Joe began rafting at eighteen. A friend invited him on a three day private trip down the Tuolumne River in California. He knew immediately that it was for him. The following year he picked up kayaking and participated in a guide school. Kayaking helped hone his river reading skills and made him attentive to the subtleties of moving water. Within a few years he was offered guiding positions in Norway, Africa and soon Costa Rica before joining Earth River. He has worked with them in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Canada and China.

  "Guiding internationally is enriching and challenging. Often the highlight of the journey comes before getting to the river. Once in a small Tibetan village another guide and I were waiting for a vehicle repair when we saw a young man dragging a huge log back to his house. We instantly grabbed hold of the log and before he knew it, we had the log hoisted on our shoulders and were on our way. Arriving at his home we got the full tour. The livestock area, barley storage room, prayer room and met everyone in the family. Upon leaving, the grandfather insisted that the young man carefully lead us, one at a time, holding our hands, down the steep stairs back outside. The three of us had a secret chuckle at the bottom of the stairs as the grandfather looked on. These are the personal treasures that make guiding rich for me."

Currently, Joe is in physical therapy school and guiding. His goals are to continue to touch people on a human level and help focus their energy on the task at hand. Whether that task involves a long portage, a better forward stroke, or helping someone to walk again, 110% of Joe Dengler will be there.
       
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