We love Colorado’s wilderness and aim to share it in a way that inspires and enriches your experience. Our expertise ensures you explore safely while learning about mountain safety, stewardship, and local history.
Your safety is our top priority—from our vehicles to trail conditions, we assess every detail to ensure a secure adventure.
Explore confidently, travel safely, and create lasting memories!
Our Passion
Our Mission
Transformative experiences matter. We strive to transform lives, leaders, and teams through experiential adventures.
Our Vision
To cultivate lasting connections with one another and the outdoors, empowering individuals and teams to thrive and grow in Colorado and around the world.
Our Team
Joshua Baruch
Owner, General Manager, Senior Educator & Senior Guide
As the owner, Joshua has more than 21 years of experience facilitating Leadership Development and Team Building Transformational Experiences. Josh has called Colorado home since 2002. He grew up in CT, but has lived in WI, FL, CA, and spent much time overseas in some of the most extreme environments in the world. Since 2010, Joshua has facilitated more than 1000 Corporate and Organizational Leadership Development / Team Building events and workshops. Josh has a BS in environmental studies and nursing and graduate research/studies in Adventure Education and Leadership Development. As a former professional athlete, he studied with some of the foremost international sports psychologists and athletic coaches in Tennis, Baseball, American Football, Alpine Skiing, Boxing, and Martial Arts for more than 15 years during his formative years. Since 2010, Joshua has facilitated more than 1000 Corporate and Organizational Leadership Development / Team Building events and workshops. Josh has undergone specialized leadership training in DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Strength Finder, 360, Peak performance for professional athletic teams and athletes, Leadership and Decision Making in high-risk occupations and environments, Leadership in Wilderness Survival, and Risk Management Leadership. Growing up around professional athletes and athletic teams and working in EMS/Rescue, and Critical Care Medicine, he has learned the fundamentals of achieving peak performance and achieving excellence through self-discipline, self-actualization, and highly effective teamwork. He has been fortunate to have worked with native healers to some of the foremost psychiatrists and psychologists in the world trying to better understand communication and team dynamics. His goal is to help foster individual self-actualization and peak team performance with the mindset of achieving transference to our team, work, and professional life setting. Josh’s medical licenses and certifications include Colorado RN with CCRN, ACLS, PALS, ATLS. Joshua had worked through many outdoor disciplines to achieve instructor or lead status including AIARE Avalanche Level 3; Avalanche Level 1 and 2 Course Lead; WFR and EMT instructor, AMGA SPI instructor and working on completing AMGA Rock Instructor Exam and Ski Guide certifications; Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT), Colorado Raft Guide Instructor; Fly Fishing Instructor; and Leave No Trace Master Trainer. These certifications and expertise help Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams create very unique Colorado experiential education by harnessing the power and wisdom of the outdoors combined with the art, science, research of a long human history in leadership development. CWCAT believes heavily in using the best evidence-based practices in leadership development and building highly effective teams. Come join us and collaborate in creating the best leaders and teams of the 21st century and beyond.
Anita Engel
Office Staff / Accounting Director
Anita moved to Boulder, Colorado in 2000 to engage her love of the mountains. She spends her free time hiking and training for mountaineering challenges. Anita has been successful in completing many domestic and international treks including; the John Muir Trail, the Dolomites, West Highland Way, West Coast Trail and the Bernese Oberland region in Switzerland. Anita’s enthusiasm for adventure has taken her, along with her family to the third highest peak in North America, where they climbed Pica de Orizaba. When at home Anita takes advantage of the endless activities the Front Range offers. The Front Range is a playground for avid hikers and climbers where she spends much of her free time with friends and family. Anita supports Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides with her organization skills and attention to detail. Anita can be found at the head office where she assumes the role as accounting director. She has been with Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides since 2011 and its Anita’s goal to guarantee every customer enjoys a unique experience with nature.
Tye Baruch
Therapy Dog / Educator
Tye is Colorado Wilderness Rides And Guides and Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams official outdoor and therapy dog educator. Tye is a F2 Golden Doodle; thus he has hair instead of fur and has a non-shedding hypoallergenic coat. His father was a full poodle and mother a golden doodle. Like his roots, Tye has a gentle and calm, but appropriate energetic disposition. He is a quick learner and has mastered the “touch down shake” for Sunday football games, how to travel the multi-use trails of Boulder and how to leap to the rescue of swimmers or paddlers perceived to be in danger. Tye was born in the town of Herber City Utah and has spent the majority of his young life in Colorado assisting with outdoor adventures, facilitating leadership and team building events, and being a source of healing for many of our guests. Tye recently turned two and qualified for the service dog program based on his sweet disposition, good nature, and being a great healer. You will see him around our offices, on dog appropriate guided tours or at our education and training events. Organizations and clients can request to have Tye on sight to help promote healing, tranquility, and increased productivity or learning. Tye’s favorite activities include dawn patrols (chasing skiers up and down the ski slopes); any days in the snow or on the river; playing fetch with a ball; fly fishing ; or helping to bring love, compassion, and empathy to your day.
