Eric Ladd

Eric launched Boundary Expeditions in 2016, operating multi-day river rafting trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. His passion for wilderness, rivers and guiding has never subsided after learning to guide at the age of 15 and later completing expeditions including the 2007 first descent of the Salween River in Tibet and the 2009 high-water descent of the Yangtze River in China.

Eric is also the founder of Outlaw Partners, a media, marketing and events firm in Big Sky, Montana and founder of Outlaw Realty, a top real estate brokerage in Big Sky and Bozeman.

Eli Kretzmann

Where do you call home?
Idaho’s my home state, but these days I live in beautiful Bozeman, Montana.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
Since 2008, summers have been spent guiding on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – this place is definitely something special.

When not on the river…
You can find me helping match people with their dream home in Bozeman, guiding tours in the Himalaya, or generally spending time in the great outdoors.

Favorite River Meal?
Anything cooked in a dutch oven.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?

1. Your favorite pillow. I always travel with my own pillow.
2. River shoes and camp shoes. It’s important to protect and take care of your feet.
3. A sense of wonder. There is so much to explore and discover on the river, especially in a wilderness setting like the MFS.

Mel Pareti

Mel grew up in the rolling hills of northern New Jersey. In younger years she had a few family fun floats on the Delaware River, and in 2000 had her first taste of whitewater on the Pacuare River in Costa Rica. In 2003 after finishing up her BA in Kinesiology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Mel headed to Fayetteville, West Virginia to learn to guide on the New River and the Gauley River.

After that very first season spent in West Virginia, she knew that the river would always be a part of her life. With the incredible whitewater also came a family of friends and an amazing community of boaters. Mel guided in West Virginia for a few years, and then in 2006 she also began guiding rivers in Colorado.

Mel spends as much time as possible on the river and loves sharing all things great about river life. The Middle Fork of the Salmon has become a special place to Mel and she’s excited to share its beauty. When not on the Middle Fork, Mel can be found guiding trips on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon, adventuring on private river trips somewhere in the west, or at home in the mountain town of Leadville, Colorado enjoying skiing, hiking, and nearby rivers.

Chris Metz

Where do you call home?
Grew up in the corn/soybean fields of southeastern Indiana, located in the Ohio River Valley. Cut my whitewater teeth in the Appalachian Hills of West Virginia.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
My first commercial river trip was day one of guide school, that was in the year 2000…

When not on the river…
Depending on the season, I can be found trying to boat any river I can find, walking the woods and mountains in camouflage and hunter orange, or exploring the bike/hiking trails with my wife and two doggies.

Favorite River Meal?
Chicken and Waffles, not something expected on a river trip.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
1. A good book
2. A hat that needs broken in
3. A great attitude

Casey Brown

Where do you call home?
I grew up in Florida, although I call California my home!

How many seasons have you been guiding?
I have been guiding for 11 seasons. No sign of stopping! The river is my home. I spend all my time chasing rivers and sharing the joy of whitewater.

When not on the river…
When not on the Middle Fork, you can find me dancing my way up a mountain, running rivers around the world, or playing my harmonica on mountain tops with friends.

Favorite River Meal?
My favorite meal? Omg, it has to be river curry! Nothing better than a hot meal on a cool night.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
First things first….. sunscreen! The sun is strong! I would also recommend a sweatshirt and lotion after a long day of paddling.

Josh Dillahunty

Where do you call home?
I grew up in rural central Wisconsin. I’ve spent most of my adult life traveling seasonally to guide.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
I’ve been river guiding since 2015. Starting in SE Alaska on glacially braided rivers I instantly fell in love with the freedom and unique access rivers provided. My passion then took me to Australia, Colorado, Costa Rica, Oregon, and Northern California before finding a place in Idaho.

When not on the river…
When not on the Middle Fork you can find me exploring the beaches, forests, and mountains of the west coast, traveling somewhere tropical looking for surf, or hunkered down playing music and sharing laughs with friends.

