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

that I would participate and work in during the summers. I started helping my dad as a swamper on the Middle Fork of the Salmon trips when I was 13. I started guiding as soon as I was able to get a guides’ license. Being on a river has always been a passion of mine. Coming from a river running and fishing family, I was able to learn river skills at a young age. My life experiences running rivers has been spectacular. Last year I celebrated my 50^th year guiding and Outfitting. I always enjoy sharing my knowledge with my crew and seeing them develop into great guides. My wife Sherill has always been supportive of my lifestyle as a guide and Outfitter. She has helped me continue to take on the challenges of running a business. We made the move to Idaho and love living close to our Idaho operations. Our daughter Kelsey grew up close to the river as I did and along with her husband Kidd, taking our family business into the next generation.

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

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

in the business, I love dedicating my time to furthering this amazing company that my family has dedicated their lives to since 1922. I get to spend my time working alongside my parents, my husband, and some of my best friends as we all working together towards the common goal of providing the best experience we can for our guests. Running a boat and the opportunity to introduce people to the beautiful rivers of the Northwest is a true passion for me.

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

on a river crew, I had never rowed a boat and I really didn’t even know the difference between an oar and a paddle. But with great teachers and mentors like my father-in-law Ken Helfrich, his dad Dave and my wife Kelsey, I was able to learn the tricks of the trade.
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

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

sense of humor. Kris has been a valuable part of the Helfrich River Outfitters Family since 2010. Known for more than just a few laughs, his dedication to the “Helfrich Way” and his great attitude are remarkable. Guests love fishing with Kris and guides love working with him. Kris is the type of leader who leads by example and doesn’t quit until the job is done. Kris may seem young but he has been in the business a long time. He started his legacy at age 6, helping his dad John, an outfitter on the Deschutes River in Oregon, on trips for Belozer’s Whitewater Fishing. After rowing a gear boat and learning the river, he moved up to a drift boat at age 10. (yes, you read that right, age 10).

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

college students. I began guiding the same year I began teaching and hope to continue guiding for many more years. Part of my retirement plans include a new pursuit—birding.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

but day wages for guides was in the $35-45 range at the time. I think I got about half of that. I got my first Oregon guides license on my 18th birthday Sept. 16, 1969. A fellow from ODFW came to our house and gave me an oral exam. The only thing I remember about that test was trying to name the fins on a fish. Knowing how to row a boat did not seem to be important. I first worked for Dave Helfrich in the boys camps in 1967. I worked for Dick on his river camp in 1968 and did the Rogue, running the camp boat for Dick in August of that year. I ran a drift boat on the Owyhee in May of 1969 with Prince, Dave and Leroy Pruitt. That was the first trip that Dave ran his pontoon. Prince baked his first loaf of dutch oven bread on the river that trip. He had done a practice loaf at home so knew it could be done. I guided the McKenzie until 1993 and the Rogue from 1979 to 1994. I started guiding the MF in 1980 and am still guiding there today. I have guided the Owyhee, John Day, Main Salmon and a few other great rivers as well. Out of all of them, the Middle Fork of the Salmon is my favorite. I believe there is no other river that offers as much. We have the scenery, wildlife, fishing, Indian cultural sites and occidental sites. The Middle Fork is also in the middle of the largest Wilderness in the Lower 48. I see something new every time I float the MF. My other occupations over the years include driving semi-trucks and building logging roads. I raise cattle on our ranch in Salmon and worked for the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game capturing and collaring deer and elk. I have captured a couple thousand deer and a couple hundred elk, a few bighorn sheep and some antelope. I kept track of about 325 collared animals each winter. I grew up on the McKenzie River. I moved to Salmon in 1983 and married Lois Blackadar March 22, 1986. We have 2 sons and a daughter and 5 grandchildren. I feel fortunate to be a fishing guide. We get to be with people when they are at their best. On vacation! I believe that we provide the best vacation experience possible. Ken has taken Outfitting to a new level and Kelsey is continuing to improve on that tradition. We have a crew that is dedicated to providing the best experience possible.

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 in love with the river, the Helfrich 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 office and shop Read More