Kaya Pungello
River Guide
Kaya’s first taste of whitewater rafting was after moving to Asheville, although they had tried sea kayaking back in high school. They became hooked on multi-day rafting after their first Grand Canyon trip and Kaya has since worked as a guide in Arizona, Idaho, California, Washington, and their home state of North Carolina. One of Kaya’s most amazing river trips saw them swimming Crystal, Bedrock, and Lava falls on their first private Grand Canyon trip in 2017, although they also love the Rogue River, describing it as “absolutely gorgeous”. Kaya has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Justice, Entrepreneurship, and Outdoor Recreation from Prescott College and loves to play guitar. When Kaya’s not on the river, you’ll probably find them up in the skies honing their pilot skills.