Shawn White

Rogue River Guide and Inspiration

Shawn is a water baby. She grew up on the East Coast spending summers along the St. Lawrence River. She earned a B. S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University, which was followed up with an M. S. in Rangeland Ecology from Colorado State University.

After kayaking the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in 2003 and rowing Alaska's Tatshenshini River in 2004, Shawn gave in to the call of the river. She joined our guide school in 2005 where she was the star pupil (sorry, Geoff). Author Laura Stavoe wrote an article about the guide school and described Shawn in the following passage:

'Shawn is a twenty-something watershed biologist who’s trying to decide whether to keep her “real” job or run wilderness trips. She is maybe 90 pounds soaking wet and holding a cooler, all brightness and beauty and good cheer. No matter what job needs doing, there is Shawn: raising the tarp, tying a bowline, grilling the chicken, drinking the wine, and packing the boats the next morning. (At the end of the trip—and I swear I’m not making this up—Shawn complained that only guys were chosen for the groover-cleaning crew.)'

Since then she has been a cornerstone of our Rogue River operation and has left her “real” job to follow her passions for the outdoor world. She is planning to sail from the San Francisco Bay down around the tip of Baja into the the Gulf of California before the next river season. From there, she's headed south and plans to sail around the world someday.

Shawn loves to share her nature-centric world with guests and guides alike. When asked what her favorite deciduous tree is, she answers, 'Hmmm, a type of deciduous tree. That'd mean I'd be rooted in one place... aaahhh! Maybe a sugar maple because of their amazing colors in the fall and the tasty maple sugar they produce. Or maybe some type of fruit tree like a peach or plum or cherry because of their fragrant blooms that turn into tons of fruit.'