Meet The Team
Helfrich River Outfitter Inc
MEET THE HELFRICH TEAM!
Ken Helfrich
OUTFITTER/OWNER
I was raised along the banks of the McKenzie River in Oregon. As a kid I spent a lot of time exploring and fishing small streams. My family had boys’ fly-fishing camps Read More Through years of hard work, I am very proud of our successes of carrying on the Helfrich tradition of great service and running great river trips. We continue to have a fabulous crew of loyal and dedicated guides and employees. We love our returning guests who become some of our closest friends. I am a Blessed Man. I met Kelsey and the Helfrich family while Kelsey and I were going to school at Oregon State University. We had the same major, Recreation Resource Management in the College of Forestry. Both of us will tell you that we couldn’t have made it through college on time, or have had as much fun, without each other. From forestry classes to swing dancing, Kevin and Kelsey are a great team and could make any class or project fun. As a guide, I really just enjoy showing people how good of time we can have out there. It doesn’t matter if you are a complete beginner or world travelled angler, I will always work hard to ensure that you not only have a good day of fishing but a fun day on the river as well.
Sherill Helfrich
OUTFITTER/OWNER
Hi, I am Sherill Helfrich, often referred to as the river mom, the glue or the rock of the Helfrich clan and crew. Kenny and I have been married Read More
I have been so blessed to be involved in our family business and I especially enjoy being able to join my family, clients and crew on the river. The best benefit has been the opportunity to meet our wonderful clients, many of whom have become dear friends as well.
Please give me a shout if you ever have questions about any of our trips or if you want a woman’s perspective about spending time on the river. I am always happy to help with any questions or needs that you may have to help you prepare for your upcoming river trip with Helfrich River Outfitter.
Kelsey Helfrich
OUTFITTER/OWNER
I feel so lucky to have been born into the Helfrich Family. As a fourth-generation guide in Idaho and fifth-generation in Oregon, the river is in my blood. As a partner Read More I grew up along the banks of the McKenzie River in Oregon and have been in a boat since before I could walk. As I grew, so did my love of the river and the outdoor lifestyle. When I was 2 years old I got to go on my first trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon and at 5 I went on my first big commercial overnight trip on the Main Salmon. Growing up, I spent most of my time in the summer, tagging along on McKenzie trips with my dad as a swamper on the pontoon. At the age of 12, I graduated up to running my own raft down the Wild and Scenic Section of the Rogue River followed soon after by the Main Salmon Canyon and the Middle Fork of the Salmon. I got my first Oregon guides license at the age of 16 and started guiding paddle rafting trips on the Upper McKenzie. Being an outfitters kid, I was raised learning the whole business, both on the river and working in the office. I guess you can say I have been training to be an outfitter my whole life. Working on the river made for an awesome summer job throughout high school and college. Following in the footsteps of my Granddad Dave, I went to the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. It was at OSU that I met my great friend Kevin who is now one of our lead guides for Helfrich Outfitters. Kevin and I had a really fun time throughout college. We graduated from OSU in 2007 with degrees in Forestry Recreation Resource Management. After graduation, I had more time to expand my guiding career, both on the river and in the office. Being out of school also gave me lots of time to spend skiing in the winters and living in Park City for a few years. In 2009 I met Kidd Youren and soon knew that he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Kidd started working on the Middle Fork with our crew in 2011 and quickly proved himself as a great boatman, guide, and leader on all of the rivers that we run. Kidd and I got married in September of 2013 at the Eagle Rock Lodge on the McKenzie. There is a fun video from our wedding on this website. It was an amazing wedding complete with a wooden drift boat parade, live music, and lots of wonderful friends. Kidd and I love guiding together and make a great team. In January of 2017, Kidd and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Little Miss Fallon Elery Helfrich-Youren changed our lives in ways we didn’t even know we wanted. Fallon shares her middle name, Elery, with her Great-Great-Granddad Prince Helfrich, giving her yet another connection to the river. Fallon took her first boat ride at three months old, on the day of my Granddad Dave Helfrich’s celebration of life on the McKenzie. In her first year of life, she got to experience lots of adventures including multiple overnight river trips and at 8 months old Fallon went with her Great-Gran TerBear and I on a 4-day steelhead fishing drift boat trip on the Rogue River. It won’t be long and Fallon will be tagging along on river trips, just like I did. Fallon not only has the Helfrich Family heritage but also lots of history on the Youren side as well. She is now officially a 6th generation Youren cattle rancher with her own small cattle herd. Kidd, Fallon and I live in Salmon Idaho and are so excited to continue building a life for ourselves. It is so nice living close to my parents and many of our guides/friends. We get to spend lots of time together on the river and love all of the fun outdoor activities that we can do together as a family.
