Joanne Gallagher

When Joanne headed to New Zealand to kayak last winter, we were afraid she would never come back. Reading emails and blog postings of her adventures and experiences teaching kayaking, we secretly hoped she wasn't having too much fun. Thankfully, she's returned and continues to make the White Salmon valley her home!

According to Joanne, "rivers are a place of solitude and socializing, of learning new things and unlearning old habits, of growth and revisiting childlike joys." She spends much of her time kayaking and traveling with friends to experience different rivers, but has also found it very rewarding to facilitate time on the river for others through raft guiding and kayak instruction.

Growing up in the mid-west, Joanne didn't find much opportunity for white water. She did, however, spend much time in and around water: canoeing with family on the St. Joe River, swimming in Lake Michigan, and rowing crew in college. Her first exposure to whitewater came shortly after college when she moved to Colorado. Joanne worked in outdoor education, and the river trips were her favorite part. Those experiences captured her interest and her imagination. She loved it!

After law school, while doing policy work and coaching crew in Seattle, Joanne started to train and work as a river guide. Her original plan was just to improve her boating skills, but she found a strong connection with the guide community and a passion for sharing the river with others. Since then, she has kayaked and rafted on rivers all over the United States and New Zealand, guided on a number of western rivers, become ACA Certified to instruct kayaking, and shifted much of her time and attention to teaching kayaking. She finds much gratitude in being able to teach others something that means so much to her.

Joanne's enjoyable personality and love for the rivers is apparent in her excellent guiding and teaching here at Wet Planet. Her ability in a raft and a kayak are irrefutable, and she is a vital part of the Wet Planet community.

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