The Junior Guides Team
Junior Guides is a small, non-profit celebrating its 10th year in operation! Our principal team is made up of part-time volunteers, and contracted outfitters who support us with favorable pricing and unique service. We all love what we do! Everyone involved in the programs shares a passion for teaching kids, engaging families, sharing adventure, and taking people whitewater rafting.
Whether rafting is a sport for these folks, a part-time avocation, or full-time career, it's had a profound effect on each of us. This is why we choose to spend the time and effort to share it with you and your children. We hope you'll get from rafting and a whitewater adventure the same things we've experienced in our lives: adventure, teamwork, leadership.
See profiles below to meet some of our main characters.
Junior Guides is a small, non-profit celebrating its 10th year in operation! Our principal team is made up of part-time volunteers, and contracted outfitters who support us with favorable pricing and unique service. We all love what we do! Everyone involved in the programs shares a passion for teaching kids, engaging families, sharing adventure, and taking people whitewater rafting.
Whether rafting is a sport for these folks, a part-time avocation, or full-time career, it's had a profound effect on each of us. This is why we choose to spend the time and effort to share it with you and your children. We hope you'll get from rafting and a whitewater adventure the same things we've experienced in our lives: adventure, teamwork, leadership.
See profiles below to meet some of our main characters.
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Sarah Canfield is Founder and Chairperson of the Junior Guides Board of Directors and the spiritual center of our program. Sarah launched Junior Guides Raft Camp in 2010 with her late husband, Spencer Rubin. (More on that below.)
Sarah's ability to connect with, inspire, engage, and teach children is magical. She's an effervescent, beloved spirit in the Coloma Valley; home of the South Fork, American River. She was a whitewater guide for many years with the historic California river outfitter, Whitewater Voyages. Sarah is a full-time educator in Placerville, so has a bit more liberty in the summer to pursue rafting trips. She was once a Stetson flat-hat-wearing Ranger at Yosemite National Park and Muir Woods. She's run multi-day river trips with her two children, Cassie and Dana all over the American West. |
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Barry Kruse is Executive Director for Junior Guides and has volunteered with the program for five years. He began his rafting career at age 19 at the dawn of the "self bailing" era. He's run more than 65 rivers around the world including six "first raft descents" (rivers which had never been rafted before), and guided more than 400 days of class V whitewater.
"Whitewater rafting has had a profound impact on my life. Guiding's taught me so much about people, leadership, planning, dealing with the unexpected, communications, and so much more. I've had amazing experiences on the river with so many wonderful people." Barry loves rafting with his wife and two teens, Kennedy and Whit. Away from the river, he is global head of the Franklin Templeton Academy at Franklin Templeton Investments and has worked in 48 countries and 48 states. He's also host of The Leading Steep Podcast. |
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Our Otters Program Director is the inimitable, ever-popular Alex Wolfgram - fondly known as "Wolf." Alex has been with Junior Guides for eight years! He began kayaking in 2001 and raft guiding in 2003. Alex has kayaked extreme class V+ runs like the Royal Gorge of the North Fork, American; a section which sees very few descents. He brings a calm, cool demeanor, but energetic leadership to our raft camp that the kids find infectious. Otters love Wolf!
Alex is a father and husband and has been a high school teacher in Sacramento for five years. Wolf's a noble soul, a great adventurer, super teammate, and outstanding leader. |
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Taylor Cavin is called 'Duck Commander,' guiding the younger cotillion of the Junior Guides programs.
An early introduction to paddle sports gave the confidence to take up river running as a serious avocation. Taylor has kayaked all of the classic multiday rivers of the High Sierra multiple times and has staked first descents of several more esoteric rivers in California. These class V+ and VI! like Fantasy Falls of the Mokelumne, Headwaters of the Kern, and Middle Fork of the San Joaquin are some of the steepest, most extreme whitewater sections on earth - reserved only for elite athletes in the sport. And still, Taylor brings a level of humility and joy to his care for our smallest campers that is magnetic. Successes and setbacks as a whitewater expert give the Ducks a solid foundation in the basics of whitewater. Taylor is a devoted father and kayaker; check him out at #lateboof. He is a professional Waldorf and Education Specialist Teacher, which informs his lesson planning and delivery for the Ducks. |
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Some experiences end up being life-changing - such was the case for Sonja Martin, when she was taken on her first whitewater rafting trip after high school graduation. After paddling into that first rapid she knew her life direction wouldn't be the same! Sonja committed to guide school on the the South Fork of the American River the following spring and spent the next 8 years guiding commercial river trips throughout California, leading Guide Schools and managing area river operations.
