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Tim Gaylord Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1978 
Tim is Holiday's operations manager. He makes sure our trips run
smooth, so your vacation is trouble-free.
Obviously, with 30 years of guiding and running our operations Tim knows what he's doing and does it well. When he's not training guides, inspecting gear or chopping wood, Tim enjoys Utah's great places on his mountain bike or skis with his wife, Vicky, and young adult children, Travis and Courtney. It's hard to get Tim to sit in any one place for very long, so if you see him say "Hi" before he disappears into the warehouse and beyond! |
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Frogg Stewart Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1972
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Kerry Jones Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1982 
My first rafting trip was with Holiday in 1979 through Westwater Canyon.
In 1982, as soon as I was old enough, I began working for Holiday as a
rookie. Along the way, I fell in love with free flowing rivers. Now I
manage Holiday's Vernal operations, so I can run the Yampa every spring.
I also love to run the Main Salmon whenever I get a chance, but also
enjoy getting out and guiding on any of our rafting or mountain biking
trips. My wife, Tammy, and I also love being on the river with our kids,
Topher and Baily, in our wooden dory the "Yampa."
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Lane Hadlock Driving Holiday's Vernal guests since 1983 
As a kid I worked cleaning boats back in 1966 for a candy bar and a soda pop. Having
grown up in Vernal, UT, I knew many folks in the river business and became aquainted with Dee Holladay in 1983, I have
been driving for him ever since. I'm the Father of five and have my own Jewelry business. Driving for Holiday keeps
me connected to the outdoors, the river and the guests. I enjoy meeting people from all over the country and even the world.
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Mike Wassmuth Guiding Holiday's Idaho guests since 1983 
Mike has been a licensed river guide since 1983. Spending as much time on the rivers as possible is a goal for each summer. Working full time for Agilent Technologies as a Thermographer and Failure Analysis Technician puts some restrictions on his river time, but he still gets out around forty days a year. Making new friends and sharing time on the water is what brings Mike back each year.
When not guiding on the rivers, Mike spends much of his time fishing . His favorite trip is an October steelhead-fishing trip down the lower stretch of the Salmon River. In July you can find Mike fishing for small mouth bass on the Grande Ronde River in Washington.
Growing up in Grangeville, Idaho exposed Mike to the wonderful outdoors, which he still enjoys very much. Some of Mike other hobbies include black powder hunting, basketball and GeoCaching and spending time with his family.
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Kelly Dunham Working for Holiday since 1984 
Growing up in Green River was the ideal place to spend time outdoors. I had experienced much of the vast desert country from the ground and air so the water was an obvious choice for me. In 1984 I started guiding for Holiday. My plans were to work for one summer… (So much for that plan) Most recently you will find me at the Green River headquarters where I organize food, guides, and gear for trips. We are one big happy family at Holiday with a very diverse group of guides and guests. That, along with the challenges of organization, are what keep me returning for season after season.
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Peter Tilton, aka Tilts Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1987 
Cataract Canyon is my favorite section of river. I love the power and
complexity of the river, the beauty and grandeur of the canyon present a
different experience each time through. I also love riding the White Rim
and getting the "other perspective" of Canyonlands from high up.
Holiday's "senior" guide my favorite part of the job is still providing and sharing a positive trip experience with new people. I'm originally from New Hampshire, but have been a rolling stone guiding rafting trips in West Virginia, Alaska and Zimbabwe on Holiday's off-season. In the winters I'm on the road with the US Ski Team coordinating race set-ups...the rest of my free time is spent on my recreational lifestyle — golfing, mountain biking, skiing, traveling and playing with good friends. |
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Nate Flint Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1995 
Throughout the years as a guide, these places have earned a special
place in my heart. For many years, I have been going to the river, ocean
and mountains to seek out the adventure and peace that these places have
to offer. I have also learned the importance of protecting these special
places. During the winter, I'm either surfing in Latin America or
guiding customized excursions in Utah.
