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- Greg McFadden
 Greg has worked for Canyons since 1994. This is his second year as owner/outfitter. Les, Susan, and the Canyons family, have been an integral part of his life. Greg is thrilled to be dedicating his future to giving back to this amazing team, in addition to being a steward to these two remarkable rivers, the beautiful Middle Fork and unforgettable Main Salmon.
“ I often feel as though the river found me. I feel blessed to live my bliss and share that with others. It is such a gift to be able to witness the profound power the river has to bring people together and allow the forum to share and make stories that last a lifetime.
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- Greg continued... The value of these journeys, living life without mirrors, and being completely unplugged, is truly a life changing experience. Since the river first whispered to me, I knew this was my path, my flow.”
Greg has paddled around the world. He is an avid kayaker, boatman, professional ski guide, entrepenuer, and artist. He studied Environmental design at the University of Colorado. He was first was introduced to TEAM CANYONS nearly 20 years ago and has rowed for the company for 18 full seasons. He has been rowing the Colorado river since 1996 and still guides a few trips a year for AZRA in the Grand Canyon.
He is often found riverside donned with a paintbrush and watercolors expressing his greatest inspiration, the river itself. www.riverpainter.com
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- Les Bechdel
 Canyons was established in 1985 by Les and his wife, Susan. Long before Idaho, Les guided in North Carolina for 10 years, with whitewater forays into Bhutan, Nepal, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Les has been paddling since 1960, was national slalom champion 4 times, and was on 5 world-championship teams. Les also co-authored River Rescue, the standard reference for river safety and rescue techniques. Needless to say, safety remains the cornerstone of Canyons' trips.
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- Les continued...As an icon in the whitewater world, Les is often known as the 'guidefather', dubbed by Outside magazine from his cover feature there. Les is truly an inspiration to not only our team but to all the clients and guests who have had the great fortune to paddle or boat with him. He has instilled in each of us the philosophies we carry on today, respecting the power of rivers and their course.
TEAM CANYONS is proud to announce that Les will be the new river ranger for the USFS on the MIDDLE FORK. We are very excited for Les and his new journey and look forward to seeing him on the river. He will also be rowing a late season trip this summer with us on the MAIN. As he steps into "semi" retirement, we congratulate him and Susan on all their many lifetime achievements.
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- Lisa Whisnant
 Lisa aka. “WHIZZY” has been a huge part of TEAM CANYONS and our many traditions. She has been guiding professionally for nearly 30 years and has been leading trips with Canyons since 1987. Her zest for life is beautifully paired with her immense love of the river which exudes to all she meets. With boundless energy, she is an amazing chef and a social diva that continues to be an inspiration to our team. She is a gifted boatman with a symphony of stories and an authentic style all her own. She has that unique quality of naturally bringing people together and we are pretty sure that she has never met a stranger.
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- Lisa continued... Lisa works as a field archeologist for Grand Canyon National Park in the Fall and Spring. Rock art is her specialty and she’s our resident expert on the Salmon River pictographs. During the long winter months, Lisa owns and operates Blue Moon Yurt Outfitters, a unique Mongolian-style yurt in McCall’s Ponderosa State Park, offering ethnic gourmet cuisine. We are fortunate to highlight her culinary artistry, not just weekly, but showcased in our August “Wine and Culinary” adventure on the Main Salmon.
www.bluemoonyurt.com
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- Bruce Rumbaugh
 Bruce plays bass guitar for B4 Zero band bases in McCall. Bruce, like his partner, Lisa, has guided for Canyons since 1987. Bruce has a fierce passion for music and a contagious smile. He puts his rather accomplished carpentry talents to work during the off season in both Idaho and North Carolina. He recently finished the process of designing and building the dream home he and Lisa always wanted on their beautiful property here in McCall. Bruce adds so much to TEAM CANYONS with his wealth of experience. Bruce can fix anything and he is a master of the culinary arts behind the grill.
