions. They are the heart and soul of our company, along with the brains and brawn! Life around our boathouse and on the river is a joy with our cast of characters. It’s this genuine, infectious enjoyment of river life that has brought many Winding Waters guests back year after year.
Our licensed, professional guides have diverse backgrounds in the outdoor industry as whitewater rafting, fly fishing and backcountry ski guides, as well as kayak instructors, school teachers, outdoor educators, and ski instructors and patrollers. Many of them live in our community year-round. The average age of our guides is 34 with an average of 8 years’ experience. They enjoy teaching, meeting new people, and have a passion for the outdoors. And they can all spin a pretty good yarn as well. Our licensed guides are trained in First Aid, CPR, and swift water rescue techniques.
NAME: Paul Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Owner, Office Head Honcho, & Lead Guide
HOMETOWN: Louisville, KY
SCHOOL: Indiana University (Finance)
BACKGROUND: Paul has been guiding (backpacking, river, and troubled youth) since 1995. He was introduced to “The River” in ’95 and has not been able to leave it since. Paul resides in Joseph, OR with his wife, Penny, and children Linden and Britton.
PASSIONS: Skiing, fishing for Steelhead and looking forward to the next river season. Volunteer: Ferguson Ridge Ski Patrol (Director, Patroller), Eagle Cap Ski Club Board (Member), Wallowa Avalanche Center Board (Member), Wallowa Resources Board (Member), & Enterprise-Joseph Lion’s Club (Member).
CERTIFICATIONS: Outdoor Emergency Care Technician, Swift Water Rescue, and CPR
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Yes, we can.”
NAME: Penny Rieke Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Owner, Office & Boathouse Shop Lackey, & Guide
HOMETOWN: Auburn, Indiana
SCHOOL: Colorado College (BA, Geology), Teton Science School, & Utah State University (MS, Watershed Science)
BACKGROUND: Penny’s guide career started in 1996. She has an extensive background in outdoor science education with kids. Today, she is enjoying the best work she’s ever done, raising her and Paul’s daughter, Linden (12) and son, Britton (9). You’ll see her around the Boathouse, occasionally on the river, or you may get her on the other end of the office phone.
PASSIONS: Skiing, horseback riding, hiking, biking, taking care of a menagerie of animals and exploring with Linden and Britton. Volunteer: Wallowa County Education Service District Board (Member), Joseph Branch Trail Consortium Board (Advisor), Enterprise-Joseph Lion’s Club (Member), Ferguson Ridge Ski Patrol (Secretary, Patroller), & Joseph City Park Playground Renovation Committee (Co-Chair)
CERTIFICATIONS: Outdoor Emergency Care Technician and CPR
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” ~ Maya Angelou
NAME: Andrew Arentsen (Fort Thomas, KY)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Fort Thomas, KY
SCHOOL: University of Kentucky
BACKGROUND: Andrew came on board with WWRE in 2022. He was born in Cincinnati, but has spent all of his life growing up in the small town of Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He grew a great appreciation for the outdoors at a young age, spending most of his weekends at his family farm in Kentucky working, hunting, and fishing. Andrew’s been fortunate enough to be a guest on two river trips with Winding Waters and was yearning to work on the river ever since. Paul, Penny, Linden & Britt love having their nephew live and work with them.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR
PASSIONS: Hunting, Fishing, Cooking, Snowboarding, Traveling, Guitar, Dirt Biking, Farming, and Adventure
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” -Confucius
NAME: Mike Baird (Enterprise, OR)
POSITION: Lead Guide
HOMETOWN: Boise, ID
BACKGROUND: Mike has been guiding for well over 20 years, and with us since 2005. He has an extensive forestry background and was employed in that field for years. He recently retired from a 31 year career as a high school science and economics teacher in Enterprise, Oregon and continues to work in the woods during the summers between river trips. He also performs contract biology work for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
CERTIFICATIONS: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), CPR, and Swift Water Rescue
PASSIONS: Whitewater rafting, Hells Canyon, traveling, telemark ski, hunt big game and birds, and work with his Morgan horses.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “It is always easier to seek forgiveness than permission.” ~ Unknown
NAME: Patrick Baird (Enterprise, OR)
POSITION: Lead Guide
HOMETOWN: Lostine, OR
SCHOOL: University of Oregon (English), 2013 + Masters in Teaching, 2022
BACKGROUND: Patrick has been guiding with us since 2006. He got his first taste of river life on a four day Hells Canyon trip at age 12 where he quickly realized he wanted to spend as much time running rivers as possible. At 15 Patrick began working in the Winding Waters boathouse and by the time he finished high school he was spending his summers guiding full time in Hells Canyon.