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Tim Sattelmeir, aka TJ Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1995 
My favorite part of each trip is sleeping by the side of the river in
the canyons. This is the lure that draws me back to the river every
spring. I grew up in a sleepy little resort town in Northern Michigan
called Petoskey, went to university in Ann Arbor then wandered around
before settling down in Utah. In the winters, I'm a writer and ski instructor at
Park City Mountain Resort. |
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Dave Vernon, aka Vern Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1996 
Coming from scenic Utah, it was easy to follow my family's love of the
wilderness. After spending six summers on the Snake River in Wyoming, I
joined the Holiday crew in 1996. Every year I come back for the
adventurous rapids, the quiet solitude of a desert sunrise, floating
through the majestic cliff walls and the great people. When I am not on
the river or trail, I teach at an alternative education school. If you
ride on my raft, you might hear a joke or a story or two (maybe even a
true one!). |
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Emma Wharton Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1997 
After finishing college I wanted to learn a tangible skill and be
outside. Learning how to read water and tie knots was a challenge for
my sometimes overexersized intellectual mind. Now, five years later, I
have come a long way in learning these skills and many others I could
not have imagined. Each year I learn more about the complexities and
beauty the river has to offer. As a guide, I have had the priviledge to
work with, meet, and play with some amazing individuals from an array of
backgrounds. The river is our common element. And what an element it
is. The river has taught me how to live in the present moment and take
in all of what is beautiful in the landscape and in people. Sometimes,
people will ask me what my real job is and I usually reply, "I can't
imagine being anywhere else or doing anything else."
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Nate Vinton Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1997 
When I came to Holiday in 1997, I was the youngest guide. Now I'm old school, like Tilts.I’m a sports journalist now, but I still get back to Utah for trips when I can. Growing up there I often took the desert for granted, but guiding trips for Holiday has allowed me to see the region from a completely different perspective. It’s an amazing place and I think about it every day, no matter where I am. My favorite Holiday trip ever was in 1999, rowing Lodore at 10,500 cfs, which was its highest flow since the early 70s. We all had perfect runs. I've never seen anything like it. I’ve also been lucky to guide river trips with my brother, and I especially like it when he is the trip leader and I have to follow his orders. |
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Zach Crumbo Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1998 
I've been running rivers for as long as I can remember. My father, Kim (pictured on right) was Dee Holladay's first full
time guide, and my summers as a kid were often spent going on river trips with him. I grew up living at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and spent my first summer
at Holiday after my freshman year of college in 1998. Life has led me in different directions since then, and as of 2005 I will have finished my Master's
of Fine Arts in photography. But I still can't stay away from the Canyons of the Colorado Plateau: the stories of the river and canyons
still fasinate me, and I'm never more at peace than when floating quietly along the river.
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Mary Engels Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 1998 
Being in and around water has been part of my life as long as I can remember. Growing up
in the Pacific Northwest exposed me to water in a myrid of different forms. As I have gotten older, water has been my guide into all
sorts of new and amazing adventures. I started rafting in Oregon while working with a children's outdoor program and have
been addicted ever since. Coming to Utah, working for Holiday and playing in the canyons, Lodore, Desolation, Westwater,
Yampa, is one of the highlights of my life. I just can't get enough. From rafting, to studying coral reefs
to sailing the world, water has been the common thread in my life. Through it all, I keep coming back to Utah, to work and to live
in the stark beauty of the desert, made more beautiful by the living, changing, challenging waters that cut through my heart.
The rivers are my trail by day, my challenge, my guide, my lullabye at night, my home.
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Brigid Saukaitis Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2000 
Before my first river trip was even finished, I was totally hooked. Guiding was going to
become a big part of my life. I really could not imagine being in a better place than working as a river guide.
I fell in love with the river and sharing the incredible experience of a river trip with my guests and fellow guides.
It's amazing to see how powerful this experience can be for people. Recently, my passion has been the bike trips,
and if you come on a bike trip with Holiday, there is a pretty good chance that I will be your guide. I make sure to
fill my schedule with as many of them as possible!
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Jennifer Davison Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2000 
After a trip down the Colorado river in 1998, I quit my high-falutin software job and became a "dirt-bag river guide". Did you know that river guides eat over 1 pound of sand a year? I love the desert rivers of the Southwest because they are the life blood of the entire area, from the expanding metropolises to the colonies of algae on the river banks. They are powerful and extremely vulnerable, and my favorite part of river guiding is witnessing other people coming to these realizations. During the off-season I continue my post-graduate work studying these same relationships between water and arid ecosystems. I also do a fair amount of playing, with my dogs and my awesome co-trip-leader Zach. But when asked to "go to my happy place", I usually end up somewhere between Pot Creek and Wild Mountain, watching big horn sheep in the glow of sunset and listening to canyon wrens seranading the rapids.
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Katie Warren, aka Newman Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2000 
I grew up rafting the San Juan with my family. They say I was always sitting on the back
of the boat reading a book. I must've outgrown that because I LOVE being a river guide now.
In fact, I finished my history degree at Colorado State University in three years so I could get out on the river.
I started out as a "warehouse kid" at Holiday and began guiding as soon as I was old enough.