Kidd Youren
OUTFITTER
I started guiding for Helfrich River Outfitters about a year after I met Kelsey, the love of my life and the mother of my beautiful daughter Fallon. I had never worked Read More
I was born into and raised in the outfitting industry. My dad, Dusty Youren, was a hunting outfitter in Idaho, Nevada, Utah and British Columbia. He was also a 5th generation Idaho rancher and a true all-round cowboy. So I grew up being around a lot of hunting, the outdoors, horses and rodeos. I rode my first horse the day after I was born and went to my first cougar tree before I could walk. I had the opportunity to help my dad run a ranch on the Nevada Utah Border, 120 miles from the nearest town. As well as a hunting area in British Columbia. I guess you could say I had a childhood that prepped me to be an outfitter and outdoorsman.
I bought my first hunting area and became an outfitter when I was 19 years old. When all my friends were going off to college and getting 9 to 5 jobs, I had been saving my money from rodeos, training horses and guiding. I used that money and with a little help from my dad and little brother Harry was able to buy a hunting area on the Middle Fork of the Boise River in Idaho. I still take bear and cougar hunters with my little brother on that area when I am not on the river.
I always had a passion for rodeo, I would go to rodeos with my dad as a really young boy and as soon as I was old enough to swing a rope and sit a horse I entered up anywhere I could. I started out team roping and then moved onto calf roping, saddle bronc, and bull riding as well. I ended up going to Nationals in team roping after winning the Alberta Finals, as well as placing in the Canadian Finals. I also made it to the Silver State Rodeo in Nevada (invitation only) for bull riding. After a few years of breaking more bones than I can remember, I finally decided that I am not going to make a career out of rodeo like a lot of my family had before me. I still like to rope any chance I get but for the most part, my rodeo career is over.
I was on a reality TV show for two seasons in 2014-2015 on TruTV called “Way Out West”. The show was on three outfitting families in Idaho “the Korells, the Bullocks, and the Yourens”. My family has been running cows and hunting in Idaho since they moved here in 1864 and after 6 generations not much has changed, so we were a good fit for the TV show.
I live an amazing life that keeps me outdoors and with my family. I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even though I am just getting started and have a lot of years and experiences yet to live, I am filled with lots of memories and fun exciting stories to tell. If you ever want to hear any of them just ask.
Look forward to having you in my boat.
KEVIN HAWKINS
TRIP LEADER
What started as a summer job in 2004 has turned into a great year-round profession. As a full time guide for HRO, I run trips on the Helfrich Crew Read More
I met Kelsey and the Helfrich family while Kelsey and I were going to school at Oregon State University. We had the same major, Recreation Resource Management in the College of Forestry. Both of us will tell you that we couldn’t have made it through college on time, or have had as much fun, without each other. From forestry classes to swing dancing, Kevin and Kelsey are a great team and could make any class or project fun.
As a guide, I really just enjoy showing people how good of time we can have out there. It doesn’t matter if you are a complete beginner or world travelled angler, I will always work hard to ensure that you not only have a good day of fishing but a fun day on the river as well.
Kris Belozer
TRIP LEADER
Many of our clients know and love Kris Belozer; a great guide and amazing boatman that will always keep you smiling with his exceptional Read More
By the time he tagged along with Helfrich River Outfitters on the Middle Fork at age 19, he was already an accomplished boatman, fisherman, and kayaker. Kris has guided on the Deschutes, Middle Fork of the Salmon, Main Salmon, Rogue, and Owyhee Rivers, in addition to exploring rivers by kayak in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana, California, and South America.
