Desert Voyagers

OUR STAFF AND GUIDES

MEGAN "TURTLE" EVENS - GENERAL MANAGER AND LEAD GUIDE
Born in Hawaii and raised in Arizona, Megan is a Wilderness First Responder and certified rock climbing guide. She has committed herself and her life to the outdoors in every way. She's traveled to Austrailia and Fiji, where she decided for the first time that her future was rooted firmly in nature and in the drive to educate people about and within the outdoors. This decision resulted in a Bachelor's Degree in Outdoor Recreation Management and Tourism from ASU and is leading her towards a Master's Degree in Environmental Ecology. Megan does a variety of guiding around Arizona and the southwest, as well as runs the climbing program for the Town of Gilbert. When Megan is not guiding on the river you can find her at any good trail, river, or rock climbing crag with her fiance and two dogs, Casey and Madigan.

SEAN LEHMAN - OPERATIONS MANAGER AND LEAD GUIDE
Our Operations Manager and a great river guide, Sean lives in Tempe, Arizona in a house he is remodeling on his own. He spends most of his time expliring the many mountains, rivers, and lakes in Arizona and the Southwestern United States. He moved out to Arizona in 2001 from Washington, DC and he likes to say it's because it rains too much out East but of course now he's moved to a place where a rainy day is practicaly a holiday! Sean has been climbing rocks and mountains since 1998 all around the country, and guiding climbing trips and river tours since 2000 in Arizona. He has two great dogs thatt love to follow him around the desert and to good rock climbing sites. One day Sean would like to complete his goal of exploring the Himalayan Mountains and of climbing the 28,251 foot K2, the second tallest mountain on Earth.

GUIDES

CHRIS "HUCK" ANDERSON - LEAD GUIDE AND SALES
If it involves the outdoors, especially rocks or water, you will find Chris there. Growing up in the mountains of Colorado, outdoor adventure sports came naturally to the certified Wilderness EMT. Chris has completed 120 credit hours at Arizona State Universite in the fields of Music Performance and Nursing. He expects to pursue a career as an ER nurse while maintaining a healthy dose of adrenaline every weekend. As a competitive rock climber and a SCUBA Divemaster, Chris will entertain and amaze you with stories of the Arizona outback and his adventures within it. Chris also co-owns an outdoor survival and primitive skills school called Lost and Found Adventures and spends his summers as a camp nurse and Instructor at the unique and renowned Wolf Camp in Monroe, Washington.

RHONDA BRENNEMAN - LEAD GUIDE
Rhonda comes to Arizona by way of the Midwest. Raised on a farm, the great outdoors has always been a big part of her life. She knew from a young age that any career she had would have to include nature and the outdoors if she were going to be truly happy. Rhonda is a Steward for the McDowell Mountain Preserve northeast of Phoenix. When she's not working full time as an Office Manager for a Veterinary Hospital, she breaks away to explore the next canyon, river or trail on her Bucket List. Rhonda has worked part-time as a guide for over eight years and loves sharing the history and unique scenery of the great state of Arizona. So if you don't meet her on the river guiding a Desert Voyagers tour, look for her on her bike or carrying her pack and exploring the very diverse areas of the southwest!

JENNIFER COCKRELL - LEAD GUIDE
Jennifer was born and raised in Arizona, a unique fact among those in the Grand Canyon State, most of whom arrived later in life from elsewhere in the country. She's been happily guiding with Desert Voyagers since 2006 and has had many rewarding adventures with guests on the river. Clients often comment how sweet Jenn is and how very contagious her smile can be, as she entertains with Arizona history and facts. When Jennifer isn't guiding you can find her roaming various wilderness areas with her two Australian shepherds, attempting to see and experience every spec of the planet. Jennifer expands her career opportunities as a therapist to severly disabled children and she enjoys experimenting with any type of art she can get her hands on. Jennifer continues to live every moment of life to its fullest, making the most of her experiences and smiling all the way.

JOHN "RANDY" KITE - LEAD GUIDE
Randy has been working for Desert Voyagers since 1994 and considers it to be the most enjoyable job he's ever had. Randy has been a lot of places and worked in many different fields, everything from a gas station attendant, his first job where he would greet the customer, put gas in their car, check the oil and clean the windshield (this was a long time ago when gas was 24 cents a gallon!) all the way to working full time for a casino and part time for Desert Voyagers.
Rndy loves the outdoors. Hiking, camping, bicycling, hunting and fishing are all favorite past times of his. He thinks this is why river rafting, as a guide, is so great... he gets paid to do something he loves to do! Plus, he says that the people he works for and with have been some of the greatest he's ever met and he continues to love every moment of his job even after so many years!

