Meet Robin Ruckhaus
We want to share with you another one of our beloved AzRA river guides! Every time we see Robin in the office, she has a calm but excited demeanor about her that she brings to the rest of her guide team before each trip. As one of AzRA’s trip leaders, she brings that sense of calm and excitement to all of her trips, offering both a quiet confidence and also a love of Grand Canyon that everyone can sense when they’re around her. She’s newer to AzRA, but has brought so much to the team! Read more about her below.
Where were you born? Tell us a little about yourself!
I was born in boulder, CO, but moved to Anchorage, AK when I was 2 years old. I grew up doing a lot of river trips in Alaska with my family. When I was 17 years old, I lived/worked in Rosenheim, Germany. When I lived there, I learned how to whitewater kayak and that was the first love of my life. I think I was in so much awe of how beautiful the rivers were and how fun they could be. And they were warm and I loved that! I found whitewater to be a great way to explore all these wild places that you couldn’t get to any other way. My last year of college, I lived and worked in Pucon, Chile, and was kayaking every day. My whole point of going down there was to do a project for college about gender differences in risk and motivation in outdoor adventure sports, but getting to paddle some of the world’s most iconic rivers was a plus and recharged my love of white water. Before Chile I was all set to go to Grad school, but then I became a raft guide and here we are now.
What’s your history with AzRA?
I started working with AzRA in 2021, and have been here ever since.
When did you start guiding?
I started instructing whitewater courses when I was in college in 2014 on the Matanuskia River and Yucon River in Alaska after graduating college. In 2016, I started guiding on the Green and Yampa River in Dinosaur Nation Monument.
What types of trips do you guide?
For the most part, I row trips. 14 or 16 day trips! I row dories, the rafts, and then I captain the paddle boat as well.
What are your favorite rapids and why?
In Grand Canyon, probably Dubendorf would be my favorite. At high water It is technical + really big! And when you nail your line it just feels flowy when you do it right. At low water, it is technical, and when you do it right, it feels pretty dam good! Hermit at high water is definitely up there too! But that is every one’s favorite.
What are your favorite hikes and why?
There are so many lovely places in GC it is hard to pick one. I am a fan of any hike that goes to a waterfall that I can play in! Which, lucky enough there are so many of them in GC.
Any other interesting facts about yourself you would like guests to know?
Swimming rapids in Grand Canyon is one of my favorite things to do! It is a great way to cool down, and I just love being on the water. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is mine!
What do you do when not guiding at AzRA?
I ski patrol at Winer Park/Mary Jane in Colorado. After white water, skiing is probably one of my favorite things!
Do you have hobbies, or things you like to do?
In addition to rowing I love to kayak and that is probably my favorite thing to do. I have kinda moved away from kayaking in the last few years. Because it is not quite in my comfort zone right now. But it scares me a bit and I like to get that feeling here and there. Skiing and biking are also things I enjoy doing when I am not on the river! I also like to do pottery and make mugs for my friends.
What do you love about the Canyon and guiding?
So many things! The desert environment is one of my favorites. Is is desolate and harsh, but in that, there is so much beauty. I love the smell of creosote (a plant in the desert) after it rains. Also the way the Canyon looks is pretty spectacular. The rocks are so vibrant in color! As I have said before, I love water and there are so many beautiful side hikes that have lovely water falls and playing in them on a hot day is so fun! The last thing I will say is the white water is iconic and the history of all the river runners that have come before me are some of my favorite stories. And the fact that I get to run the same rapids is super special!
Do you have a favorite Grand Canyon story you’d like to share
A favorite memory I have is on a private trip in the fall. Me and some friends found a pocket of sun in the mauve gorge. For those of you who don’t know, that section is nicknamed the “ice box” because it is so cold because the sun doesn’t get to the bottom in late fall. We tied our boat to the shore and just kinda free-floated in the eddy, laid in the sun and shot the shit. It doesn’t seem exciting, but every things like that make me so happy. But I guess that is kinda the thing about GC. You don’t always have all the things you would like to have when you are in the Canyon, and when you do get the thing you like, it makes life so much sweeter!
Any advice you would give guests that are planning a trip with us?
Be flexible. Things don’t always go according to plan in Grand Canyon. Which is kinda what makes Grand Canyon such a special place. You might do everything you expect to do on your trip, which is great, but you might also do things you didn’t expect, and I think there is a certain type of beauty in that! Also bring shoes you can hike in and get wet most hikes in Grand Canyon involve walking through some type of water.