Meet Landon Blanchard
Landon is a joy to have on a trip and is smart, kind, fun and brings so much knowledge to every trip he joins. Enjoy the following read about Landon.
Where were you born? Tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in the small town of Cody, Wyoming in the early hours of a frigid January morning. I grew up close to the rivers and streams that flow off the high, volcanic mesas of the Absaroka Range in the northwest portion of the state. Growing up, I was introduced to river running through our family business — Wyoming River Trips — which my family started in the late 70’s. Those early experiences set the stage for a complete and unconditional love for not just rivers, but for wild landscapes.
What’s your history with AzRA?
I started with AzRA in the Spring of 2022 after a good friend recommended that I reach out and inquire with the guide manager at the time. That first season I had three trips, then four, and the last two seasons I have been working five trips, which feels about right at this point.
When did you start guiding and How did you find yourself at AzRA?
I started guiding in Wyoming for my family’s company on the Shoshone River in 2006. It’s a class II-III section with amazing access and is very close to town. I was young at the time, but those early experiences were very important in developing skills and awareness needed to guide elsewhere. That same year was when I saw the Grand Canyon from the river for the first time. It was a 16 day private trip with my family in May of that year — we ended up having an evacuation on Day 2 that left us without a primary guide for one of the boats. After a few days of rotating rowers, I ended up basically taking over and running everything except Horn Creek and Crystal on that trip. It was humbling, incredible, out-of-body, and I was hooked.
What types of trips do you guide?
I guide row trips for AzRA — 14 and 16 day trips with rafts, paddle boats, and dories. I enjoy running all the different types of boats! I’ll be swamping my first motor trip this season and I’m excited for the opportunity!
What are your favorite rapids? Why?
Sockdolager — when you can really get it lined up to hit the left wave and pivot for the right one — that’s a special feeling going big in there and I also enjoy the setting of the inner gorge! I also love Fossil Rapid, as well as Upset because of the aesthetic of the rapids and the way they make it feel like you’re flying. But really, there are so many and they all hold a special place.
What are your favorite hikes? Why?
The hike up to Thunder River, when the weather is just right and you have the crew do push all the way up there, that’s good stuff! But I also enjoy hikes on river right from Nankoweap Delta, all the way past the LCR — I think that area back there is spectacular and the views of the Grand Canyon Super Group are always a treat.
Any other interesting facts about yourself you would like guests to know?
I really enjoy photography and specifically photographing people amongst landscapes.
What do you do when not guiding at AzRA?
My partner and I own a whitewater and river outfitting operation in Cody. This operation is part of a business we started, and part of the business we bought from my family. So when I’m not in Arizona with AzRA, I am in Wyoming running a rafting operation. Check us out Wyoming River Trips and Wyoming Rivers Cooperative.
Do you have hobbies, or things you like to do?
I love to be outside. So much of my time is spent either working or recreating outdoors. It could be anything from gardening and irrigating, to skiing, biking, hunting, fishing, and trail running.
What do you love about the Canyon and guiding?
I love that the Canyon is part of this vast and incredibly diverse ecosystem that includes the water, the plants, animals, fungus, but it also includes human stories and human relationships. Like much of the planet, Grand Canyon’s story includes human stories that cover space and time. I love feeling in some way connected to that by noticing things, reading, listening. And I love guiding because I can share this with others if they are willing to listen and participate. Guiding me is being a teacher and a student and I enjoy both.
Do you have a favorite Grand Canyon story you’d like to share?
I enjoy telling stories about some of the early river runners like the Kolb Brothers, Bert Loper, and Buzz Holmstrom. The Kolb’s and their 1911 trip from Wyoming to Mexico through the Grand Canyon is truly a fascinating story. It obviously had plenty of adventure and excitement, but it also had a lot of slowness and intention with photography being a primary focus of their trip. The efforts they made to capture and retain photographs of their journey during that trip are immense. They published a book/ an account titled Through the Grand Canyon: From Wyoming to Mexico and I would recommend it to folks who are curious about what it would have been like to put that sort of trip together and experience the basin over 100 years ago.
Any advice you would give guests that are planning a trip with us?
Embrace the process and be part of the experience as much as you can. This can mean different things for different folks, but I think the core message is that a trip on the Colorado in Grand Canyon is not unlike our day to day experience in the sense that we will experience joy, discomfort, challenge, triumph, and all sorts of physical and mental/emotional states — be with them all! Be with them in Grand Canyon and as my buddy Garth once said, “don’t wish away a single moment”. We are only where we are in the present so don’t let the scale of the expedition pull you away from experiencing it fully.
Bonus Question: If you could instantly become an expert in anything (totally unrelated to rafting), what would it be and why?
If I could be an expert at confronting challenging situations in life, with people, in business, etc. while still remaining true to myself and not sacrificing my core values, that would be cool!