Favorite River Meal?
Breakfast! Nothing like a cup of tea, some crispy bacon and some warm buttery avocado toast and eggs while taking in the serene beauty of the mist rising where the sun meets the river.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
A headlamp, dry wool socks, your sense of adventure

Sydney Newell

Where do you call home?
I grew up in Smithfield, Utah.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
My first river trip was an overnighter on the Snake River when two years old. Most of my river experience has been on the Salmon River. However, I also grew up running various sections of the Colorado, Green, Yampa, San Juan, and Snake Rivers with family and friends. I started training on the Middle Fork when I was fifteen and began guiding on the Middle Fork when I was seventeen. I spent the last two summers as a lead guide on the Main Salmon. This is my fourth season guiding and I am excited to be back on the Middle Fork!

When not on the river…
When not on the Middle Fork, I can be found in school at Southern Utah University studying Anthropology. On my days off I enjoy rock climbing, skiing, and oil painting!

Favorite River Meal?

My favorite river meal is Salmon with fettuccine alfredo!

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
Chapstick, lotion, and sunglasses are essential to have on the river. You should have at least two chapsticks in case you lose one to the river. It’s always good to rehydrate with lotion before crawling into your sleeping bag and the reflection of the morning sun can be blinding without sunglasses.

Bill Bonner

Where do you call home?
Idaho has always been where I call home.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
I’ve been running rivers and river guiding for about 20 years.

When not on the river…
When not on the Middle Fork I can be found on the Clearwater drifting for Steelhead.

Favorite River Meal?
Ka-Bob’s over the coals with salted skirt steak and fresh peaches has been etched in my mind as the best meal I’ve ever had on the river (and off, come to think of it!)

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
Good footwear is a must out on the river, as is a headlamp and your favorite brimmed hat.

Ross Shirkley

Where do you call home?
I grew up where the woods and corn fields meet rust and pavement on the outskirts of Milwaukee.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
Thanks to good luck and great taste, I’ve spent the last seven years deep in the canyons of Colorado, Utah, and Idaho.

When not on the river…
When not on the middle fork you can find me on my travels looking for the best street food in the world, bike touring, walking under the trees for weeks on end, on the chair lift, or above treeline enjoying the peace and solitude of the frozen season.

Favorite River Meal?
Coffee and fried rice.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
I’d never risk a river trip without top to bottom sun clothes (as opposed to sunscreen which can get washed into the river pretty quick) EXTRA sunglasses, and a full set of super dry thermals for sleeping or just backups!

Jon Chin

Where do you call home?
I grew up on the East Coast split between Maine and New Hampshire. I call Truckee home.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
I’ve been guiding for 18 summers mostly in Coloma CA and a few years in Maine.

When not on the river…
(Fingers crossed) Snowboarding pow. Kayaking or Mt. Biking would be a close second.

Favorite River Meal?
Mexican lasagna. Easy, filling and so good.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
Positivity, sun protection, and your tooth brush. Everything else is a luxury.

Miles Hoover

Where do you call home?
Big Sky Montana

How many seasons have you been guiding?
Growing up in Montana allowed me to quickly gain knowledge about rowing a boat. I have always found myself on a raft in the summers. If I’m not in a raft you could probably catch me fishing on my time off. This will be my 5th season with Boundary Expeditions.

When not on the river…
You can find me fishing or camping around Big Sky or out and about with my friends.

Favorite River Meal?
Steak tacos

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
Sunglasses, smile, sunscreen.

Billy Wall

Where do you call home?
I grew up in Golden, Colorado in the foothills of the Rockies.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
2024 will be my fourth season guiding. I am extremely lucky to have learned to guide on the Middle Fork.

When not on the river…
When not on the river I attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. There I play collegiate baseball where I’m a pitcher. I’m a Biochem, Biophys, and Molec. Biology major finishing my senior year. I also do quite a bit of skiing in the winter being from Colorado and all.

Favorite River Meal?
Steak and beef tenderloin, on multiple occasions during my first couple years I would eat so much I’d get the meat sweats when we cooked this.

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
It’s imperative to bring a good music taste when coming aboard my boat. I won’t leave for a trip without my chapstick and water bottle.

Hanna Belt

Where do you call home?
I grew up in Cheyenne Wyoming and Rathdrum Idaho, now I travel across the states seasonally in my van so I call a lot of different places home.

How many seasons have you been guiding?
The past five years have been spent guiding rivers all across the country.