Brad Kahland
Guide / Educator
Brad has worked as a Grand Canyon National Park Ranger, a Sea Kayak Guide in Monterey Bay and Tomales Bay, California, an Adventure Guide in Vietnam, Alaska, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S., and a naturalist in Boulder, Colorado. Brad explored vast areas of Colorado working in wilderness-therapy programs for adolescents and their families, serving variously as a Field Instructor, Logistics Coordinator, Education Director, and Family Counselor. Brad was also a support team member of the Extreme Ice Survey, a global project documenting the rapid retreat of the world’s glaciers and leading to the film Chasing Ice. Brad has a passion for sharing the outdoors and a connection to Nature with other people. Between guiding trips, Brad is usually hiking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, practicing Tai Chi, watching a mountain sunset with good friends, or planning his next winter trip to Mexico.
Cindy Gagnon
Guide / Educator
Cindy was born and raised in NH, and moved to Boulder in 1990. Her professional career began as a telecommunications engineer and her outdoor career as an Elite Ironman Triathlete. After racing triathlons for 18 years, Cindy expanded her horizons to the Colorado mountains. She joined the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) to learn mountaineering and rock climbing skills. In 2005, Cindy left the corporate world to spend a year traveling in the mountains of Nepal and North America. She found her passion here, and shifted her professional focus to outdoor skills education, leadership, and risk management. Cindy also became involved in a community-based cycling group, leading bike tours throughout North America. In 2006, Cindy became the director of the CMC Boulder Mountaineering School, where she managed outdoor education courses and instructed in all disciplines (rock, ice and snow). At the same time, she started to expand her professional outdoor skills by becoming a Ski Patroller, Ski Instructor and Avalanche Instructor. Cindy joined CWRAG in 2008 as a hike, ski, rock and cycling guide. Her professional certifications include NSP and AIARE Avalanche Instructor, PSIA Level 2, WFR, and CPR. Cindy’s passion for the outdoors and energetic spirit drive every trip she guides — she connects with clients, which enables her to customize each trip to be fun yet challenging. Her adventurous spirit drives her own life, and has helped her summit 23,000-ft Himalayan peaks, backpack New Zealand, ski-tour the Canadian Rockies, and cycle Tour de France routes.
Dave Hanson
Guide / Educator
Dave has been working in the outdoor education industry for 6 years, following completing a degree in education in Denver, Colorado. After a first successful season teaching snowboarding, Dave knew he was in the industry he wanted to be in, and skiing, mountain biking, rafting, and climbing instruction/guiding soon followed. Training staff in many of these disciplines has shown Dave how to bring out the best in individuals as well as groups. With a long list of certifications (AASI Level 2, PSIA Level 1, TerraMethod Level 2, AIARE Avi 1, Swiftwater Rescue, Wilderness First Responder) and a degree in education (Metropolitan State University), Dave is no stranger to continuing personal and professional development. His philosophy is “Never stop learning, growing, progressing, and enjoy the ride!”
Gabe Chez
Guide / Educator
Gabriel is originally from Arizona and has called Colorado home for the last 10 years. You can find him climbing peaks year round, skiing and teaching AIARE in winter, and backpacking/climbing in summer. After thru-hiking the Colorado Trail in 2016, he found his lifelong passion for the outdoors. Comfortable guiding 14ers, backpacking, climbing, backcountry skiing, fly-fishing or survival skills, Gabriel is at home anywhere outdoors. He loves bad movies, good sushi, and a nice cup of coffee. Professional training includes: AAS Outdoor Education, AIARE Course Instructor, AIARE Pro 1, Wilderness First Responder, Colorado Naturalist, SWRT-4, Leave No Trace plus Search & Rescue coursework, Gabriel is committed to helping others experience nature and the outdoors safely and profoundly.
Jack Bruner
Guide / Educator
Jack Bruner has been fly fishing for the past 54 years. That means that he started when he was eight. Growing up in Colorado and spending summers on the family ranch in Montana chasing trout was just what you did. Not only do trout fear his name, but Jack ties his own flies, builds his own bamboo rods, and just completed building his 30th wooden drift boat. He embodies everything there is about the sport. Jack’s sense of humor, his ability to teach, and his knowledge of fish on the fly, make him the ultimate guide. There is no trip that is “just a trip” and there is no fish that is “just a fish”. He recognizes that nature has given us an opportunity to appreciate trout, mountains, rivers and relationships. His goal as a guide is to respect the client and do everything possible to give them the ultimate fishing experience, whether it is on a lake, in a boat, or wade fishing. And even if the day was fishing and not catching, Jack will make you laugh, have a beer with you , and let you know that some days the fish win.
