Our Travel Specialists
Peter Grubb & Betsy Bowen
Founders
Having discovered whitewater raft guiding on the East Coast while attending college, Peter moved to Idaho in 1979 and founded ROW as a company focused on wilderness rafting trips. His exposure to the earth's communities through travel, coupled with attendance at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland where he studied the "Great Books," mythology, and western civilization, led he and Betsy to Turkey in 1984 where they launched ROW's first international trip. ROW has since branched out to over 25 countries throughout the world and Peter usually does the initial research and new tour development. Peter has a passion for nature, travel, reading and learning and believes strongly in the positive power of travel and the ways it can improve the lives of everyone touched. He speaks French, basic Spanish, plays the guitar and is still very involved in the company, wearing a number of hats and guiding in the field as time allows. He has served on a number of Boards, including the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, Idaho Rivers United, the Spokane Center for Justice, and the America Outdoors Association.
Co-owner of ROW, Betsy Bowen was a professional ceramicist prior to her immersion in ROW, and has always been an anchor in the sometimes turbulent seas of business. A favorite among guides, Betsy led many of ROW's early rafting trips as well as yachting tours to Greece, Croatia and Turkey. Once her daughter Mariah and son Jonah were born in the early 1990's she transitioned to the challenging world of motherhood, imparting to her children her passions of skiing, art, creativity and giving to others. She has been sanctioned as the "Director of Other Stuff" because of her wide variety of talents including project management, plumbing, wiring and logistical expertise. Her artistic eye is evidenced throughout ROW as well. Nowadays she is less involved in the day-to-day doings of ROW, but remains a vital part of our team.
Juggling the demands of the ROW Family of Companies (ROW Adventures, Adventure Unbound, Sea Kayak Adventures) keeps life vibrant and Betsy and Peter are both a wealth of knowledge, experience, and most importantly, care and support for the entire team.

Michelle Darnell
Director of Marketing
Michelle has found her home at ROW Adventures as our Director of Marketing. Graduating from Whitworth University with a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education and Kinesiology, Michelle forewent her dreams of teaching in lieu of opportunities in the outdoor recreation industry. For the past 16 years Michelle has focused her time and energy into roles that support outdoor recreation and travel. As a proud mom of two, Michelle has a renewed passion for this work; hoping to inspire the next generation to love, nurture, enjoy, and beocme stewards of our natural resources and outdoor spaces.
Michelle and her Family love new adventures, whether it’s exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest or discovering a new International destination, they’re happy when the scenery is new and unexpected. A few favorites are Acadia National Park, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Quebec City. Michelle is a doting mom, an avid sports fan, loves to cycle, and doesn’t take herself too seriously! If you run into her, she’s likely to have a smile on her face, a coffee in her hand and a few good books ready to go on her kindle app.
Candy Bening
USA & Rivers Sales Manager
Born in 1964, raised in Santa Cruz, California. WW Rafting guide since 1989: CA, ID, MT. Moved to Idaho in 1993; and joined ROW in 1994.
After spending 10 yrs in the high-tech industry, Candy made a life-altering change and became both a rafting guide and ski patroller. In her over 25 years with ROW, she has worked in the field guiding, evaluating, managing, and traveling with ROW thus gaining first-hand knowledge of all the ID, MT & OR rivers and many of the Int’l vacation experiences including the Galapagos Islands.
Her friendly, outgoing personality, as well as her expertise, has made her succeed in the office overseeing sales, and assisting guests by offering suggestions and solutions to ensure each person/family has the best time ever! Candy, along with her husband and two girls, are avid white water rafting enthusiasts. Together they have joined ROW on rivers all over the West.
Destination Specialties: USA Rivers
Favorite Trip: "There is no better place than the river canyon you are in"
Tom Scarborough
Area Manager
Guide since 2003: WA, OR, ID. Joined ROW in 2007. Tom has a unique skill set. He is able to recite Dr. Seuss’ poem “The Lorax” from memory, brew a mean pint of beer, drive a bus, milk a cow, cook a tasty Dutch oven lasagna, and write a Microsoft Access database. On top of all that, Tom is a great guide and a wealth of information about the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. He currently manages ROW’s Rogue River operation where he sings guests to sleep with the smooth sounds of the 70s and his signature number “Waltzing with Bears”. Originally from New York, Tom has a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from Cornell University and an extensive work history ranging from a YMCA summer camp director, to transportation director for a Washington ski area, and finally a river guide. Tom also has a passion for all things bacon, tinkering and pop music.
Guiding Destinations: Rogue River, Owyhee River, Grande Ronde River
Connelly Brown
Area Manager
Guide since 1988: WV, CO, CA, MT, ID. Joined ROW in 2002. A native of the Nutmeg State, Connelly Brown (“CB” to most) now resides year round in the mountains of Northeastern Oregon with his wife and two kids. CB has been a guide since, wait for it, the late 1980s. For years he worked as a “migrant wave farmer,” living out of his truck as he followed the snowmelt and work from one river to the next throughout the year.
In 2002 he joined the ROW team and has served as both a guide and manager. While guiding a ROW trip, he met the woman who would become the love of his life. They now make their home in northeastern Oregon, where CB runs a backcountry ski business. One of the quirkiest and most pleasant of people, CB is all about keeping it mellow and making memories on the river. Whether fishing for sturgeon, charging the big hits, telling stories or leading a hike, CB has a way to make your experience unique. He is also a Certified Interpretive Guide.
Guiding Destinations: Salmon River, Family Magic (Salmon River Canyons)