There is certainly more to come for Kris and we are so excited to have him as a key part of our team. Starting this season, Kris will be managing operations for our new set of Middle Fork launches and second crew. With the help and support of our rockstar guides, Kris will be in charge of the day to day activities on and off the water pertaining to his set of trips.
Lucky for us, Kris also comes as a package deal with his awesome wife and adorable little boy. In 2017 we were ecstatic to welcome his new wife Jordan into our HRO family and recently the couple had their first son, Kolter Finn, who has already been stacking his river resume. Like his father, we expect great things from this little fisherman. With a nod to the next generation, we want to congratulate Kris on his many accomplishments. His commitment to providing a great experience, his work ethic and unique, lovable character have set him apart over the years. We’ve watched Kris grow into a truly phenomenal person, father and guide. We are proud to announce his promotion to Middle Fork Manager and look forward to being a continued part of Kris’ river legacy, career and family for years to come.
Andrew Greiner
TRIP LEADER
My name is Andrew Greiner. I was born and raised in Oregon and went to school at the University of Montana. After college I moved into my Read More
Tim Gunderson
GUIDE
I often say that I have the perfect life. I retired in 2020 after 30 years of teaching mathematics and geology to high school and junior Read More
I grew up camping, boating, and fishing the lakes of Minnesota. My parents instilled a love of all things outdoors in me and my two brothers. Annual vacations out west only enhanced my love of mountains and rivers and in 1983 I followed that love of the west to my new hometown Read More
of Burley, Idaho. I wasn’t lucky enough to be born in Idaho, but I’m darned sure going to die in Idaho.I moved to Idaho with a degree in drafting and a few years of experience in construction. After four more years of construction, I returned to school and earned a B.S. in Mathematics Education and later a Masters of Natural Science in Geology from Idaho State University in Pocatello. 1990 was an important year for me. That is the year that I began my teaching career at Burley High School and the year I kicked off my boating career. The two jobs go hand in hand together and I still love watching my students and guests learn and expand their knowledge, in the classroom or on the river.
My boating career started on the Main Salmon River, tagging along on a trip to help out and learn the routine. By the second day I was hooked, and I haven’t missed a season of guiding on the Main Salmon or Middle Fork since. I worked for Warren River Expeditions for 20 years before starting on the Helfrich River Outfitters crew in 2011. In 1994, while guiding on the Main Salmon I met my best friend, Marilyn on a Salmon River trip and we were married a year later on the river. We enjoy many outdoor adventures together both on and off the river. We raised two kids and have four granddaughters! When I’m not teaching or guiding, I can also be found chasing elk with my muzzleloader, target shooting, hiking, camping, and traveling.
I love working on the Helfrich Crew! I can’t imagine a better river trip than that offered by Helfrich River Outfitters. I feel fortunate to work with such a great group of people. As a geology teacher, I love talking about rocks and river canyons, expecially on my favorite river, the Middle Fork of the Salmon!
Logan Warren
GUIDE/SWEEP DRIVER
I grew up in a river outfitting family in Salmon, ID, spending most of my summers floating the local rivers with my parents Dave and Thyra Read More
Garrett Helfrich
GUIDE
My very first river trip on the Upper McKenzie I believe I was 6 weeks old, from then on out running rivers with my mother Jonnie Read More
A little more about myself, I grew up in Springfield, Oregon and was an avid outdoorsman and athlete. I attended Montana State University Billings where I obtained my Criminal Justice degree back in the spring 2018. I was able to play collegiate baseball where I was a pitcher. Since graduation I have been focusing more of my free time looking for shed antlers, playing golf, or hunting. I’m still jumping from state to state so haven’t found the right place to call “home,” yet
I started “swamping” for my grandfather, Dean, when I was 10 years old. I swamped for a handful of trips every year until I turned 16 and was able to be an employee for my mom’s rafting company so I did that for a year. At 17 I was able to get my Idaho guides license and haven’t missed a season since. In 2019 my grandfather sold our side of the family business to Ken and Kelsey and they gave me the opportunity to come join the fun. Since then I have worked the Middle Fork and the Rogue for HRO and have loved every second of it. The guides I get to work with, the clients, and the experience we get to share is phenomenal.
