A Message from Founders Dee & Sue Holladay

November 17, 2015

A message from Founders Dee & Sue Holladay. The canyons we float and ride through have been here long before Holiday River Expeditions, but in our humblest way we are celebrating our 50th year of river running, hiking, and just being in the presence of such grand places and people. It’s been interesting to observe the changes in ourselves, our company, our industry, and our environment.

Back in the ’60s, on our early rafting trips, the attraction was basically a floating party – a sign of the times. Even though our guides were willing to share their knowledge of the canyons with our guests, the fact was we really didn’t know that much, and neither did science. Environment was beginning to hum as a buzzword, but science was just beginning to understand the importance and interrelation of ecosystems and biodiversity. What we did know was that solitude and being in nature felt good and seemed right. We began to change the way we did things so we wouldn’t impact the places we liked to go.

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Over the years, Holiday guests have also realized how precious our wild places are. Our Guests now come to the river and the trails for other reasons and that is family togetherness, escaping suburbia, or understanding our place in the bigger picture. Land management agencies and outfitters are being more proactive about managing our impact in these wild places.

Sue and I, our guides and staff, and you – our guests have a common bond that has strengthened Holiday as an entity. We are all humbled by nature’s power, strengthened by its energy, challenged by its integrity, and grounded by its loftiness.

We got into the outfitting business as a way to do what we loved. Thanks to great places, our very special guests, and employees we have been able to do what many people only dream of. Our lives as river and trail outfitters and friends to wild places have been fulfilling. With increased attention to our nation’s wild places, we hope that we will always be able to share and revel in the beauty of the West.