Hata Hill

Middle Fork of the Salmon and Rogue Guide

Hata was born in a renovated barn near the Middle Fork of the Yuba in 1977. He got his start running rivers on Utah's Green River and Colorado's Dolores while attending a NOLS course at the age of 17, in lieu of his senior semester of high school. He started guiding commercially on the Trinity, Klamath, and Cal-Salmon rivers while earning a BA in English from Humboldt State.
 
His favorite part of a Rogue River trip is the wildlife, and the awe we feel watching an Osprey dive or a Black Bear swim across the river. He is a self-proclaimed genius with a Dutch Oven, and if you find yourself on a trip with him, watch out for air-mail pancakes.
 
Hata's travels have led him from the Grand Canyon to the Nam Ou River in Laos, where he recommends you avoid the local goat's blood whiskey. When Hata is not guiding for ECHO on the Rogue, he likes to kayak, snowboard, and not unlike Rod Stewart, take a cue from his Dad and make a living playing pool. 

After years of having his off-the-river home be a Toyota pick-up, Hata has settled in Portland, OR with his favorite ECHO guide and now wife, Maggie Hodges. He is a talented carpenter and spends winters building and playing his beloved Ukulele. His favorite movie is The Big Lebowski, and he would like to remind us all that, 'The Dude abides.'