Jill Yarger
Guide / Educator
Jill joined the guiding staff of Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides in the summer of 2014 and has enjoyed leading hikes, climbs, snow shoe trips, and hut to hut skiing treks, and helped companies develop their employees with outdoor based team buildings and leadership events. Her goal is to help her guests make the great peaks, meadows, and rivers of the beautiful Rocky Mountains accessible, and to discover new possibilities in themselves. Jill moved to Boulder Colorado in 1990 from the flat lands of the midwest and never looked back. After a few initial unguided hikes resulting in becoming slightly lost and very wet and cold, she searched for and found the Colorado Mountain Club and over the next few years, took all the mountaineering training she could get her hands on. She went on to give back to the mountaineering community by teaching others in all forms of mountaineering, and leading hikes and climbs. When she saw some of her friends responding to help other lost and injured skiers and climbers, she discovered and joined the National Ski Patrol and the Mountain Rescue Association. She was an active member of the local Mountain Rescue Association (Rocky Mountain Rescue Group) and for 13 years helped injured and lost mountaineers return back from the trail to home. She is an active ski patroller and first aid instructor in the National Ski Patrol since 1996. It was an aerospace engineering career that brought Jill to Colorado, but it is the mountains that keep her here. Today the call of sharing her love of the mountains has drawn her away from the engineering world and into guiding people into journeying into the alpine nature, and returning safely. Jill has done hikes and climbs in Alaska, Africa, the Italian Dolomites, Machu Picchu, skied in Canada, and descended canyons in southern Utah, but her outdoor home is Colorado. She hikes, rock climbs, snow shoes, bikes, kayaks, canoes, and skies all through Colorado discovering more wonder on every trip.
Joe O'Leary
Guide / Educator
Joe O’Leary began his guide career in 1993 on the rivers and trails of southern West Virginia after graduating from Purdue University with a BA in Kinesiology. He worked and traveled extensively throughout the US, Canada, and Central & South America before making Boulder, Colorado his permanent home in 2000. Joe joined the Colorado Wilderness team in 2017. As a Senior Guide, he specializes in mountain, river, and wilderness excursions, and he is a Lead Facilitator for our Corporate and Teams events. In addition to guiding and educating, Joe is a writer, editor, and nature photographer, and has enjoyed careers in brand marketing and hospitality. While Joe continues to enjoy the many challenges and benefits of adventure travel and recreation, by far his most important pursuit is nurturing lively relationships with his wife and their four children.
Justin Studt
Guide / Educator
Justin was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, where he competitively raced BMX bikes. He moved to North Carolina for college. This is where he was introduced to rock climbing. After graduating college, he moved to Colorado in 1999 and began his career in construction as an Operations Manager, managing 250 employees and over 20 million in sales annually. Outside of the office, Justin could be found climbing in Eldorado Canyon multiple times per week. In 2007, Justin moved to Boone, NC to run a startup construction company. While he was building a company, he also took interest in pre-hospital medicine, completing an EMT-Basic course and volunteering with a local rescue agency. He eventually became a paramedic, working on an ambulance part time. During his free time, Justin was involved in the Boone mountain biking community. Justin returned to Colorado in 2012, working as a ski patroller and paramedic, the start of his journey into avalanche education. Justin has been working as a guide and educator for the past few years, where he enjoys connecting with clients and helping them increase their enjoyment in the mountains. Justin is an American Mountain Guides Association Certified Single Pitch Instructor, an AMGA Apprentice Ski, Alpine, and Rock Guide, an AIARE & AAI Course Leader, he holds an American Avalanche Association Professional Level 2 certificate, he holds a Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association (PMBIA) Level 1 certificate, a Wilderness First Responder and Paramedic certificate.
John Galloway
Guide / Educator
John was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. Growing up on the water, he got hooked on fishing for redfish very young. John knew he wanted to see and fish different parts of the world and had his eye on the University of Colorado Boulder since before high school. That is exactly where he went after graduating high school in May 2020. As soon as he arrived, he picked up a fly rod and began fishing the famous rivers of Colorado. He considers Colorado, Boulder more specifically, his new home and backyard. John has become an avid snowboarder and developed even more of a passion for the outdoors since moving out west. John wants to share his love for nature and show others how impactful and beautiful nature is.
Kristin Smith
Guide / Educator
Kristin is originally from the far northwest corner of Washington State, where she learned to ski, bike, climb, sail, kayak, and raft. She headed to Montana for college, where she added ice climbing and cross country skiing to her outdoor resume. After heading down to Colorado for a job, she decided to stay and explore some Front Range peaks for a while. Kristin is a WFR, a certified small boat sailor, and AIARE Level 1. She’s worked as a guide for almost ten years in everything from climbing to whitewater rafting, and even spent a season as a medical officer on board the schooner Adventuress in the Salish Sea. When she’s not outside she can be found writing or reading books, accompanied by an endless supply of tea.