Tyler Hesler
River Guide
Originally from Plainfield, Indiana, Tyler holds an Associate’s Degree in Environmental Studies and has been guiding guests along Colorado’s magnificent rivers since 2018. In the winter months, he’s an avid skier and describes one of his most treasured childhood memories as skiing from 10 am to 2 am with his best friend on Indiana’s perfect slopes. While it was skiing that inspired his move to Colorado when he was 18, Tyler quickly developed a love for being on the water. When he’s not river guiding, you’ll find Tyler climbing in the Maroon Bells, juggling, playing guitar, and traveling around in his van.

Garin Vannoy
River Guide
Originally from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, Garin has been skiing, mountain biking, and rafting for as long as he can remember.
In the summer of 2020 while working for a landscaping business, Garin wanted a change. He saw a job ad for ROW Adventures on Facebook and instantly applied. One day after his interview he dropped everything to be a ‘swamper’ on the Salmon River and has never looked back. Since then he has gone from a swamper to a sweep boat driver on the Middle Fork Salmon River.
When he’s off the river, living seasonally, Garin spends most of his fall season traveling around the world, and winters working as a ski instructor in Colorado.

Megan Ferguson
Adventure Consultant
Megan was born and raised in Cataldo, Idaho. Growing up, she always had a passion for the outdoors which is what pushed her into starting into wildland fire. After 5 seasons of traveling the United States for fire and finishing her degree at Boise State in business administration with a minor in entrepreneurship, her love of the outdoors drove her back home.
Wanting a more normal work/ life balance, Megan decided to leave the fire industry and started at ROW. She now shares her passion for the outdoors with every guest wanting to find a trip in which they can tell their own adventure stories.
When she is off the clock, you can find her summiting mountains, on the ski slope, or chasing trophy trout (pictured). No matter what she’s doing, she brings a can-do attitude and enough energy to power a small city.

Pang Boches
River Guide
Ask Pang (pronounced “Pong”) what the most amazing thing he’s ever experienced is and his answer is simple: nature. After struggling with mental health issues throughout high school in Boston, he attended a wilderness therapy program in Vermont and discovered a love of the outdoors. Today, he’s working towards a BA in Outdoor Recreation and becoming a well-rounded guide who’d eventually like to specialize in wilderness therapy. He loves snowboarding, sailing, mountain biking, and playing soccer, as well as being a passionate activist. When he’s not on the river, Pang is furthering his career and pursuing service work, which has included traveling to Tucson, New Orleans, and Nicaragua.

Aashna Shah
River Guide
Originally from Salt Lake City, Aashna grew up with granite peaks and desert rivers in her backyard. After attending the University of Utah for mathmatics, she found herself river guiding on the South Fork of the American River in California. This past winter she explored much of Europe through Spain and Italy rock climbing the world class limestone. You can expect to find Aashna on the river wearing a fun party shirt and glitter to share. Oh, and unlike many other river guides, she can probably help you with your math homework too!

Jenn Nelson
River Guide
Original from Glendale, Arizona, Jenn grew up with a strong yearning for water. Anytime it would rain when she was growing up, she would beg to play in the rain. Desert flash floods amazed her beyond comprehension. Her favorite days spent outdoors as a child were those playing in puddles and dancing in the rain.
To find more water Jenn found herself in Northern Idaho where she earned an associates degree in Outdoor Recreational Leadership. Jenn knew she wanted to become a guide after taking a life changing honeymoon trip to Maui where an interpersonal connection with her hiking guide inspired her to get others outside and make the same personal impact with new people in the outdoors.
Jenn loves guiding because she is truly enchanted by the Pacific Northwest. She has always loved the water, and always felt at home in nature. The mountains, rivers, and lakes of the PNW are the things that made up her childhood dreams. Jenn loves being able to share her love for these outdoor spaces that with others. She feels it’s an incredible joy and a privilege.
When Jenn is not guiding, you can find her working on her yoga teacher training certification or writing her first book! Soon to be published as a horror fantasy novel. She loves cozying up to read a book, or get out and hike.