Patrick is truly following in his father’s footsteps – both in the guide and teaching world. He was hired as his father’s successor at Enterprise High School to teach Biology and Economics. While Patrick has guided on a variety of rivers throughout the Northwest including the Deschutes, Rogue, White Salmon and the Middle Fork of the Salmon but has always considered Hells Canyon his home stretch of river. And we are so fortunate to have him on the river with us when he has time.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR, Swiftwater Rescue level 4
PASSIONS: whitewater kayaking, reading, snowboarding, hunting , running, and writing
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Enjoy every Sandwich.” Warren Zevon
NAME: Leah Bardal
POSITION: Guide & Co-Operations Manager
HOMETOWN: Castle Rock, WA
SCHOOL: Eastern Washington University (Recreation Management)
BACKGROUND: Leah has been guiding with us since 2020. She grew up camping and backpacking. Started climbing and skiing while at college. In the winter months she ski patrols at 49 Degrees North ski area near Spokane, WA.
CERTIFICATIONS: Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) Technician & Wilderness First Responder
PASSIONS: rock climbing, skiing, backpacking
FAVORITE QUOTE: “No, I don’t have one.” Leah
NAME: Silje Christoffersen (Enterprise, OR)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Enterprise, OR
SCHOOL: Williams College
BACKGROUND: Silje started working with WWRE in 2011. Growing up in Wallowa County, she rode horses in 4-H, raised hogs in FFA, served on the Chief Joseph Days rodeo court, and cut her teeth as an outdoors person. Before college, Silje attended Folk High School in Stavern, Norway where her grandparents live. She recently moved back to Enterprise after spending 3 years working as a Graphic Designer/copywriter in Hailey, ID.
CERTIFICATIONS: Wilderness First Responder & CPR, Swiftwater Rescue
PASSIONS: being on/in water, rips with her dog Sky, art, hunting with her partner Kevin, horses, sleeping under the stars, music/singing in the shower, family, Norway.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Just because you do it doesn’t mean you always will. Whether you’re dancing dust or breathing light you’re never exactly the same, twice.” –Yrsa Daley-Ward
NAME: Riley Ferre
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Wallowa, OR
SCHOOL: Montana State University
BACKGROUND: Riley joined the WWRE crew in 2020. She was born in Nashville, TN, but moved to Wallowa County with her family at a young age. After graduating from Wallowa High School, Riley took a gap year and backpacked through Europe for 6 months, highlighting her love for travel and cross-cultural experiences. Riley is now pursuing a degree in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, and will be studying abroad in Colombia for the 2022-2023 academic year.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid, CPR, & Swiftwater Rescue
PASSIONS: Paragliding, rafting, hiking, skiing, cooking, reading, traveling
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Successful people are successful because they form the habits of doing those things that failures don’t like to do.” ~Albert Gray
NAME: Dave Flynn (Wallowa, OR)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Troy, OR
BACKGROUND: Dave started guiding in 1996 and with us in 2007. He’s been a packer, guide, and rancher. Today he heads up operations at Terminal Gravity Brewery in Enterprise. Dave has 3 wonderful kids: Ione, Emmett, and Roan. We’re fortunate when we can get Dave on the river with us with his busy schedule.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR
PASSIONS: Fly fishing, being a father, & Community volunteer (Soccer Coach: Wallowa Valley Youth Soccer Assoc.)