Every river I'm on presents new challenges and experiences and I love each one. I particularly love going on
our women's trips. In the winter I work up at Alta Ski Area and make a mean enchilada dish.
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Jessica Durham Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2000 
The river is my home, so I came to Holiday so I could be on the river
as much as possible. I do whatever I can in the winter so I can row in the spring,
summer and fall. I'm working hard to make being on the river my year-round endeavor.
I love the Yampa River - it's got everything! - and I love dragon flies. My friend
and fellow guide, Katie Warren, says I make a great quiche and look real good in my
dress-up night, white polyester one-piece (think Elvis!) I am what I am!
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Rick Coriell Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2001 
I am Rick Coriell, and I was looking for employment
during my freshman year of college and thought well I
could get a job doing what I love. So I applied to
Holiday and some how convinced Tim Gaylord that I was
worthy of Holiday. I had grown up rafting all over the
west with my family. To this day I still have no idea
why Tim hired me, except maybe .... DESPERATION.
Anyway I have fallen in love with the western rivers.
They have the power to constantly make me think of
them all off season, in Ft. Collins where I am
currently working with Autistic kids. I hope to see
you on the river, and may you always find yourself in
the flow.
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Andrew Vinton, aka Peewee Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2001 
In the August following my high school graduation I was working as a pizza delivery boy in
Salt Lake City. My brother, himself a fellow guide, called me one day after work and told me that Holiday had an
opening in the warehouse--I think he said it involved "sweeping floors." The next day I quit my job delivering pizza and
headed for Green River. I've been coming back ever since--but thankfully I'm not sweeping floors anymore. I grew up in Utah, so this area has been familiar to me since I was young; but it wasn't until I saw it from a raft that I really appreciated it.
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Shannon Callahan, aka Schoon Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2001 
Half way through my freshman year of college I made the decision that I wanted to do something different for the summers.
I had only been on one river trip prior to my decision to become a river guide, unfortunately I wasn't old enough and took a job in the warehouse sweeping
and cleaning dry bags. Four summers later I find myself ditching out of internships to some back to Utah to run rivers. Who needs a "real" job anyway?
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Ben Levine, aka "LB" Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2003 
Hailing from the wild west, I grew up in Wyoming and have always had a passion for the outdoors. In 2003 during my junior summer of high school I began my Holiday legacy and spent a spectacular summer in the warehouse where I became know as LB "Little Ben". Now several years later I am know as BB "Big Ben" and have moved from my native Wyoming to the city with the warmest winter weather in Utah, St. George. While residing in St. George I attend Dixie State College but am also able to mountain bike, explore Zion National Park and wakeboard for the majority of the year. Every summer though I return to my second home, Holiday, were I am able to work with the finest most exciting group of individuals that I have ever had the privilege of meeting. I especially enjoy going on trips with my big brother "Redneck" Jason. Who as his picture very accurately portrays is the best looking and most serious trip leader in the history of river rafting, it must run in the family. My favorite river trip is the Yampa
River, which is referred to as the last wild river because it is the last undammed river on the Colorado Plateau. The scenery that it provides is absolutely breathtaking, every camp sight is perfect for camping and a great game of river horseshoes, the hiking is amazing and the rapids are as the nickname suggests, wild. I have found my one true love in the canyons and rivers of the west and feel honored to share their exotic beauty with everyone who I have the privilege of journeying through them with.
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Andrew Johnsen, aka Drew Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2003 
When Tim first tracked me down and begged me to be a river guide, I was a bit unsure. Being from New Jersey,
the canyons and the rivers of Utah were foriegn to me, but after I did my first private trip down Westwater Canyon, I decided that
Green River was going to be my new home. I love every aspect of the river and river trips. I can't imagine working with a better group of people.
The knowledge, experience and passion of and for the river is unparralelled.
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Henry Joseph Prendergast, aka Hank Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2003 
My first river trip was on the Payette river in Idaho were I grew up. Since then I have wanted to live as much
of my life as possible in the outdoors. I love the river and everything it means to be a guide, running the rapids, incredible hikes, heavy
metal, "back pancakes". The Gates of Lodore is probably my favorite stretch, it is one of the more beautiful places I have ever seen, Chicago is
my new home but I can't wait to get back to the river.