Marilyn Nielson
River Guide
While Marilyn might be relatively new to the ROW family, she’s been organizing family and friend float trips since 1999. Growing up in Cheney, Washington, one of her favorite childhood memories was floating through the magnificent Alberton Gorge on the Clark Fork River and she loves seeing other families connect while catching crayfish, shooting water cannons at one another, and relaxing beside the water. Marilyn holds a BS in Wildlife Science from Washington State and an MS in Fisheries from the University of Idaho and worked as a field ecologist for 12 years before moving to Spokane. Aside from being skilled in plant identification, natural history, and cartography, she has a knack for being able to dodge boulders when running the Spokane River.

Cole Gustavson
River Guide
After studying accounting at Adams State University Cole knew he wanted to be on the river. Born and raised in Durango, Colorado, Cole spent plenty of time on the river and in the San Juan Mountains as a kid. He was a competitive wrestler for most of his life including through college. He recently moved to Coeur D’Alene, Idaho for a slower pace of life and to continue river guiding in a new environment. In the off-season, you can find Cole on the mountain skiing or snowboarding. If you catch him on the river, you can call him by his nickname, “cole-slaw!”

Devin Chattman
River Guide
Devin's hometown is Irondale, Alabama, a small town in the lowlands just south of the outer reaches of the Appalachians. He moved to Atlanta as a teenager and didn't leave the city until he reluctantly finished his economics degree. While in University, Devin rediscovered the joy of playing outside through his outdoor recreation program, Touch the Earth (TTE). Devin went on to lead trips for TTE all around the Southeast, including - canoeing through inky black swamp waters bespeckled with the yellow watching eyes of alligators, backpacking through Appalachia's tallest mountains during the peak fall colors season, and paddling through silver seas streaked with neon blue bioluminescence in the early morning darkness off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico plus many more foundational life-changing adventures. After graduating, Devin left Atlanta on his first-ever flight with an over-stuffed backpack and a one-way ticket to Seattle. The rest is history. Over the last ten years, Devin has been guiding folks through the wonders of America's most pristine landscapes. Whenever Devin is not receiving checks to run around, you can find him living life slowly - planting coffee trees in the Himalayas, singing off-key with a guitar in hand, or cooking with the ones he loves.

Jake Warzon
River Guide
Originally from Spokane in Washington state, Jake has adopted Oregon as his home and says that it holds a special place in his heart. He loves sharing it with guests and believes that the Rogue River is one of the best ways to experience what the state has to offer. After being introduced to rafting during his college years (by his dad), Jake became a guide in 2016 and has since worked throughout Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. He has also skied since he was a youngster (in fact, he also works as a pro ski tech) and loves biking and surfing when he’s not on the river. Among his most amazing life experiences was witnessing the Milky Way and Northern Lights from the rainforest. Jake’s talents? Giving new things a shot and dancing!

Xander Burt
ROW Adventures Operations Manager
Xander was introduced to rivers by his uncle who used to guide on the Penobscot river in Maine. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, growing up he would visit the Northeast frequently. After getting his degree from Red Rocks Community College in Outdoor Leadership he went out to the rockies where he began guiding in Colorado and New Mexico.
Xander loves being able to connect and relate to people with unique and diverse experiences and backgrounds. The rafting community has given him the opportunity to connect many people of all walks of life. Outside of the river world Xander is a huge sports fan, and he doesn’t limit his excitement to just one sport. Although, one of the most amazing things he’s ever experienced was walking to Wrigley Field after the Cubs finals won the World Series. You can almost always find him watching sports, on the golf course, or exploring new trails.
New to Coeur D’Alene, he is looking forward to exploring the rivers and wilderness throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Katherine Demsky
International Tour Program Coordinator
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Katherine has always been drawn to understanding people and their stories, a passion that led her to earn a master’s degree in anthropology. Her curiosity for cultures and traditions naturally guided her toward a career in the travel and adventure industry, where she thrives on connecting with communities and sharing their histories.
Katherine spent over ten years in Nepal, where she managed a nonprofit empowering women through education and led transformative tours across Nepal and India. From trekking in the breathtaking Everest region to exploring the diverse wildlife of the Terai lowlands, she loves introducing travelers to the region's stunning landscapes and vibrant cultures.

