Our Adventure and River Guides

Greg Smith (shown here showing a guide school student the ropes) has been a river and adventure guide for nearly 20 years. He has led first descents on remote overseas rivers, been the head guide on the most challenging whitewater trips in the world, and helped run our adventure operations from Alaska to Latin America. He is an accomplished fly fishing guide and spends each fall sharing first rate fishing trips with guests on the Rogue river. He has also taught river guide schools for 15 years and in doing so has helped foster a style of guiding that leaves guests feeling appreciated! What endears Greg most to guests is his humble, low key approach that makes everyone feel welcome. In the adventure travel world, Greg truly is a gentle giant.

Kat Morrow, pictured here with her handsome young son Franklin, is the business and office manager of Destination Wilderness. She brings to work day after day a sense of calm and degree of caring that is beyond belief. She has a diverse background (she has been an engineer, traveled all over the place, lived in a car, is a great cook, and now has a great place in Sisters) and an unbeatably professional and friendly approach. When you speak to her on the phone or travel with her we feel you will understand that she wants you to have a great time on your trip with us, as well as in life in general. She knows our trips, listens to what you want, and will make sure that your adventure is all that we promise! Give her a call and enjoy her good cheer!

Mick Ingram lives to work outdoors. In the summer Mick is a trip leader on the Rogue river rafting and Klamath river trips, personably and professionally leading trips down these beautiful wild and scenic rivers. Mick is now raising a family (see Kat and Franklin above) and driving a tractor backhoe as well as a raft. He says what matters most is that whatever he is riding needs to just be steady and have a relatively low seat. So a tractor and a raft both work. Mick is a soft spoken diplomat who spins funny tales and honed jokes. Be sure to ask him about his Norwegian relatives from the old viking days!

Sam Scharf is a role model for the world. He is our operations manager and river guide extraordinaire. Why and how? First, he has a big heart. Second, he is as sincere as the day is long. Third, he takes great pride in the work he does, the family he embraces, and the friends he keeps. And fourth, he lives life fully with humility and dignity. Sam has been guiding rafts with us since he was 17. He is older than that now by a few years, and his old soul is brilliantly matched with his youthful approach.

Leo Durand (on the right) has guided on rivers in the Pacific Northwest, Scandinavia, and Latin America since the mid-1980's. Whether rowing through class V maelstroms or leading Alaska adventure travel tours on scenic class II waters, Leo's whitewater guiding experiences have enabled him to become one of the premier adventure guides on earth. But, as with all those who have shared wilderness adventures with him, we know that what makes Leo sooooo special is his unmatched kindness, consideration, and virtuoso guitar and ukulele playing. Leo truly is one of the most accommodating and gracious people you will ever meet. And mellow. Perhaps this comes in part from the idyllic life he has created for himself: a chef in Hawaii in the winter and gourmet river guide in the summer.

Joy Gustafson is the perfect name. She brings joy to every trip she works, she is enjoyed by everyone that rafts with her, and she rejoyvenates us every time we see her. Joy is a true wilderness enthusiast who is infinitely positive. A sea kayaking guide in Hawaii in the winter and a Northwest river guide and river lover in the summer, Joy is easily one of our most requested guides. If you aren't bowled over by her kindness than you likely will be by her guiding skills. She will likely leave you with the thought that the world would be infinitely better if there were only more Joy.

Erika Wasner has a story to tell, but only if you ask. You would never guess, given her humble and soft-spoken style that she has: a) spent several winters on an old wooden boat leading trips in the Antarctica; b) worked in Holland at a wooden boat builders shop; c) travelled across the U.S. in her truck by herself about 30 times; and d) led world-class adventure trips and Pacific Northwest rafting trips since 1995. In a word, Erika is friendly. In two words she is very friendly. In a lot more words (which she is not prone to uttering herself unless you ask) she is one of the most caring, genuine, and down to earth people you will ever meet.

Jon Eisenberg ("Jon-EEE") has a unique perspective on the world. This may come from his east coast big city upbringing or his travels to distant corners of the world in search of ....you will have to ask him just what it is he is searching for. Jon EEE loves to guide rafts down fun and wild rivers and brings a tongue-in-cheek humor to the river every day. Hardworking, concerned about your enjoyment and safety, and always trying to get a laugh (even with jokes that take a while to absorb...in some cases years) Jon EEE's Boston born style leaves us feeling comfortable and confident and we are guessing you might feel this way too after spending time with him in a raft.

Caitlin Burns (guiding in the back) will trick you. Her playful exuberance and boundless energy show how young at heart she is and always will be. But watch out, because she is an old soul, filled with wisdom, caring, and a sense of responsibility that typifies her grandparents' generation and belies her years. This beautiful paradox is what gives us pause. Caitlin truly is a source of pride and wonder. We are infinitely grateful for her being a glue that holds us together and for the love and concern she brings to the river. If the world was left in her hands it would be a much better place.

Jonathan Nussbaum is one in a million. He is dedicated, hardworking, safety conscious, very friendly, and has a tender heart. For a couple of years it seemed his main goal in life was to spend more time running rivers than sleeping. One year he rafted and kayaked over 180 days, in the Pacific Northwest all spring, summer and fall and in Australia all winter. Since getting married and starting his own photography business Jon will likely cut back on some of his guiding. He says for us not to worry about his skin going through withdrawals due to a lack of moisture, as he plans to take more showers given he will have much more time on land. His bride will likely be happy about his tidying up too .

Jason Himick, as pictured here, is apparently the most stress free person this side of the Rockies. Being a river guide is the perfect fit as Jason always seems to be able to go with the flow. However, this does not mean that he doesn't work hard to make sure you are having a great time. It's just that he does it with a calm and quiet determination that is essentially pressure free, even when in the middle of a whitewater maelstrom. Come to think of it, the most pressure he has ever put on anyone was to have another fresh piece of warm chocolate cake he brilliantly bakes in a Dutch oven at a pristine riverside camp. "C'mon", he will politely plead, "just one more little piece."

In the winter, Stacey DuCharme (guiding in the paddle raft at the top of this page) is a registered nurse working for a small Northern California school district. In the summer she changes into one of the most talented and friendly guides ever to lead trips down the rivers of the Northwest, which she has done since 1985. At the end of every trip she works, people leave knowing that they could not have had a better person to guide them down the river. What a compliment!