Sonja's love of rivers ultimately brought her to the Grand Canyon in 2001, and on a 21-day river trip, she met her now husband, Dan. Together they have 2 children and make outdoor exploration, world travel and especially playing on rivers a family priority. Sonja has her MA in Recreation Administration and Management from UNC, Chapel Hill, has managed rafting companies, served as the Assistant Director of Adventure Programs at UCSB and currently works as a K-8th grade Physical Education teacher at a small charter school in her hometown, Truckee, CA. |
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Dan Martin's life has been fundamentally shaped by rivers. Starting at age 6, Dan, his dad, and their little inflatable kayaks started tackling rivers throughout California. Along with quickly learning the finer points of swimming rapids, Dan's love affair with rivers began. While in college at UC Davis, Dan found official river guide training and a home in the university outdoor program. With access to cheap gear, Dan and his new boating community were focused on playing on every section of whitewater in the West. Many of these challenging river trips required teamwork and leadership that fundamentally changed Dan and set him on a new path in life. Dan also guided for several outfitters on some of the most exciting and technical sections of river in California and Oregon. Currently, Dan has a small stake in a commercial rafting company, a family that loves playing on whitewater, and a day job as an Oral Surgeon in Truckee.
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Sarah Vee and John Kosakowsky are the owners of River Runners, Junior Guides' select rafting outfitter. They provide all rafting equipment, most of our guide instructors, and safe passage down the South Fork American. We're convinced they run the best trips on the river, "milking" every feature and fun facet possible. They focus on fun and safety, and support our campers with "challenge by choice", exerting just the right amount of encouragement without pressure to perform.
Sarah grew up in Australia and had her first rafting experience on a class V section of the Tully River there. She was hooked, joined guide school in California, and has been fully engaged in the business since 2012 John grew up nearby and learned to swim in the American River. After a stint in the city as an adult, John found rafting in 2000 and never looked back. He's worked as a guide around the world, and he and Sarah have created a wonderful legacy with River Runners, sharing their deep love and appreciation for the river and the natural world around us. |
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Jerry, Laura, and Susan Ashburn are our gracious hosts and wonderful chefs at Earthtrek Expeditions Camp - our home base for Junior Guides.
Jerry and Susan started their California-based adventure company in 1977, and are known, admired fixtures in the Coloma Valley. Earthtrek was an early entry into the adventure travel business with rafting and cycling trips across the west. But Jerry, Susan, and their daughter, Laura, settled and focus their commercial instincts on building one of the most unique camping/glamping spots in California. Located on the banks of the American River with amenities not found in other spots, Earthtrek is an ideal location for Junior Guides families. Plus, the Ashburns are excellent chefs! We enjoy hearty, healthy, delicious meals with our hosts as they serve mass group meals while making it look easy. Laura is also known as a Sierra explorer and extremely talented photographer. See her work here. |
Where it all started...
Junior Guides Raft Camp came about somewhat organically. It was the brainchild and dream of Sarah Canfield and her late, beloved husband, Spencer Rubin. Sarah and Spencer were both guides for Whitewater Voyages in the 90's, and as with many of their fellow guides and retired guide peers, began to have children. Looking for a way to share the sport and pastime they so loved, they formed Junior Guides - somewhat informally at first along with dear friends.
Over the years, the camp grew. For many years, JG was based out of Camp Lotus - a favorite riverside half-way spot along the South Fork American. Families organized and brought group food and occupied about an acre at the camp. But as registrations grew - exclusively by word-of-mouth then - Junior Guides outgrew its origins.
In 2017, we signed contracts with River Runners, which provides most of our guide instructors, and Earthtrek, which provides a wonderful camp setting and exceptional outdoor food.
The board of directors has evolved over time, too, as many of the children of founders and partners have graduated out of the program. But the love remains, and many of our early, charter members still return every year to help guide and support our non-profit program. Meet a few of these founders, friends, and favorites below.
Over the years, the camp grew. For many years, JG was based out of Camp Lotus - a favorite riverside half-way spot along the South Fork American. Families organized and brought group food and occupied about an acre at the camp. But as registrations grew - exclusively by word-of-mouth then - Junior Guides outgrew its origins.
In 2017, we signed contracts with River Runners, which provides most of our guide instructors, and Earthtrek, which provides a wonderful camp setting and exceptional outdoor food.
The board of directors has evolved over time, too, as many of the children of founders and partners have graduated out of the program. But the love remains, and many of our early, charter members still return every year to help guide and support our non-profit program. Meet a few of these founders, friends, and favorites below.
