Beyond possessing the guiding and safety skills for running a successful trip, the people we hire as guides are fun and interesting to be around - people whom you would welcome into your home. In fact, one of the unexpected joys for us is to see the number of friendships that develop between guests and guides, friendships that last well beyond the actual river trip.

Meet the ECHO Guide Crew!

Meet the ECHO Guide Crew!

"ECHO provided the best staff of any trip we have ever gone on over the years. A huge thank you to everyone."
- V. Figgess, Tule Lake, CA

  Audrey Gehlhausen | ECHO Guide

Audrey Gehlhausen

Hometown: Oakland City, IN
First River Run: The Ohio River with Big Grandpa on the Miss Christine
Best School Subject: Geology...Advanced Sandbox!
Hobbies: Trail running, quilting, climbing, writing
Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner: Snacking in between
Words to live by: Any job worth doing is worth doing right.

Zach Collier | ECHO Guide

Zach Collier

Hometown: Hood River, OR
First River Run: Deschutes
Hobbies: Kayaking, SUP, Travel, and Chess
Best School Subject: Math
Favorite Album: Thriller
Words to live by: "Earth - love it or leave it!" - Ed Abbey

Jed Tarlow | ECHO Guide

Jed Tarlow

Hometown: Bozeman, MT
First River Run: Rattlesnake Creek
Hobbies: Skiing, kayaking, climbing, surfing, backcountry BBQing, music making, and kite flying
Words to live by: "In Spanish there is a word for which I can’t find a counterword in English. It is the verb vacilar, present participle vacilando. It does not mean vacillating at all. If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere but doesn’t greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction." - John Steinbeck

Colleen McNally-Murphy | ECHO Guide

Colleen McNally-Murphy

Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA
First River Run: Grande Ronde
Hobby: Dancing, as often as I can
Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner: Dinner all the way
Favorite Album: Love Tattoo by Imelda May (though it changes often)
Words to live by: A full life is one with family, friends, nature, and lots and lots of food!

Emma Williams | ECHO Guide

Emma Williams

Hometown: Oakland, CA
First River Run: Salmon Recreation Day Stretch at 8 years old
Hobbies: Running, Hiking, Adventures
Best School Subject: Currently, Clinical Medicine
Superhero Power: Flying
Words to live by: "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cade Hertz | ECHO Guide

Cade Hertz

Hometown: Accord, NY
First River Run: Main Salmon at 6 years old
Favorite Season: Boating season, Winter in California, Summer in Idaho
Hobbies: Whitewater kayaking, different water crafts, Environmental stewardship, Backpacking, snowboarding, videography, ceramics
Words to live by: Adventure, Explore, Expand, Stewardship to the land, Enjoy everyday.

Dick Linford

Dick Linford

Hometown: Bend, OR
First River Run: The Stanislaus in 1970
Favorite River: The Middle Fork of the Salmon
Hobbies: Writing, skiing, biking, boating
Recent Accomplishment: Published "Halfway to Halfway and Other River Stories"
Words to live by: The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude.

Joe Daly

Joe Daly

Hometown: Berkeley, CA
First River Run: the Susquehanna River, upstate NY
Favorite Place on Earth: Hanalei Bay, Kauai
Favorite Season: Spring in Berkeley, summer on the Middle Fork, and September in Istanbul and Cappadocia
Favorite Album: Any Beatles albums, with a little Willy Nelson on the side, topped with some Mozart and Vivaldi
Words to live by: Look both ways before crossing the street.

 

"ECHO has the most attractive [!!], sensitive, and competent guides of any professional activity group I have ever joined. They became instant friends!" - Kirk Winston, Salem, NC