Zach Byars

Rogue Guide

Zach gracefully danced our raft through the canyon and Blossom Bar like a flowing, symphonic serenade. I was touched and inspired by his intuitive mastery of the river, athleticism, fun, playfulness, respect, kindness, musical talent, ruggedness, and unfettered sense of freedom!

- N. Rogers, Sebastopol, CA

Zach ByarsZach Byars, or 'Big Tex' as he is known on the Rogue, grew up running rivers. His parents had been river guides, and their vacations were usually river trips. He trained on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon in 2005 and has guided on the Rogue for the past two seasons.

He spent his winters getting a BA in Spanish from Trinity College in Texas, where he was also the starting tight end on the football team and decathlete on the track team. In 2007 he placed twelfth in the NCAA Division 2 national track meet!

Zach also plays the mandolin and has gotten several other ECHO Rogue guides interested in playing and singing around camp and on the calm spots of the Rogue. He is a 'kid magnet,' because he is always organizing games and activities or just horsing around with them.

Graduate school is definitely in Zach's future. He plans to spend a few years living the life of the carefree, gypsy river guide before settling down. We are glad to have him and will prolong his gypsy life as long as we can!