Chee Chin
Accountant
Chee Chin was born and raised in Malaysia. She was the Staff Accountant for a Timber Industry Company in Malaysia before she and her Family migrated to the Untied States in 2007, settling in Butte Montana. There Chee Chin joined Town Pump Inc. at their home office as a Property Management Accountant for 8 years. In 2016 Chee Chin moved with her family to Coeur d' Alene so she could stay close to her sister and other family members who live in the area.
Chee Chin is excited to be part of ROW's Famliy as the Corporate Accountant. When Chee Chin is not working she enjoys cooking, gardening and traveling.
Specialty: Numbers and smiles
Favorite Trip: Coming soon

Jen Klingensmith
River Guide
Originally from Ithaca, New York, Jen now calls Oregon “home” and loves how many amazing outdoor spaces the state has to explore. She first got into rafting after being invited onto a Rogue River trip in 2010 and said that she immediately purchased her own raft and started learning how to row. Since that day, she’s spent as many days on the river as possible and believes the trip was a catalyst for so many positive changes in her life. Eight years later, she quit her desk job and became a guide, running the same river where her rafting journey began. Jen holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and studied law at the University of Oregon, and describes herself as an “excellent bread baker”. When not on the river, she’s at her small hobby farm where she has chickens and cattle (as well as the occasional sheep, goats, and pigs), as well as 600 dwarfing apple trees for making apple cider. Jen also has two dogs that love being on the river as much as she does!

DJ Means
Ride Our World Bike Guide
Coming soon...
Erika Anderson
Adventure Consultant
Erika was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, spending most of her childhood in the beautiful San Juan Islands before moving to Coeur d'Alene at the age of 14. Her passion for travel began after high school, when she graduated and went straight to Europe for a 3-month backpacking trip with her best friend. This life-changing experience ignited her love for exploring the world and set the foundation for her career. While pursuing her degree in Business Management, she was offered a travel consultant position at a local agency and quickly found her true calling in the travel industry.
Over the next 10 years, Erika helped countless clients plan extraordinary trips, becoming an expert in adventure travel. In addition to crafting unforgettable itineraries, she immersed herself in many unique experiences—cliff jumping in Ireland, kayaking and swimming with manatees in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, scuba diving in Iceland's glacier waters, and hiking through England's beautiful Lake District. These adventures fueled her passion for adventure travel, and she now specializes in curating off-the-beaten-path experiences for fellow explorers.
Outside of work, Erika enjoys spending time with her son and exploring the Pacific Northwest. Whether hiking, spending the day on the lake, or winning a game of Texas Hold 'Em against her 4 uncles, she values time spent in nature and making memories with loved ones.

Monica Sanchez
Baja Naturalist and Sea Kayak Guide
Now in her fifth season with ROW Sea Kayak Adventures in Baja, Monica loves the water, and everything surrounding it. She is especially passionate about whales and dolphins. Monica always dreamt of being a wilderness explorer like the journalists in National Geographer magazine. Due to her love for both the ocean and marine mammals, she decided to work at an aquarium in the Caribbean where she worked as a dolphin and sea lion trainer for a couple of years.
While she loved being so close to the animals, she realized she would rather see them in the wild, in their natural habitat. Monica discovered Sea Kayak Adventures was looking to hire a naturalist for their Baja whale watching tours, and applied. The day she was hired was "one of the best days of my life; my dream came true. I will be in the wilderness, observing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat."
Monica loves that every day as a guide is a new adventure, a new experience, and a surprise, where the unexpected is the norm. She loves sharing her excitement and passion for nature with guests, as well as hearing about their stories. She loves knowing that the time she shared with them in nature gave them something special that they will remember for the rest of their life. When she's not guiding, Monica likes to hike, explore, and travel. She also loves reading about marine life and nature, and discovering new places where she can practice stand-up paddle boarding. In the off-season, Monica works as a reporter.

Matthew Phillipy
River Guide
With a Masters of Science Education under his belt, Spokane-born Matthew Phillipy a.k.a. “Professor” is a science teacher by trade but spends his summers river guiding. Growing up canoeing the moving waters of the Spokane and Pend Oreille Rivers he fell in love with water and nature. One of his favorite memories was winning the Poker Paddle canoe race on the Pend Oreille River with his dad when he was 12 years old. After many years of teaching science and spending his summers working as a Ranger at Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks Matthew got hooked on rafting following a bachelor’s party on the Salmon River and considers it an honor and duty to share his love of nature, culture and stewardship with others. When he’s not leading middle schoolers into the wild on another one of his epic field trips or navigating the rivers of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, Matthew can be found skiing, biking, hiking, camping, canoeing and rafting with his son Oliver and his puppy Willow.

