Middle Fork River Expeditions Trip Leaders

James Ellsworth

James has a passion for wilderness rivers and teaching people about the natural world. He has worked (as both an expedition leader and manager) in the international Adventure Travel industry for two decades, and has owned MFRE since 2007 after working on the Middle Fork since 2000. James worked as a scientist in Grand Canyon National Park, using photos to study sandbar stability through varying flow regimes from Glen Canyon Dam. He also helped organize River Guide Training on the Great Bend of the Yangtze River in China with The Nature Conservancy and coordinated logistics with National Geographic and IMAX Films in Ethiopia on the Blue Nile River. James is delighted to be on the President's Council at The Wilderness Society and supports groups such as Trout Unlimited and Idaho Rivers United. James founded Eco Family Adventures in 2006 which offers International destinations such as Costa Rica and Galapagos. Although James has rafted throughout the globe, he has a special place in his heart for the Salmon River canyons which he enjoys to share with all who travel with MFRE. 

---

Scott Jernigan

Link to You Tube Video of Scott on The Wilderness Society Aug 2011 Departure

Scott has guided on the Middle Fork for a decade and runs our Sweep Boat. Everyone who meets him loves his true southern gentleman approach. He grew up in South Carolina playing in creeks, farm ponds, saltwater marshes, and the Atlantic. Graduated from the College of Charleston (where locals say the Ashley and Cooper rivers meet to form the Atlantic ocean) with a degree in anthropology and moved to the Appalachian mountains where he kayaked and started guiding. During the winters he traveled and guided in South and Central America before heading west to the Middle Fork. The past few winters have found him in the headwaters of the Snake river in Jackson Hole practicing yoga and massage. Scott loves the communal aspect of our trips and feels blessed to share in so many peoples river experience. An experience made full by good friends, healthy food, clean water and air, and of course playing in beautiful places.

---

Scott Wilson

Scott first discovered his passion for the river from the seat of a whitewater kayak and began guiding commercially when he was 17 years old. His expertise in navigating whitewater has evolved such that one can safely assume he is right at home in any craft capable of floating down the river. Scott truly loves running drift boats and never grows tired of seeking out fishing opportunities for our guests. He has worked on rivers in Idaho for the last 15 years and we are happy he found his home at MFRE. Scott lives in Silver Fork, Utah when not guiding, where he is working on a nursing degree at the University of Utah. He has guided and kayaked throughout the Americas but still loves guiding on the Middle Fork the best. He is Swift Water Rescue certified and is very skilled at river safety. After a fun filled day of floating, he finds peace relaxing by the campfire, singing and playing the guitar. Living and working on the river only accentuates his seemingly carefree, positive attitude, and he's always the first to offer his help to anyone that needs it.

---

Jamie Zahner

Jamie is a cross between a grizzly bear and John Belushi, both in size and sense of humor. If there are kids on the trip they will immediately gravitate towards Jamie and his sense of fun. Jamie has worked on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon Rivers for over a decade and you will find him leading our 11 day Middle/Main Combo trips. Jamie is a skilled oarsman and the MFRE BBQ Master Marinade Maestro. Jamie lives in Victor, Idaho and works on the Ski Patrol at Jackson Hole in the winter months.

---

Gregg Blatter

Gregg has worked on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon Rivers for close to two decades and hales from Challis, Idaho. He is loved by all who have the pleasure to meet him and is calm presence. Gregg has an in-depth knowledge of the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return. Ask him just about anything and if he does'nt know the answer he's holding the book that does. Gregg is a favorite of all our guests, but then again all the MFRE guides are of the same thread, joined together by the touch of the wilderness.

---

Kate Stoddard

Kate has one single life goal: To develop unrivaled crows feet. One can tell a lot when looking into the wrinkled character of an aged face, and if crow's feet are prominent, it is a sign of a life well lived. Kate has never felt so at home as she does in the wilderness, particularly that of the Frank Church in the middle of her home state Idaho. Kate has worked as a river guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon since 2008 and grew up boating with her dad who was a longtime Idaho river guide. Finding each day a unique gift as the Heraclitus said long ago, one cannot step into the same river twice. In this way the river has been Kate's greatest teacher in realizing everything is in flux, at the same time connected, as well as countless other lessons. She cannot conjure a better way to spend a summer than to introduce the wise sage in the river to the world at a point in human existence where nature can seem like a distant memory. Kate recently graduated from Montana State University with a bachelors degree in photography and a major in philosophy. Kate spent two months in the fall of 2010 working toward a teaching certificate for yoga in Dharamsala India as she hopes to share the lifestyle of yoga on the river.

---

Willis McAleese

Willis is from Challis, Idaho and grew up rowing drift boats on the Salmon River and started guiding Steelhead fishing in 1997. Willis runs our drift boats and is the go-to guy for anything fishing related on our trips. For 4 summers he worked in Alaska as a fishing guide before he finally wisened up and returned to Idaho where he has rowed over 150 Middle Fork trips in drift boats. His expertise is in fishing and Mckenzie drift boats will greatly enhance any fisherman's experience on the Middle Fork. Willis is as solid as they come on the water and a joy to be around at camp whipping up some amazing meals on the campfire.

---

Al Brokofsky

Al grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and after serving seven years in the US Army moved to Southern Germany to teach kayaking, climbing, and skiing in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Upon returning to the States he began running the many desert rivers of the Southwest. A passion and a new way of life was soon realized for river running. After guiding on rivers in Oregon, Wyoming, and Idaho a natural path has led him to the joys and logistics in the management side of outfitting. With the goal of getting more family's on river trips while providing support and a fresh perspective to the guides. His other passion has been the love of running dogs. His Winters are spent mushing dogs on guided tours in the Rockie Mountains near Jackson, WY.

---

Casey Wilcox

Hailing originally from Valdez, Alaska; Casey has grown up with river water running through his veins and fueling his passion. He worked his way through nursing school guiding and sharing this passion in Alaska, Montana, and Idaho in kayaks, canoes, and rafts of all kinds. He spends his spare time exploring rivers throughout the northwest in his kayak, spreading the joy and love he finds in their beauty and tranquility. He now calls Missoula, Montana home where he plans to work as a registered nurse. It's a rarity to see Casey without a smile on his face, a look of excitement, and a nice thing to say.

---

Sage "River" .... Black Lab, dawned her first life jacket to run her first River when she was 12 weeks old. She was so tiny that she kept slipping down between the cooler and the dry boxes on the raft and getting stuck between them.  Now at 9 years old and with over a thousand river miles under her collar. She hates to be left at the boat house. She prefers the camping side of boating with the endless swimming and stick throwing. Or just lying on the warm beach after a long day of "high siding". She loves playing fetch with children as neither of them ever seem to tire. She makes a great addition to any rafting trip..

Home | Dates & Prices | Logistics | Rafting the Rivers | About Us | Blog | Contact Us