My friends and I look forward to sharing a river experience with you and your group or family! See you on the river!
Mel Frogh
GUIDE
When I went on my first multi-day river trip at age 13, I was immediately addicted to the river way of life. There’s just nothing better than Read More
Growing up in Utah, I spent my winters ski racing and summers mountain biking, hiking, camping, and rafting. I remember asking my ski coach, “What do you do for work during the summers?” He told me he was a river guide, and that intrigued me. I started college at Montana State University where I majored in Exercise Science and Psychology and also started river guiding in the summers. I spent the next four summers guiding on the Yampa Canyon and the Gates of Lodore on the Green River. I fell in love with seeing families, especially kids, feel the freedom the outdoors brings out in people.
I’m also known as Safety Officer Mel on the river. I wanted to make the move to Idaho and guide longer trips, so I got a job on the Middle Fork. Spending summers in the Frank Church Wilderness is the best, and I look forward to exploring more of Oregon in the Fall! I spend my winters ski patrolling in Montana. When I’m not in the mountains or on the rivers, you can find me traveling in my camper or flying to other countries. See you on the river!
Wyatt Myers
GUIDE
I started my guiding career in 2000 on the Arkansas River in Colorado. I worked there for 9 years before I decided that I really Read More
Blake King
SWEEP DRIVER
The middle fork of the salmon river and the Franck church wilderness has been my place of passion, occupation, and recreation for most of my life. Whether navigating Read More
I have come to appreciate the many different aspects of a river trip, I can enjoy cooking a hot meal in a beautiful setting as much as floating down the river. Helping people feel comfortable and have a good experience in a different environment is important to me.
When I am not in the backcountry I live in the community of North Fork, Idaho. The woman I love also enjoys a similar lifestyle. We are building a home together on the banks of a free flowing river. I am looking forward to the next river trip!
GALEN JARVIS
GUIDE
I am proud to have been born and raised here in Idaho! Born in Salmon, I’ve been fly fishing on the Middle Fork of the Salmon since the age of 10. Read More
Emerald Lafortune
GUIDE
I grew up in Northern Idaho with two parents who loved taking us on the river and getting us outside. I graduated from the University Read More
Catie Stukel
GUIDE
I grew up in Idaho fly fishing, camping, and boating with my family. Two summers ago I swamped my first Middle Fork trip, and Read More
Taylor Wilcox
GUIDE
Taylor is a second generation river guide, who grew up next to the Potomac River in Maryland. He first rafted the Salmon when he was 5 and has been hooked ever since. “I’ve filled Read More
William Tooley
GUIDE
I was 4 years old when my parents tossed me and my two brothers into the family raft for our first river trip on the John Day River in Oregon. Since then, I have explored Read More I was born in Eugene Oregon but by the time I was 3, I moved up to Portland where I have grown up. As a kid my parents exposed me to a wide variety of outdoor sports such as skiing, rafting, climbing, kayaking, and surfing. I am currently a Senior at the University of Oregon majoring in Spatial Data Science and Geography and I hope to use this knowledge to help protect and conserve rivers across the country. Outside of the outdoors, my interests involve cartography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and college football. (Go ducks!) I had shoulder surgery in the fall of 2019, and I was forced to take last summer off, so I am excited to get on the water again this summer! Can’t wait to see you out there.
Mike Boyd
GUIDE
I knew I wanted to be a guide at an early age. I was fortunate to get a start when Rough Country Outfitters in Wyoming took a chance on a very Read More
After 7 seasons in Wyoming the lore of steelhead got the best of me and off to the Pacific Northwest I went. We had steelhead in the Great Lakes, which where almost the demise of my college career as I spent more time in waders with a fly rod than in class. But, I always wanted to catch the real deal. Oregon it was. I started guiding the Deschutes in ’98. Ultimately owning and operating my own outfitting business on the Deschutes for 8 seasons. Along the way I had the opportunity to guide a bunch of the premiere Oregon fisheries for trout and steelhead. In the falls I would guide waterfowl hunts as well. Winters found me working in the ski industry.