Amelia Yach
River Guide
Coming soon...

Sebastian Jurado
Galapagos Adventure Guide
After growing up in a small town in a valley of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador near the city of Quito, Sebastian decided to travel to Santiago de Chile to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Administration. His eagerness for travel took him on a backpacking adventure through Canada and United States for 9 months. Having perfected his English, he started guiding in Ecuador in 1998.
As a young nature-lover interested in natural history and ecology, nature filming, photography, alternative energy, ecotourism development, and outdoor sports his career took an interesting path on the exciting soft-adventure world. In order guarantee travelers’ safety, Sebastian has been Wilderness Advanced First Aid certified for more than a decade.

Emily Wray
Operations and Office Admin
Emily was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but discovered her love of rafting and outdoors on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. After that trip it became her passion to find out how to be on the river and outdoors as much as possible. This led her to be a summer camp counselor in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri on the Black River for three summers. Emily continued her rafting and outdoor education at the University of Idaho and their Outdoor Program. She graduated with a B.S. in Recreation Management and a Minor in Outdoor Recreation Leadership with the intention of helping others get outside no matter their experience level or ability.
Emily loves to do anything outdoors with her husband and dog. Along with her love of outdoor pursuits, Emily loves crafting and gardening. You will usually find scratch pieces of paper lying around with sketches of her next ten projects. No matter where you find Emily, she’s bound to have a smile on her face.

Maria Rosa
Caribbean Program Manager
María Rosa was born and raised in Havana, Cuba and for many she is as Cuban as it gets. She started guiding as a part time job during her last year of college. After graduating, she worked as a teacher in the university of Havana and continued guiding part-time until eventually she decided to do it full time. She loves teaching and she found guiding equally rewarding. She met her husband while guiding on a kayak trip and from that moment on she joined our adventure family. She has worked for Row since 2016 from Cuba and now from Portland, Oregon where she has lived for the past 2 years with her husband and her 4 Cuban fur babies.

Alejandra Mosquera
Galapagos Adventure Guide
Alejandra was born and raised in Quito. She believes that there is nothing better than opening her eyes and seeing the beauty of the marvelous Andes, their colors, wildlife, and scenery. Even though she never thought about becoming a guide, she realized this activity would be her future during her first trip in the university. She has been sharing her passion and love for Ecuador since 2006, and obtained her Wilderness Advanced First Aid certificate four years ago. In her free time, she likes to explore Ecuador with her four-year-old daughter, Manuela, who shares the same passion for Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands as her mother. She also enjoys outdoor sports including kayaking and stand-up paddling.

Connor Young
River & Bike Guide
Originally from Taos, New Mexico, Connor Young is a Computer Science major who began river guiding in 2021. He has since worked on rivers throughout Idaho, Washington, and Montana, and says that he loves seeing clients fall in love with the “overlooked” recreational landscapes of Idaho’s panhandle. Connor first went down a river with his parents at just 18 months old but it wasn’t until he got involved in rafting in college that he saw how it could bring people together. Case in point: flipping on a race course in New Mexico and seeing how quickly people sprang into action as a team. When he’s not on the river, Connor can usually be found on a bike and says his special skill is putting 15 bikes in a trailer in 15 minutes. His experiences in the outdoors have ranged from flipping on a bucking horse at the age of 6 to sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on a 40-foot yacht and bike-packing the length of New Zealand’s South Island.
Diego Vega Romero
Baja & British Columbia Kayak Naturalist Guide
A native of La Paz, Baja Sur, Diego spent a school year in the US while in high school and thus has a great understanding of both English and American culture. In addition to being a talented sea kayaker, Diego loves to play basketball and is on a team when back home in La Paz. Other hobbies include drawing, travel and eating. He attended the University of Guadalajara to study Biology with an emphasis in Entomology and then the University of LaPaz where he went on to earn a Masters Degree in arid land ecology, most fitting for the Baja peninsula. Diego joined the Sea Kayak Adventures team in 2017 and is passionate about sharing the natural history of Baja, both in the water and on land, with our guests. In addition to guiding sea kayaking tours, Diego works in Cabo Pulmo National Park as a snorkeling guide, a skill he also enjoys sharing on our trips. As of 2023 Diego started guiding in British Columbia applying his sea kayaking skills and ecology knowledge to a new area up north. With a great sense of humor, friendly personality, and unmeasurable depth of knowledge in marine life and the natural world, Diego is a favorite among our guests.