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Be like a river. Be open. Flow.” ~Julie Connor
NAME: Ukiah Halloran-Steiner
POSITION: Swamper
HOMETOWN: McMinnville, OR
SCHOOL: Portland Community College/Baker Early College ’22
BACKGROUND: Ukiah has grown up adventuring outdoors and rafting since she was a toddler. She started working with Winding Waters in 2021 and is excited to spend many summers ahead on the river. She graduates high school in 2022 and will take a gap year to learn about the world outside of the typical school format before heading off to college.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid and CPR
PASSIONS: Ukiah is a climate justice organizer with Sunrise Movement Rural Oregon and is passionate about climate justice and advocating for a better world for future generations. She enjoys spending time in wild places, protesting freeways, raising her goats, finding fun thrifted clothing, and following local Oregon politics.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “We can be whatever we have the courage to see” – US Rep. Ocasio-Cortez
NAME: Silas Halloran-Steiner
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: McMinnville, OR
SCHOOL: New School University (BA, Cultural Studies), Yeshiva University (MSW)
BACKGROUND: Silas’ guide career started in 1994, rafting rivers of the West for the same company that Paul cut his guiding teeth on. During these quasi-nomadic years, he also led year-round 21 day wilderness expeditions in CA, NV, WA and OR for troubled youth. In 2003, he went back to school to get a master’s degree in social work and began a career working in publicly-funded mental health, and settled down on a farm to raise a family in western Oregon. Silas has recently shifted to more flexible healthcare consulting work, and returned to seasonally guide the rivers that brought so much joy to him in his 20s.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid and CPR (current); Swiftwater Rescue (not current), Wilderness First Responder (not current), American Canoe Association Whitewater Kayak Instructor (not current)
PASSIONS: self-support whitewater kayak trips, swimming rivers, forest stewardship and planting trees, traveling, coaching, youth development, and backpacking.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
NAME: Foster Hobbs
POSITION: Swamper
HOMETOWN: Lostine, OR
SCHOOL: Macalester College
BACKGROUND: Foster grew up by the Lostine River on a trout farm outside of Lostine, Oregon. He graduated from Enterprise High school in 2020 and went on to take a gap year in which he started a blacksmithing business, learned to sail, and joined the WWRE crew. Foster moved on to Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota for his freshman year but is deeply missing the Pacific Northwest. When Foster isn’t studying, you can usually find him dancing, writing, working in the metal shop, or exploring down by the Mississippi River.
PASSIONS: Music, writing
CERTIFICATIONS: Wilderness First Aid, AHSI First Aid/CPR
FAVORITE QUOTE: “It’s A Magical World, Hobbes Ol’ Buddy…Let’s Go Exploring!” – Calvin (Bill Waterson)
NAME: Avery Jaeckel
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Moscow, ID
SCHOOL: University of Puget Sound (Double majoring in Politics and Government & Environmental Policy and Decision Making)
BACKGROUND: Avery joined the WWRE crew in 2021. Avery grew up on a small farm in northern Idaho adventuring throughout the west with her family. She has been rafting the different stretches of the Salmon and many other rivers since she was six. The Salmon River now feels like a second home and somewhere she can always return to ground herself. She is currently pursuing a degree in Environmental Policy but decided to take this year off and continue working to preserve the natural world while helping the outdoors become more accessible. She is working for a conservation corps doing restoration work throughout Washington and Oregon.
PASSIONS: rafting, skiing, backpacking, conservation work, native plants, and reading
CERTIFICATIONS: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
FAVORITE QUOTE: “And as with age, you choose your own way among the many faces of a busy world may you always remember the path that leads back…back to the important places.” ~Doug Woodward
NAME: Mark Keffer (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Enterprise, OR
SCHOOL: Eastern Oregon University (Education)
BACKGROUND: Mark has been guiding with us since 2015. He’s a 4th grade teacher at Enterprise Elementary School. He grew up running the Grande Ronde River and this experience led him to a job with us. Mark spent 2 summers commercial fishing for Salmon and Halibut in Alaska. He heads to the Oregon Coast with his wife, Michelle, and 2 kids (Mackenzie and Colton) to fish every chance he gets (when his wife lets him).
PASSIONS: Hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, hiking in the Wallowa Mountains, woodworking, spending time with family
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid and CPR
FAVORITE QUOTE: “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.” -Woodrow F. Call
NAME: Matt King
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Pasadena, CA
SCHOOL: Reed College (Biology)
BACKGROUND: Matt has been guiding with us since 2012. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but managed to avoid the city-slicker lifestyle thanks to a pair of adventurous parents. Matt attended Reed College in Portland, OR, fell in love with the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, and hasn’t left since. He relocated to the Wallowa Valley and found a desk jockey job as the Renewable Energy Program Director for a local community development organization, Wallowa Resources. He and his crew maintain a kayaking blog, Into the Outside, that focuses on exploratory boating and the beauty of places only accessible by kayak, check it out!