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- Tim Mason
 Tim brings much to the table with TEAM CANYONS. He has a myriad of talents and a sense of playfulness that makes you feel like you just have met an old friend.
Tim was born and raised in Chile of US parents. Fluent in Spanish, he worked as a river guide on the BioBio river in Chile as well as rivers in Mexico, Guatemala and sea kayaking in Costa Rica while working for more than 20 years with NOC, the country’s premier kayak school and rafting company.
Tim has been with Canyons since 1994, and in the off season designs and builds beautiful custom homes in Western North Carolina.
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- Laura Bechdel
 As the daughter of Canyons founders, Les and Susan Bechdel, Laura has literally grown up on the river. Laura defines the ideal sense of adventure and her story continues to be riveting. She has guided in Idaho, Arizona, and Costa Rica. In 2009, Laura returned to the mountains and winter lifestyle in Park City, Utah after three years of chasing an “endless summer” in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador mainland and Peru. Currently, she puts her sociology degree and Spanish fluency to use as an educator and family advocate in the community. TEAM CANYONS harnesses Laura’s endless talents and is enriched every year for what she brings to the table. Her passions include travel, yoga, reading, surfing, biking, skiing, sailing, and the river life, not mention her mean salsa moves.
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- Ariana Lowe
 Running rivers is one of the greatest passions in Ari’s life. Ari’s warm demeanor, kindred spirit, sense of adventure, and endless creative talents are a huge part of TEAM CANYONS. Ari is an avid kayaker in addition to her honed skills on the oars. She also guides nearly full Spring and Fall seasons on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Her goal is to run a new river every year for the rest of her life, and to run rivers on every continent possible. She loves sharing the beautiful river corridors with people from around the world and watching the transformation that mother nature inspires in us all. She abides by the philosphy to live your dreams, follow your heart and work hard to play hard.
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- Josh Strain
 Josh was raised in northern Utah, where he learned all his outdoor sports. Mountain biking, back country powder skiing, kayaking, raft guiding; you name it and Josh does it. In addition to his talents as a solid boatman and kayaker, Josh is a gifted musician. And when Josh wields a knife in the kitchen, you know you are seeing a professional at work. Josh adds to TEAM CANYONS culinary aspects as he is a highly respected sushi chef during the winter months in Salt Lake City’s premier establishment. He always has a ready smile and calm countenance. Josh and his partner Ariana have spent the winter building their first home in beautiful Moab, Utah.
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- Marty Rood
 Melissa’s partner, Marty, joined TEAM CANYONS full time in 2005 after making several cameo appearances over the years. An Idaho native, Marty is one of our most accomplished kayakers. Full of energy, Marty developed and operated non-profit youth kayaking programs starting in 1992, has spent winters as a ski school director, and now owns his own company for guided backcountry ski trips / yurt rentals near McCall. His company, Payette Powder Guides, was recently featured in Men’s Journal as one of the top pics for “must do” adventures. Marty has an utterly joyful personality that will resonate to you his great passion of playing and working in Idaho’s great outdoors.
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- Tyler Knibbe
 Tyler dearly loves the Frank Church Wilderness and the rivers that run through it. He adds to TEAM CANYONS a bird nerd, flower sniffer, and star gazer who loves sharing with others. He has spent summers guiding on rivers in Idaho, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Utah. He is gifted at his interpretive talks and his passion for the wilderness shines through. Tyler is a certified interpretive guide by the National Association of Interpreters. With his great sense of humor, Tyler also has an amazing rapport with kids. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Tyler works in the winter as a Head Coach for Rowmark Ski Academy in Salt Lake City, UT.