Nathan Riney
Guide / Educator
Began rock climbing in 2018 and was hooked immediately! Originally from Texas the most logical step was to move somewhere that was more accessible to climbing and fantastic parks/ open spaces. I moved to Colorado in 2022 to follow my passion for adventure and exploration, which has only grown as I continue to wander. Pairing my passion for mountain recreation as well as Colorado’s natural spaces, I relish the opportunity to safely introduce more and more people to recreating within the mountainous wild spaces we have access to while remaining stewards of the natural environment.
Noah Horning
Guide / Educator
Noah is a multi-sport guide who lives in Longmont Colorado. He loves to combine activities to make for an exciting day. Noah enjoys soft turns in the winter but he is most happy when hiking to his secret alpine fishing spots. The adventure of a multi-day backpacking fishing trip is the perfect combination of rigor and relaxation. Noah studied psychology in Cambridge Massachusetts where he learned about the intrinsic relationship between ecological prosperity and human health and wellness. With outdoor recreation as his medium, he hopes to foster stewardship and kindle a deeper relationship with one’s self.
Phil Lloyd-Davies
Guide / Educator
Phil came to Colorado with a passion for the outdoors. He spent many years skiing, climbing, kayaking, hiking and biking primarily in Colorado and neighboring states. His current focus is mountain biking, teaching mountain biking skills, and skiing. Phil has been guiding for CWRAG since 2013, when one of his fellow guides told him he would get paid to ride his bike. Phil enjoys sharing his knowledge of the local trails and proficiency of bike handling skills to provide the best outdoor adventure. On a typical ride, he can offer trails of varying difficulty to accommodate the client’s ability and comfort level. His goals for all adventures are safe, challenging and memorable fun in the outdoors of Colorado. Phil can customize a mountain bike trip for riders from beginners to advanced levels and provide professional instruction along the way as desired by the clients. Phil’s favorite comment is: “No matter how many times I ride a trail, I always feel like the most fortunate person on the planet, to be living and working in this beautiful environment.” An engineer by education, a volunteer Nordic Ski Patroller for over 30 years, an Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) technician, a volunteer bike patroller, a professional bicycle mechanic and an International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) mountain bike instructor, Phil can easily manage all aspects of a memorable trip.
Sarah Bury
Guide / Educator
Born in Southern Maryland, Sarah grew up hiking and backpacking the East Coast. Her love of all things outdoors led her to manage a local outdoor gear shop, where she facilitated outdoor education and training for backpacking, kayaking, SUP’ing, snowshoeing, fishing and climbing. Sarah first migrated west to Colorado in 2009, and fell in love with fly fishing the canyons and exploring the far corners of the state. She primarily spends her time fly fishing, skiing, trail running, and backpacking. Sarah loves the challenge and beauty that comes with all seasons in the outdoors, and especially loves sharing that enthusiasm with others through guiding.
Tanner Perry
Guide / Educator
Tanner grew up in the shadow of Shenandoah National Park, outside the small town of Luray, Virginia. As teachers, his parents had summers off which meant road trips all over the country to explore boundless opportunities for fly fishing, white water rafting, hiking, and riding ATVs. After graduating from Virginia Tech with degrees in Geography and Outdoor Recreation Management, he moved to Massachusetts and then to Colorado, where he has worked full-time as a GIS Technician and part-time as a guide for CWRAG since May 2022. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, fly fishing, backcountry skiing, cooking, and watching movies. Extended time off means road tripping to the American Southwest, where the red desert never fails to inspire him. His certifications include Wilderness First Responder, AMGA SPI, AIARE I, and Fly Fishing Guide Training. He specializes mainly in guiding fly fishing, rock climbing, and corporate events.
Zach Weinzetl
Guide / Educator
Zach has over 10 years guiding experience working for outfitters and lodges as well as wilderness programs. At Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides, Zach primarily guides fly fishing. An avid outdoorsman and wilderness connoisseur, Zach spends most of his free time finding the off-the-beaten-path gems of Colorado fly fishing. Growing up in Western Montana, he has an affinity for connecting with nature and experiencing the natural world directly. For Zach, the experience of fly fishing is complete as soon as he puts on his waders, steps into the water, and looks up at the surrounding mountain peaks; catching fish only adds to the adventure. As a guide, Zach tries to understand his clients’ aspirations and create an experience that they will be talking about for years to come. Zach has a BA in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University and is an experienced rock climber, mountain biker, kayaker, back packer, and of course, angler. He has Wilderness First Responder medical training and takes pride in anticipating potential risks to help clients relax and fully enjoy their experience. It is Zach’s philosophy to always have a rod handy no matter where he goes. He and his fishing equipment travel everywhere together.