CERTIFICATIONS: Swiftwater Rescue Technician (Rescue 3 International), Whitewater Kayak Instructor (ACA), First Aid, CPR
PASSIONS: Matt is obsessed with water: surfing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, & swimming. Other interests include cooking, gardening, eating, wine, cocktails, dinner parties, pretty much all manner of things related to food and friends.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “You can only run it blind once.”
NAME: Todd Kruger (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Salmon, ID/Bend, OR
SCHOOL: Walla Walla College (Social Work)
BACKGROUND: Todd has been guiding with us since 2005. His background includes working with troubled youth and as a master craftsman. He runs Twig, a 2nd hand recycled material craftsman company, which produces functional items from recycled materials.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR, Swift Water Rescue
PASSIONS: Recycling and bettering Wallowa County’s environment for all
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Beer Goatman”
NAME: Alex Martin (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Woodstock, GA
BACKGROUND: Alex started guiding with us in 2017. He grew up throughout northern Georgia exploring the Appalachian Wilderness near his home as well as the surrounding areas. He regularly utilized his weekends searching for the best places to hike and rock climb, as well as finding the coolest places to relax amongst the encumbering humidity of the South. He could often be found playing in any number of the rivers surrounding his home and area. In 2015 he managed to wander to Northeastern Oregon where he discovered Wallowa County as well as the abundant pleasures the Pacific Northwest has to offer, and has occupied his time since exploring the many natural wonders encompassing the area. From backpacking and the snow sports available within the Wallowa Mountains, to rock climbing and thrilling white water fun to be had in Hells Canyon, he has managed to wholeheartedly occupy his time with many great experiences full of love and laughter, as well as further his passion for the outdoors and our Mother Earth
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR
PASSIONS: Water sports, rock climbing, backpacking/winter sports, fishing, music, laughter
FAVORITE QUOTE: “You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing.” ~Author Unknown
NAME: Anna Moholt (Lostine, OR)
POSITION: Assistant to the Food Manager & Swamper
HOMETOWN: Lostine, OR
SCHOOL: Lewis & Clark College
BACKGROUND: Anna joined WWRE in 2022 and wears 2 hats here. She assists with the vital role of food prep in the Boathouse. And in 2023, she hit the river as a swamper. She grew up spending time outdoors in Wallowa County and now attends college in Portland, OR studying film and media.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR
PASSIONS: Hiking, skiing, reading, filmmaking
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Middle of nowhere, center of the universe.” -Terminal Gravity
NAME: Robin Pace (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Lead Guide & Co-Operations Manager
HOMETOWN: Joseph, Oregon/Winnemucca, NV
SCHOOL: Boise State University (Pre-Speech-Language Pathology)
BACKGROUND: Robin has been with us since 2013. She grew up splitting her time between school in Nevada and Joseph, or as she likes to call Joseph, home. She comes home every summer to spend time on her grandmother’s farm and get lost in the mountains. As a graduate of Boise State, she played three years of club lacrosse while in school and discovered her love of American Sign Language.
CERTIFICATIONS: Outdoor Emergency Care Technician, Swift-Water Rescue & CPR
PASSIONS: Hiking, biking, sunrises, staying active, reading and American Sign Language
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Person to person, moment to moment, as we love, we change the world.”- Smahria Lyte Kaufman
Alis volat propiis—“She flies with her own wings.”
NAME: Anders Pace (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Winnemucca, NV/Joseph, OR
SCHOOL: Boise State University (Environmental Studies)
BACKGROUND: Anders joined his sister Robin on our guide roster in 2015. He grew up in Winnemucca, Nevada, but has always spent summers in Joseph, Oregon on his grandmother’s farm. He recently graduated from Boise State University. In his free time he enjoys staying active and tries to play as many sports as possible.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid and CPR
PASSIONS: Hiking, reading, any sport with a ball, and skipping rocks.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.” ~Marcus Aurelius
NAME: Paul Pagano (Enterprise, OR)
POSITION: Fly Fishing Guide
HOMETOWN: Oregon City, OR
SCHOOL: Oregon State University
BACKGROUND: Originally from Western Oregon, Paul moved to Eastern Oregon to pursue a career change and to follow his family and future wife, Montana. He is currently a Deputy Sheriff with the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office and has been in law enforcement, full time, for 7 years. He grew up near the Clackamas River and spent many days of my childhood drifting that river with my father, in search of Salmon and Steelhead. He enjoys teaching others how to fish and is excited at the opportunity to show others the amazing fishing opportunities here in Wallowa County. When he’s not working, you can usually find him on a river with a spey rod, or a switch rod in his hand, trying to keep track of his dog (Kado). He’s been lucky enough to return annually to Belize, exploring the flats for Bonefish and Permit…just about the time the guides start freezing on fly rods in Wallowa County!
