Rachael Ward
Grand Canyon Guide
About Rachael
I fell in love with kayaking during a rafting trip in high school and paddling has been a huge passion in my life since then. I began volunteering with Team River Runner in 2014 as a Chapter Coordinator and now have become involved as a Regional Coordinator and organizing national leadership clinics.
I started paddling with and guiding blind paddler, Kathy Champion, at the TRR Women’s Leadership Clinic on the San Juan River. Kathy was an inspiration to the women when she was the only paddler to stay in her kayak through the class 3 rapid. All the women walked their kayaks back up the river to try again saying, “Let’s do Kathy’s line this time. If she can do it, we can.”
Together we learned how to work as a team, to communicate effectively, build trust, and go with the flow. I feel very honored and excited to be Kathy’s eyes for this amazing adventure!