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Amy Christeson, aka Amy Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2004 
A typical day in the office. I roll out of bed in the morning, throw on my professional business attire--tutu and leopard print polyester pants, of course--and start making blueberry muffins for breakfast. Eat, push off the beach, and begin punching through splashy rapids. Don't miss the board meeting at 10...we pull over to scout Hells Half Mile, and the guides and I have a quick conference. Then, back in the boats and we're shooting through the upper slot, then down past Lucifer rock. The shrills of anticipation, anxiety, then happiness and victory can be heard throughout the canyon. The trip leader shouts back, good run, that'll earn you positive marks on the company report. But the work day isn't over. We keep pushing along. During lunch hour we hike up to a waterfall, later celebrate the day with a dinnertime Fiesta, have a competitive round of horseshoes. The darkness sets in and I eat one more s'more, unroll my sleeping bag and clock out for the day. This is the best job in the world.
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Jason Quinn, aka Jason Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2004 
My name is Jason and I'm a third year Rookie here at Holiday. I come from a long history of Appalachan Americans, (Rednecks) that looks to each day with a smile wondering which way to go, lucky for me the boat seems to always know where to go. In the winter, I am presently accepting invitations to anywhere in the world. I have worked on the rivers of New Zealand, Chile, and West Virginia, but my resume is not limited to the river. I am an expert synchronized co-ed underwater basket weaver, professional certified duct tape technician, competitive napper, and a nuclear engineer. My leisure activities include entertaining telemarketers, hanging with Cashmire, playing pranks on my boss Tim (year round activity really), playing matchmaker, and the list goes on.
If you like good stories, good food, good laughs, I am your man, but more importantly, if you want a good lookin river guide..look no further then Brin (his photo is on this page). There is no better way to see the Canyons then from the river, hope to see you out there.
Maya Nash | Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2005 
I live in Chicago. I got a job at Holiday after meeting another guide who lives here. My only previous experience was a one-day trip down the San Juan River with my grandma when I was seventeen. I think I wore jean shorts.
I like working here because it is very pretty and does not involve traffic or being cold. I really like the wildlife and seeing all the stars at night. I dislike dams and big oil companies and I have a very healthy respect for bears.
In the winter, I make art, wait tables, and hang out with the other river guide who lives in Chicago.
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Brin Finnigan, aka Brian Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2005 
Born and raised in Vermont, I spent a good deal of my young life staring at maps. I was particularly drawn to the vast blank areas of the American West. In one of these wide-open spaces two great blue streaks converge in the heart of the Colorado Plateau's canyonlands region. Guiding for Holiday Expeditions since 2005 I've found that the maps and dreams of my childhood are grossly inaccurate. The Colorado and Green Rivers are anything but blue and the land anything but blank. I've discovered that by sharing knowledge with my guests and simply bringing them to these spectacular canyons they gain an ownership of the place and the desire to protect it. Along with my life on the river I have also earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Gettysburg College and a BCU 3-Star kayak certification and become a Seminar Coordinator for the Headwaters Institute. Prior to Holiday I worked for my campus outdoor education program, guided sea kayaking trips up and down the East Coast
and in the Great Lakes, and washed dishes professionally.
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Evan McKittrick Guiding Holiday's expeditions since 2005 
I consider myself a passionate individual. Throughout the years, as I'm sure is the case for everyone, my passions and interests have proven to be dynamic--they always seem to be changing. I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and I love pine trees and the smell of wet dirt. I chose to attend the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, deciding to escape the gray days replacing them with tons of people and constant action. Having just completed a semester in Singapore, I have developed a passion for exotic places and the art of traveling. Although my interests may seem a bit random or inconsistent, I've found a stable foundation upon which I've been able to stack many layers of relatively unrelated passion. Growing up with a former Holiday Guide as my father, rafting has found its way into my blood. I rowed my first rapid when I was 8, my first river when I was 13, and spent many years waiting to be old enough to guide.
And spending my third summer in Green River, I couldn't be happier. The Holiday environment-the people, the scenery, the rivers-has shown me the good life, how could I not love this job? I am a passionate person and rafting is my favorite passion.
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Zack Rogala Guiding Holiday's Idaho guests since 2005 
I figure rowing a boat beats banging nails on any day of the week,
so the summer months find me in a relaxingly repetitious right/left,
right/left, cook, clean, sleep, wake up all over again kind of
routine on the beautiful rivers of central Idaho.
Come fall I flounder in the realm otherwise known as academia at
Montana State in Bozeman, Montana, and wonder on what ski hill will
I be teaching people how to fall 'professionally' down this winter.
As far as the rivers go, this spud state is 'the last best place'
and its rivers...'the undiscovered'...so until that changes I can't
think of a better place to dance along the thin line of the
transient/traveler life style...Darby Loggers' Day excluded of
course.
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