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid and CPR
PASSIONS: Fly fishing, fly tying, travel, exploring the fisheries of the Pacific Northwest and spending time with his amazing family.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Only an extraordinary person would purposely risk being outsmarted by a creature often less than twelve inches long, over and over again.” ~Janna Bialek
NAME: Sarah Petrillo (Tacoma, WA)
POSITION: Lead Guide
HOMETOWN: Portland, OR
SCHOOL: University of Puget Sound (Majoring in Plant Biology & Spanish)
BACKGROUND: Sarah has been guiding with us since 2016. She grew up in Portland and spent summers in Joseph falling in love with the mountains and rivers and wildlife. These trips to NE Oregon sparked her passion for plants and wildlife. She is fluent in Spanish and spent 6 months studying in Chile.
CERTIFICATIONS: Wilderness First Responder, CPR, & Swift-Water Rescue
PASSIONS: Kayaking, backpacking, cooking, eating, dancing, travel, plant biology
FAVORITE QUOTE:
All the valley is dancing
Together under the sun,
And the heart of him who joins us not
Is turned to dust, to dust.”
~ Isabel Allende
NAME: Becca Pulcrano
POSITION: Lead Guide
HOMETOWN: Buchillon, Switzerland
SCHOOL: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
BACKGROUND: Becca grew up in Switzerland before moving to California’s central coast for university. She then worked in regenerative agriculture and rangeland management on the Santa Cruz coast for several years until joining the WWRE crew in 2020. She spends the rest of the year surfing and camping up and down Baja, Mexico.
CERTIFICATIONS: Wilderness First Responder, CPR, & Swift-Water Rescue
PASSIONS: surfing, SCUBA, all things on and underwater, languages, cooking, hiking, climbing, wildlife, horseback riding
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“We have the power to make this life a wonderful adventure!”
~ Charlie Chaplin
NAME: Clark Shimeall 
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Corvallis, OR
SCHOOL: Portland State University (Geography)
BACKGROUND: Clark started guiding with us in 2019. A son of former wilderness guides, he grew up engaged with the rivers, forests, and mountains of Oregon Country. A few years out and about in the world as a budding adult made him keenly aware of the importance of home, spurring a return to the West. Guiding with Winding Waters was an easy choice- he genuinely believes that we are the best in the business- and has facilitated his exploration, growth, and rejuvenation while he completes his college degree. He has a particular interest in human-environment relationships and in how culture mediates those connections.
CERTIFICATIONS: Wilderness First Aid, CPR, & Swift-Water Rescue
PASSIONS: Family, friends, and food. Reading (long-form journalism in particular). Occasionally writing. Grounding himself in body and place: water sports, back (and bike) packing, building things, and gravel rides on forest roads of the Pacific Northwest.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look up into that blue space?” ~ Mary Oliver
NAME: Brett Thompson
POSITION: Lead Guide
HOMETOWN: Olympia, WA
SCHOOL: Eastern Washington University (Finance)
BACKGROUND: Brett joined the crew in 2020. He grew up rafting and kayaking in Western Washington and was inspired from a young age by the unique perspective and access gained through river travel. Sports, and football in-particular dominated his high school and early college experience, playing two years of college football at Eastern Washington University before deciding life on the river sounded much more fun.
CERTIFICATIONS: ACA Swiftwater Rescue Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, CPR
PASSIONS: Kayaking, Skiing, Cooking, Relaxing in the shade
FAVORITE QUOTE: “On the River by 9:00”
NAME: Hilary Valentine (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Food Operations Manager
HOMETOWN: Kent, OH
SCHOOL: Westminster College (Philosophy), Savannah Co
llege of Art and Design (Architectural Design)
BACKGROUND: Hilary climbed aboard with us in 2014. After college Hilary moved to Portland, Oregon to pursue a career in design. After a long adventurous campaign and a series of fortunate events she found her way her to Joseph and hasn’t looked back. She spends her extra time on creative adventures with pen, paint and alternative ice leisure sports.
