OUR GUIDES

River Source’s founder and owner, Jason Matthews, is a pioneer in river safety and wilderness travel and has guided professionally for 18 years. He has guided on seven different rivers throughout the Rocky Mountains. He is a certified instructor of Wilderness First Aid, CPR and Swiftwater Rescue, and has taught paddling courses for Montana State University and Outward Bound. He lives in the mountains with his wife, young son and 50 sled dogs! He has worked as a writer for RIVER Magazine, been featured in the New York Times, and been filmed for Animal Planet and the Fine Living Network. Trust your family’s vacation to the Yellowstone River’s leading outdoor professional.

Co-Owner Will Bennett cut his teeth paddling whitewater canoes in the Appalachian Mountains, and first went through raft guide training in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the mid-1990's. Will has been on rafting expeditions on several wilderness rivers: The Alsek River in Alaska, the Tatshasheni River in the Yukon, and most recently the Firth River in arctic Canada. He has guided professionally on the Yellowstone for three years. Before joining the River Source ranks, he worked as a playwright, producer and journalist in NYC.

Montana native Holt Hancock, knows the Yellowstone River like the back of his hand. He has been canoeing and fishing it since he was old enough to hold a paddle. Holt started working for us when he was 18, and now has guided professionally for five years. He has a bachelors degree in Snow Science from Montana State University with highest honors, and was valedictorian of his high school class. In the winter Holt is a Ski Patroller.

Eagle Scout, Chris Gerhard is a true outdoors professional. He graduated from Unity College in Maine with a bachelors degree in Adventure Education and Leadership, and is a registered Maine Guide. Chris left one of the largest guiding operations in Maine to come work for us. Amazingly he relocated all away across the country without even being promised a paid-position. He now works for us year-round guiding raft trips and dog sled adventures, and is responsible for overseeing the daily feeding and watering of our 50 sled dogs. Thanks Chris for your hardwork!

Norm Miller is our staff Historian and photographer. He also guides for us year-round both on the river and in the mountains dogsledding. Norm is one of the most experienced outdoorsman there is- anywhere. He has done several solo multi-month paddling expeditions on wild Canadian Rivers (Churchill, Athabascan, McKenzie) and done a solo month long kayak expedition in southeast Asia. He also retraced the entire Lewis & Clark route in 2004- solo. Photographs of his trips have been published in several national magazines. He is a customer favorite!

Barry Bohrer is a legendary paddler in the Rocky Mountains. He has led Class V kayak expeditions throughout the USA as well as Central and South America, and previously owned his own raft company. He was featured prominently in the paddling guide book, "Whitewater of the Southern Rockies", and is known as an authority on "The Box Canyon of the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone" (considered one of the hardest multi-day river trips in the world). Despite his tough-guy exterior and mountain man credentials he is our most popular guide with kids! He guides for us year-round both on the river and dogsledding.