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- Helen Low
 The minute Helen opens her mouth, you fall in love with her British accent. Originally from the Isle of Wight, she earned her BS in business production and management and then went on to get a postgraduate degree in education. During her academic studies she competed as a heptathelete in field and track, placing second in Great Britain! In England she became involved in Outward Bound that led her to teach on barkentine sailing vessel out of Hong Kong. She worked with the Pacific Crest Outward Bound school for five years. During her winters in Durango, she teaches nordic skiing and backcountry skills. Helen adds a giant burst of zest and energy to TEAM CANYONS. She is an extremely accomplished kayaker with a heart of gold. < BACK | MENU | NEXT >
- Jim Dickey
 Known by his river nickname, “Jimbo” and his partner, Helen, live in Durango, CO. Armed with a degree in plant ecology and meteorology, Jimbo has made a living in outdoor recreation. He was an Outward Bound instructor for 7 years, spent 8 years in commercial ski photography, ran the Four Corners Kayak School for 3 years, and has been a river guide for 16 years all over the West and Ecuador. Jimbo is currently a professional cat ski guide in the off season in the beautiful San Juan mountains. Jimbo is a caring soul that gives his heart especially when sharing his life passion of rivers. He is a top notch kayaker and instructor full of helpful hints and breakthrough advice. He is rather talented in his culinary skills too. Jimbo is infamous with TEAM CANYONS as a grill master. < BACK | MENU | NEXT >
- Chris Jaquette
 Chris fell under the spell of the Salmon River while floating down its sinuous course in 1992. After five seasons working in the desert southwest, Chris joined TEAM CANYONS in 1999. Chris has learned a great deal from the river mostly about adventure, love, and life. During his off-seasons, Chris has earned degrees in both geology and watershed science, and enjoys sailing the Pacific Ocean with his girlfriend, Shawn, and cat on their sailboat, TAO. Chris is a strong kayaker and playboater as well as accomplished boatman. TEAM CANYONS is bettered by Chris’ electric energy, captivating smile, and wealth of knowledge as our in house geologist.
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- Niki LeClair
 Niki has guided Idaho rivers since 1985. She lives in McCall where she has had her own line of outdoor clothing for nearly 20 years. Niki is the country’s only female director for a winter cat-ski program operated in the near 20,000 acres off Brundage Mountain Resort here in McCall. Niki has a soft heart for her canine friends and is an avid birder. She has a wealth of knowledge in the backcountry and has toured many far corners of the planet. Niki adds to TEAM CANYONS with her captivating stories, her heartwarming smile, and her natural rowing abilities to make boats dance on the water.
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- Tessa Greer
 While just a guide trainee for now, this is Tessa’s 12th consecutive summer on the river with TEAM CANYONS. Hooked since that first year as a 5 year old, she is finally realizing her dream of spending summers living on the river. The rest of the year, Tessa is in high school in Manchester, NH but finds time to alpine ski for two race teams, and looks forward to the day when she can move out west year round. Tessa adds a sense of youth but is truly an old soul. Tessa continues to add many beautiful insights to our team and, simply put, she is a natural, born to paddle and row. She looks forward to her summers and sharing her favorite place on earth – the Salmon River.
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- Rick Hudson
 Rick is an integral part of TEAM CANYONS as our driver and field logistics coordinator. He brings an amazing sense of professionalism to his job and is a treat to work with. Rick covers some ground here in Idaho as he caravans our resupply equipment and food across the state and around the wilderness weekly. He is an avid nordic skier, hiker, and biker. Not many folks would consider jumping out of a perfectly good plane to fight forest fires, but that’s exactly what Rick did as a smokejumper for the USFS for 30 years before hanging up his parachute. Rick’s steady hand and attention to detail make him a great addition to TEAM CANYONS. We feel lucky to have coaxed him out of retirement!
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- Melissa Rood
 Melissa runs the Canyons office and has been with us since 1995. Get this, she majored in “Leisure Studies,” and she’s the one with whom you will probably talk on the phone. Melissa is the backbone of our logistics coordination and a true gem for TEAM CANYONS. She will welcome you with her warm personality and personal attention to detail. She knows the river as well as she knows the business aspects and rest assured when questions arise about any part of your vacation experience, she will have the answer. She is our dedicated year-round employee that is like the glue for our river family.
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