PASSIONS: Food, Water, Camping, Art, Ridiculously Time Consuming Parties, and her dog Clive
FAVORITE QUOTE: “A ship in the harbor is safe but that is not what ships are built for.” ~ John Shedd
NAME: Kai Welch (Nashville, TN)
POSITION: Guide
HOMETOWN: Cove, OR
SCHOOL: University of Oregon (Music)
BACKGROUND: Kai jumped on board in 2013 & today makes a very sparse appearance on trips. He was born into a tribe of semi-nomadic back-to-the-land hippy homesteaders in Oregon in 1980. He spent much of his young life camped in a teepee in the national forests of the Pacific Northwest, which left him with a deep love for wild places and the American West. From humble beginnings, he has made humble progress. He studied the piano at University of Oregon, before he made adventuring his life’s work for many years. He has crossed the South Pacific by sailboat, hitch-hiked through the Australian outback, climbed rock walls in the Sierra Nevada, and briefly inhabited an uninhabited island. Kai is now often called a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist, among other more slanderous things, and since 2006 he has lived in Nashville, working & touring with many great artists including Kacey Musgraves, Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), Bobby Bare, Jr., and bluegrass band The Greencards. For three years, Kai has toured a collaboration he created with Abigail Washburn called “City of Refuge”, and in 2011, released his debut solo record, “Send It Down“.
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid & CPR
PASSION: Music- Watch a video of Kai singing with Abigail Washburn
NAME: Linden Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Chief Junior Guide
HOMETOWN: Joseph, OR
SCHOOL: Life 101
BACKGROUND: Linden arrived August 12, 2010 to proud parents Paul and Penny in the midst of a hectic river season. She is our Chief Junior Guide, helping other kids new to rafting have fun and learn the ropes, as well as jumping into the activity around the boathouse. And she LOVES her lil’ brother, Britton. We are looking forward to her joining the guide team in a few years, after she gets us all trained!
CERTIFICATIONS: Ski School 101, Salmon River Sumo Wrestling Official
PASSIONS: skiing, soccer, horses, art, swimming, biking & playing with her brother.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Britt!!!”
NAME: Britton Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Little Brother
HOMETOWN: Joseph, OR
SCHOOL: Life 101
BACKGROUND: Britton came onto the scene May 15, 2014 to a family much awaiting his arrival. Britton thrived on his first 4 day Salmon rafting trip in 2018 & he hasn’t looked back. Big sister Linden has been having fun sharing the river with her little bro!
CERTIFICATIONS: Ski School 101, Linden’s School of Life
PASSIONS: Biking, skiing, fishing, swimming, T-Ball, soccer, anything remote control, art, running, & playing with his dogs
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Sure!”
NAME: Macey Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Lead Dog
HOMETOWN: Logan, UT
SCHOOL: Dog Town, USA
BACKGROUND: Macey had a long life with us and peacefully passed away in December of 2017. She loved running rivers with her family. We dearly miss her and hope she’s enjoying her new world chasing chickens & chomping on dog bones. See you again on “the river” soon, our friend.
NAME: Scout Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Lead Dog
HOMETOWN: Palisade, CO
SCHOOL: Macey’s School of Dog Life
BACKGROUND: Scout learned from the best, our beloved Macey. As a mini-Australian Shepard, she’s a little more timid around water, but loves adventure!
CERTIFICATIONS: Cat & chicken chasing
PASSIONS: running, chasing anything that will run from her, and seeking out lovin’s.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Scout!”
NAME: Koko Arentsen (Joseph, OR)
POSITION: Dog-in-Training
HOMETOWN: Oroville, WA
SCHOOL: Scout’s School of Dog Life
BACKGROUND: Koko is learning from our Scout about farm & boathouse life. A Golden Retriever born on April 7, 2021, Koko is in for a lifetime of adventure around our boathouse, on the river, and in the mountains.
CERTIFICATIONS: Fetch 101
PASSIONS: following her big sis, Scout around and playing with her kids, Linden & Britton
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Good doggie!”