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kayaking whitewater rafting poudre canyon northern colorado ft collins fort collins estes park red feather lakes rocky mountain national park kayaking whitewater rafting poudre canyon northern colorado ft collins fort collins estes park red feather lakes rocky mountain national park
kayaking rafting poudre canyon whitewater colorado fort collins estes park
Ben Costello
Ben is from Gunnison, Colorado. He received a degree in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism from Colorado State University in 2003. This is his 8th year guiding on the Poudre River for Mountian Whitewater. This year he will be our head boatman, so you'll se a lot of him. His humor and passion for the outdoors brings a different dimension for his guests. In the future, Ben and his family plan on opening a small eco-friendly beach resort in Majahual Mexico. Heis a swiftwater technician and was named guide of the year in 2002.
Eric Huber
Eric Huber is from Greenville, North Carolina. He received a liberal arts degree from Colorado State University with minors in history and natural resources international ecotourism. This is his 15th year as a professional river guide on the Poudre, Colorado, North Platte, Dolores and Arkansas Rivers. During the winters you can usually find him snowboarding down Loveland Pass. He is a Swiftwater Rescue technician.
Kristen Adams
Kristin is from Denver. She received her degree in Biology from Colorado State University. This is her 7th year guiding on the Poudre river. She has Wilderness First Aid and is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician. Over the past several years, she spent time studying wildlife in Kenya, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with her family, tracking wildlife in Montana, and guiding class IV and V whitewater in Costa Rica.  In her spare time she can be found hiking, biking or snowboarding. She was Guide of the Year in 2004. Hold on, She's a wild one.
Amanda Hoernicke
Amanda is from Hays, Kansas. Next year she will finish up her degree in Consumer and Family Studies at CSU. This is Amanda’s 7th year working in the office. In 2003, she won the Choice City Champion Award from the Convention and Visitors Bureau for her great customer service. When not in the office you can find her playing and winning at darts.
Ian Beutler
Ian comes from Texas, Arizona and Spain. This is his 7th year as a professional guide on the Poudre, Arkansas, Colorado and North Platte rivers. While not on the river you can find him mountain biking or playing with his dog, Champ. He has also been acting semi-professionally for 21 years. Now a massage thereapist, he might even give you a massage after the trip. This year, Ian will be one of our office managers. He is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and an EMT.
Kelly Fernholz
Kelly is from Denver, Colorado. She is a fifth year guide on the Cache La Poudre River. She majored in Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism from Colorado State University. She enjoys climbing and running marathons. She is a WFR and a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Jack Reed
Jack is originally from Fort Collins. He studied massage therapy at the Healing Arts Institute and works as a massage therapist in the winters. This is his third year as a Poudre River guide. When not on the river you can find him mountain biking, climbing, hanging out with his friends, listening to music and enjoying life. Jack spends the winter playing guitar in several local bands.
Aspen
Aspen is originally from Idaho. She is a Border Collie/Idaho Mountain dog. She has been guiding for six years on several rivers including the Salmon, Salt, Snake, Poudre and Colorado rivers. She is currently in charge of guest services and acts as MWD’s guard. When not on the river she enjoys hiking, climbing mountains, swimming, road trips and winter camping. She supervised construction of two dog kennels for those of you travelling with your pets. We'll take care of ALL of your family. So bring your pooch.
Josh Thomson
Josh is originally from Hartselle, Alabama. He is currently finishing a PhD. in Mathematics from the University of Utah. This is Josh's fourth year as a professional guide on the Poudre, Pigeon, New and Gauley rivers. He enjoys kayaking, bike commuting, yoga, and hangingout with his wife. He has had training in Outdoor Emergency Care and is a WFR and Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Daniela Frum
Daniela is from Northbrook, Illinois. She graduated in 2002 from Colorado State University with a degree in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism. This is her 5th year as a Poudre River guide. She is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician. She now works part-time for Pridemark Paramedics in Boulder.
Stan Wyllie
Stan is originally from Midland, Texas. He is currently attending Colorado State University, pursuing a degree in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism. This is his 7th year as a Poudre River guide. He is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician. When not rafting you can find him climbing, biking, kayaking and repairing bikes.

Forrest Carr
Forrest is from Fort Collins, Colorado. He is a student at the Colorado School
of Mines where he is studying Mining Engineering. This is his second year as a
Poudre River Guide. When not on the river he enjoys snowboarding, 4-wheel,
jumping off cliffs, camping, hiking and being outside. He is a Swiftwater Rescue
Technician.

Courtney Shook
Courtney was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is currently finishing up her degree in Recreation and Tourism from Colorado State University. This is her 2nd year as a professional guide on the Poudre. When not on the river, you can find her playing in the mountains, spending time with friends, listening to live music or traveling. She is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.

Simon Lawler
Simon is originally from New Zealand. He received a Bachelor of arts degree in
psychology and education. He is currently working as an elementary teacher in
Pierce, Colorado. When not guiding you can find Simon on the local river tearing
it up on the river board. This is Simon’s fourth year as a Poudre river guide. He is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Julianne Koval
Julianne is from Eagle Pass, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in Biology. She is working towards a graduate degree in wildlife conservation at CSU. This is her 2nd season guiding commercially on the Poudre River. In the winter you’ll find her patrolling trails at Cameron Pass for the Forest Service. She speaks fluent Spanish and has worked in wildlife rehabilitation in both Texas and Florida. She is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.

Chris holland
Chris is from Omaha, Nebraska. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical
Engineering at CSU. He is an avid mountain unicyclist. This is his 2nd year at
MWD as a commercial guide. When not guiding you can find him doing something crazy on his unicycle. He is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Katie Macknight

Nate Beckman
Nate is from Crystal Lake, Illinois. He is currently working on a Bachelors degree in Forestry at CSU. He is a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) graduate. This is his 2nd year guiding commercial on the Poudre river. He is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician. During the winters, Nathan enjoys snowboarding and skiing down Cameron Pass and the local ski resorts.

Melissa Matsunaka
Melissa grew up in Loveland, Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Natural Resource Management. After CSU, she attended the University of Colorado-Boulder for law school. When she's not rafting or thinking about rafting, she's probably enjoying other activities outdoors such as hiking with her dog, walking her dog, skiing, golfing, or mountain
biking.This will be her 9th year guiding rafts on the Poudre. She is a
Swiftwater Rescue Technician
Patrick Oconnel
Patrick was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado. He still has yet to graduate from any university. This is his 4th year guiding and his 9th year as a kayak instructor and safety boater. He is a Leo, enjoys long vacations hitch hiking across the country and loves strawberry jam. He is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Lindsey Modesitt
Lindsey grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State University in 2001 with a degree in Biological Sciences. She is currently working as an EMT in Denver. When not working she enjoys skiing, kayaking, climbing and mountain biking. She works for the Weld county paramedics as well. She is a Swiftwater Rescue Technician.
Ella Modesitt
Born August 26, 2005, Ella ia the youngest member of the Mountain Whitewater family. In her spare time, Ella enjoys long walks, cherios, and going Big.
Brad Modesitt
Brad Modesitt is from Michigan but has lived in Colorado most of his life. This is his 14th year as a professional guide of the Poudre, North Platte, Arkansas, Snake and Salmon rivers. Privately he has boated on four continents while pursuing his passion of traveling. He has over 15,000 river miles. He has been trained as an Emergency Medical Technician, Outdoor Emergency Care and Canyons River rescue Course. His favorite trip so far has been his canoeing to New Orleans and then bicyling to Chile. Be careful, he may just miss the take-out and have you paddle him to New Orleans too.