TY LAMPE - LEAD GUIDE
Ty is a native Arizonan (a rare find here). Born in Prescott, his interest in wildlife and nature opened the door for one of his careers as a guide. He spent 10 years volunteering for the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Phoenix. One of his more extensive interests is in herpetology with a specific emphasis in rattlesnakes of the southwest. Ty has been an outdoor guide in Arizona for 16 years, running rivers, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding. Also during that time he has had the opportunity to be involved in some film-making for the Discovery Channel, PBS, National Geographic, the BBC and a couple of TV shows and movies. Ty has been with Desert Voyagers since 1998 and is one of our top guides and our resident snake and reptile expert.

JON OPEM - LEAD GUIDE
Originally from the Midwest, Jon is a recent transplant to Arizona. A chef for 11 years, wine salesperson, construction LLC owner, and now a river guide, he would tell you he has found the ultimate job in guiding! Jon's heroes include Thoreau, Edward Abbey, and Grizzly Adams, who since childhood have helped hone his connection with nature. He is perfectly at home in the backcountry and accomplished in navigation and survival techniques. He has a habit of "getting lost" for days in the wilds of Arizona and is as at home in the woods as he is underwater. He is a certified SCUBA Rescue Diver. He has been certified in CPR & First Aid for over 10 years and recently became a Wilderness First Responder as well. Like his heroes, Jon is a master storyteller who will keep you entertained with his knowledge of the wonders of nature, and experiences in it.

FRANK ROMAGLIA - LEAD GUIDE
Frank, a graduate of Rutgers University, has enjoyed two careers in aviation. The most recent was as a commercial airline pilot and as a fighter pilot before that. Recently retired as a Southwest Airlines Captain, hi is finally putting his Organic Biology degree to work. He can be found raffting and guiding in Idaho, the Sierras, or the Colorado Plateau with a primary emphasis in the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell area. Frank still keeps his hand in aviation, performing in air shows and flying war birds including the F-4 Phantom 2 and B-24 Liberator. Frank joined Desert Voyagers in 2004 and has been entertaining guests ever since. Allow him to acquaint you with the beauty of the desert Southwest.

DALLAS SMITH - LEAD GUIDE AND SALES
Dallas came to Desert Voyagers in 2010, a young man with a purpose in life and a dream of being a Guide in Arizona. He'd spent the previous 5 years travelling the United States and guiding in states like Hawaii, West Virginia, Tennessee, California, North Carolina, Florida and Wisconsin, among others. He has been an excellent addition to the Desert Voyagers team and we constantly get positive reviews regarding his obvious and contagious excitement for the river and the desert ecosystem. Dallas spends his free time rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, and backpacking plus he is constantly finding ways to continue guiding each of these activities in order to share his passion with others. He is a Wilderness First Responder through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is certified as a Kayak Instructor through the American Canoeing Association. His whitewater resume is long and includes such rivers as the Gauley, the second biggest river in America and the 7th in the world. Dallas' current goals in life include finishing several long distance thru-hikes including the famous Pacific Crest Trail, the beautiful Continental Divide Trail and the challenging Appalachian Trail, before venturing abroad for an undetermined amount of time. You can read self-published articles by Dallas regaling his adventurous life by clicking here. (Need link)

DOUG UMBARGER - LEAD GUIDE
Doug has had the distinctive opportunity to run whitewater in places like Costa Rica, Wyoming, and Alaska, and has traveled for pleasure through over 25 countries, feeding his wanderlust, eating and drinking anything "unusual" he can find! He's always game for "anything outdoors", is an Advanced SCUBA diver, a Reverend, a bootlegger, an amature photographer, and a bartender for private events when he's not guiding rivers. Doug has been with Desert Voyagers since 2002, but his love for the Salt River began 20 years ago and is still so strong that he even kayaks the Salt on his days off. He began his interest in rafting when he was only 10 years old. Luckily, Doug has never had a 'nine-to-five' type lifestyle. He loves his rafting job and claims it beats working for a living!