I still guide the Deschutes, it is home, and a token appearance during the salmon fly hatch is fun. But the stories about the boating and fishing from guide buddies that would go to Idaho and work for the Helfriches on the Middle Fork got the best of me. I contacted Ken and I got my shot to work for this amazing crew. Idaho and the Middle Fork will get in your blood and keep calling you back.
Now it’s Idaho for the summer, Rogue for the fall, and ski patrolling at Mt Bachelor for the winter. Not a bad schedule, amazing rivers and boating to skiing pow.
Ryan Helfrich
GUIDE
I am a 4th generation Helfrich. I’m lucky enough to have grown up into a family with a rich history of boating and fishing. It is safe to say Read More
I graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology. Go Ducks! When I’m not guiding, I still spend my free time in the outdoors fishing and hunting. In the off season I work part time at an engineering firm. I look forward to spending a day on the water with you out in some of God’s greatest places.
John Morton
GUIDE
I grew up fly fishing and boating the high desert rivers of Central Oregon. From my hometown of Sisters, I spent my early years honing Read More
Ty Holloway
GUIDE
I grew up boating and fishing the McKenzie River with my family, and quickly developed a passion for rivers and fish. I went off to Read More
GARY WILLIAMS
GUIDE
Ever since I caught my first trout at the age of 5, I have loved fishing. I was born and raised in Oregon and I have lived in Eugene all Read More
George Butts
GUIDE/SWEEP DRIVER
I was born and raised in Challis Idaho and was fortunate to grow up in a family that enjoys the outdoors. My parents started taking Read More
John Payne
GUIDE
Hey, I’m Jon Payne, or better known as ‘JP’. I grew up in Olympia, Washington, and currently reside in Eugene, Oregon. I learned Read More
I began working for Helfrich River Outfitters in 2006 and I now guide the Middle Fork and Main Salmon, Rogue, and McKenzie Rivers for HRO. My first Middle Fork trip was in 2002 and I’m excited for many more seasons to come! I also guide on John Day, Alsea, Siuslaw, Umpqua, Elk, Sixes, Willamette, and Santiam Rivers. In my downtime, I continue to pursue my ardor for fishing and drift boats. I have named all my drift boats “Miss Kay” in honor of my grandmother, who let me row a boat as soon as I was able. I spent hours and hours rowing my Grandma Kay around Puget Sound.
Jim Juza
GUIDE
The first time I made money in my drift boat I was 13 years old. That was August of 1965. I don’t remember what I was paid, Read More
Kimberly Megowan
OFFICE MANAGER
In July of 2019, I was fortunate enough to go on a Middle Fork trip with Helfrich Outfitters. I absolutely fell Read More
Saydee Brass
ADVERTISING INTERN
My name is Saydee and this is my second year working for Helfrich River Outfitters. I helped out around the Read More
Avery Hiron
Alex Green
GUIDE
Cole Henson
GUIDE
CONOR DAVIS
GUIDE
DALLY RATCLIFF
GUIDE
EARL WAGNER
GUIDE
ERIC RICHINS
GUIDE
I’m lucky to say I’ve loved and respected Idaho’s great outdoors my whole life and there’s nothing I enjoy more Read More
GAGE BILL
GUIDE
LANIE GALLAND
GUIDE
RYAN SAEVITZ
GUIDE
SADIE GROSSBAUM
GUIDE
I was born and raised in Idaho and grew up with a passion for the state’s wild places. My education brought me to the Frank Church Wilderness in 2013 where I got to live, learn and work at a research station Read More
In the Fall my fiancé Blake, also a Helfrich guide, and I manage a hunting ranch in the high country above the river canyon. When the ungulate season ends and the snow falls I transition into winter predator hunts on the tributaries of the Middle Fork, which is starting to become my favorite season in the backcountry. In the spring we go back to North Fork, Idaho where we are building a home. We have settled into the rhythm of a seasonal life and enjoy doing what we love in a place to which we are deeply connected. Can’t wait to go down the river with you!
ZOE GRUMBACH
GUIDE
I am originally from San Francisco, raised by two parents who love backpacking, camping, and all things mountains. We took a trip down the Middle Fork as a family in 2019, and I was instantly hooked Read More