When not on the river…
Running the Salt River in Arizona, harvesting beets in Michigan, and exploring South America in the winters.

Favorite River Meal?
Hodap Special = toasted bagels, homemade sausage patties, fried eggs, cheese, avocados, tomatoes, onions *chefs kiss*

Three things you recommend bringing on the river?
Sarang is a go to for me, it’s great for staying cool on the river and covering up from sun at camp. A thin blanket to sleep on or wrap around you in the chillier parts of the day. And lastly camp shoes are one of my favorite things to have.

Brian Ladd

Brian is passionate about mountains and rivers and has spent the last 20+ years climbing, fishing, ski touring, kayaking, and rafting.

The Middle Fork holds a special place in Brian’s heart and over the years he has come to appreciate the power and sacredness of this very special canyon. His favorite memory of this river was an intimate trip with friends and brother in 2014 when he made the descent in my drift boat, which helped me refine my river reading and rowing techniques in a hard-hulled boat.

Rapids can be had anywhere. Brian feels fortunate to have the opportunity to share this special canyon and environment with new clients (new friends) and the fact that it just happens to have a dense and exciting collection of whitewater is the icing on the cake. When not on the river, Brian runs a real estate team in Bend, Oregon and spends as much time outdoors with his amazing wife and kids as possible.

Ennion Williams

Ennion has lived in Big Sky for 27 years. He spent many years working at Lone Mountain Ranch where he worked as a chef, fishing guide, manager and ultimately General Manager. He then went on to be General Manager at Big Sky Vacation Rentals, a local vacation rental company in Big Sky, for the past 5 years. Ennion has a passion for the outdoors and floating rivers around Southwest Montana.

As a fly fishing guide for the past 20 years, Ennion has a deep sense for the river and hunting down trout. Ennion first descended the Middle Fork in August of 2019 and immediately fell in love with the river and the mystique of the canyon. Ennion looks forward to guiding anglers on the Middle Fork and sharing this special place with clients.

Linda Wilton

Linda is a massage therapist and yoga instructor who loves to live a lifestyle that blends health, wellness and the outdoors. Growing up mostly on the east coast, Linda spent a lot of time traveling around ski racing in the winter and sometimes summer ski camps. During summers she took advantage of being around the ocean and lakes of northern New Jersey and through ski camps she was introduced to bigger mountains and all the other adrenaline activities it provided.

Her passion for sliding downhill on skis led her to move to Big Sky, Montana after graduating from St. Lawrence University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies.

While living in Montana during her early 20’s, Linda spent a few years ski patrolling and summers were spent rafting the Yellowstone River. It was during these years Linda gravitated towards yoga and bodywork while seeking a physical balance to an active lifestyle. She found herself traveling to Bali for her first yoga teacher training in 2010 and a few months after was led to attending massage school in Bozeman, Montana.

Now, having 10 years of established yoga classes and a massage therapy practice in Big Sky, Linda also enjoys spending several months living in Baja, Mexico during spring and fall. She has fallen in love with surfing the warm blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and the community of Southern Baja.

Josh Timon

Josh caught his first “bug” of running rivers with Outward Bound in 8th grade. It was that trip down the Yampa and Green rivers in NW Colorado and Utah where Josh started learning about rivers, flows, navigation and the amazing experiences of multi day river expeditions. Since then Josh has floated the Grand Canyon, Westwater Canyon, many stretches along the upper Colorado and Eagle rivers, Desolation and Grey Canyons to name a few.

What draws Josh back to the river is the adrenaline rush and respect of the power of the river as well as the experience of Mother Nature while enjoying some hard-to-reach areas only navigable by boat. The Middle Fork of the Salmon offers an environment made up of world class fishing, natural hot springs, breathtaking camping sites and a camaraderie that will last for years. Josh’s passion on the river will be exhibited when you sit down for meals as he enjoys the challenge of cooking in the elements.

Black “Betty”

Betty will join many Boundary guests on their journey through the Impassable Canyon and has logged countless river miles. She is a lab/pointer mix, born on a Montana farm with a strong passion for hunting, fishing and skiing.

She has a keen eye for rising fish and usually spends her afternoons sitting on the shoreline with guests pondering thoughts of the amazing landscape of the Middle Fork.