of California
Guides and Instructors
canoe west home | canoeing instruction | steelhead fishing | Klamath River Guidebook |
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Guides and Instructors |
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Neil Rucker |
Renee Ward |
Tom Ward |
| The author of A Canoer’s Guide to the Middle Klamath and the owner and lead canoeing instructor of Canoe West, Neil’s love affair with the outdoors has spanned 60 years and is still going strong. After a career as an educator in the public school system, Neil combined his teaching expertise with his love of rivers and canoeing and began imparting to others the fine art of paddling. | The first thing to realize about Renee, is that she is Neil Rucker's daughter. So, in 1977, when Neil started teaching canoeing, guess who was one of his first pupils? The years go by, and now Renee is an instructor in her own right, with nearly 30 years of experience in guiding and instructing canoeing, rafting, kayaking, and hiking. | A native-born Northern Californian, Tom was prowling the wild country when other kids his age were still trying to master trikes. A skilled sportsman, backpacker, climber, and decorated Army Ranger, Tom was Neil Rucker's natural choice when, way back in '76, he went looking for a paddling partner to explore waters that "no man had explored before." |
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| River Appreciation 101 has always been a large part of a Neil Rucker canoe clinic. An avid outdoorsman, birder, and former falconer, Neil is always willing to take a pause in the paddling lesson to admire a doe and fawn feeding on water weeds in the shady shallows along the riverbank, or point out an osprey diving feet first for a fish. Besides being one of the most accomplished canoeists on the west coast, Neil is a skilled rafter and driftboat fisherman; he has seen most of our northern California lakes, rivers, and streams in all of their moods and seasonal variations. His many years of teaching canoeing and recognized expertise as a paddler has earned Neil the appellation "old man of the river"-- whether he wants it or not! If you want to learn to canoe, Neil’s the man--after all, he wrote the book. | Back
on the staff after a few years of guiding for Alaska
Vistas in southeast Alaska, Renee is looking forward to introducing our clients to the
art of paddling, the beauties of our surroundings, the wonders of our wildlife, and the
sheer joy of experiencing the combination. Not to be outdone by her father, Renee has also authored a book: House of Brick. It is a fantasy novel with, believe it or not, a river running through it. Read a sample chapter! |
Through a varied career as cowboy, carpenter, soldier, firefighter, and ten years as a wildlife biologist/ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service, Tom has maintained a love for running rivers. Back again as canoe instructor, naturalist, and steelhead guide, his experience--and his ability as a raconteur--is an asset that Canoe West is happy to exploit. |
| Canoe Quiz Answers: 1 (b), 2 (b), 3 (b) |
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