Upper Yough River Guides

If you are thinking about heading to the Upper Yough, this is the staff that will be taking care of you. They are a really fun and professional group of guides, and they all have interesting stories to share. They are focused on providing you with as safe of a class 5 rafting trip as possible.

Check out their backgrounds, you will find no other Upper Yough River Guides Squad with this level of experience, knowledge and humility ;).

Prior to becoming an Upper Yough guide, our staff must have at minimum 3 seasons of professional guiding and be a “Trip Leader” to be considered for a try out for the class 5 team.

Eric Martin – Owner

Runs the show! He’s a former US team kayaker and still loves being on the water. He took the company over from his father about 20 years ago. Having been raised in the whitewater world, running the company is his natural instinct. Backed by a degree in International Recreation Marketing from The University of Maryland, he’s always ready to add something new to WV’s offerings. If he’s not at the store, you’ll find him kayaking, fishing, skiing or hanging out in Penny Hot Springs.

Ben Scoville

Ben has worked at Wilderness Voyageurs since 1998. He accepted the Operations Manager position in 2003 and has been with us full time ever since. Ben is an expert kayaker who has taken his skills all around the US. Ben graduated from Frostburg University with a Bachelor Degree in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. His Spanish skills have helped aid him in his love for travel. Ben has traveled to Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Caribbean, Australia, and all over the United States. When Ben is not working or traveling he enjoys kayaking, yoga, teleskiing, and cross country skiing.

Brian Trescott

Hailing from West Virginia, whitewater is in his blood. Brian started his professional guiding career on the New & Gauley Rivers, and then has worked on more than 25 rivers spanning the US and Central America.

Rich Rostaucher

Rich is one of our most senior guides and the director of our guide training program. If you are in our training program, he may not be your favorite person during that time, but you will learn how to be a great river guide. He has been working for Wilderness Voyageurs since 2001 and has almost as many river trips since then. Rich works on the Lower Yough, Upper Yough, Cheat , Casselman, and the Savage Rivers. Rich is an avid low water boater and has also dipped his paddle into the Gauley, Arkansas and Tygart rivers in the US and the Pacuare River in Costa Rica. During the school year you can find Rich teaching the youth of America in Pittsburgh. He received his BS in Education and is certified in Secondary Biology, Earth/Space Science, and General Science. He has taught grades 6-9 for the past 16 years. In his spare time time Rich enjoys mountain biking, road biking, yoga, kayaking, and walking his dogs.

Wilderness Voyageurs Bike Tour guides josh

Josh Lawrey

Josh is the quintessential utility infielder here at Wilderness Voyageurs. Bike guide, Class 5 river guide, and kayak instructor jefe. He has been guiding the Lower Yough, Upper Yough, and Cheat Rivers for 11 years. He has also put in guiding time on the Rio Grande in Texas, various rivers in Maine, and two seasons in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River. Do not make the mistake of thinking he is only at home on the river. He will impress you on a mountain bike and can name ANY bird you see or hear. Josh received his Bachelor and Master degrees in Parks and Recreational Resource Management and Environmental Education at Slippery Rock University. He served as Assistant Director for SRU Outdoor Adventures for two years. Josh loves to help you enjoy the outdoors and will always be there with an encouraging compliment to make your day more enjoyable.

John Greer

John came to the area to play football at WVU, after finishing his career with a bowl game, the real fun started, he became a raft guide. That was in 1988, now today, John says ” I wake up every morning looking at the Cheat, Big Sandy, and the edge of the Upper Yough drainage areas. This is why I live here. Being able to share these rivers and the action each offer with new friends while working with old friends is why I stay here!” His career is in Occupational Safety where he is a nationally renowned expert and speaker, but on Upper Yough release days you can find him hanging with us in Friendsville or Albright.