Sarahlee Lawrence is a river rafting guide and experiential educator who lives an adventurous life running rivers, researching riparian environments, training horses, farming, and writing. When she’s not on the Colorado River guiding for Outdoors Unlimited, on the Futaleufu River in Chile with Bio Bio Expeditions Worldwide, in Kenya on a horseback safari with El Karama Ranch or teaching for the National Outdoor Leadership School, you’ll find Sarahlee at on her ranch in the central Oregon high desert, working the land or settled into the log home she built with help from her father.

Sarahlee was born on a farm in Terrebonne, Oregon, where her first step was outside. Her parents demonstrated and instilled that an active life is better than a complacent life. They put her to work on the farm and allowed her the freedom to roam where the high desert called her down its draws, up its rim rocks, and taught her to be tough.

Sarahlee has rodeoed, surfed, and skied since she was a little girl. When she was in high school, a friend introduced her to the world class rock climbing at Smith Rocks State Park near her home. One summer during college, she took her first job as a river guide because she thought it would be fun, even though she had never rafted before. Since then, the river has become her life. She has run and guided rivers of all classes and counts on (among others) the Blue Nile, Tambopata, Tuolumne, Kings, Merced, Arkansas, Deschutes, Salmon, and Colorado Rivers.

On Inspiration: “I am inspired by harshness. I feel most alive when in the face of blistering heat or bitter cold. I am inspired by seasons and the changes they bring. The resilience I see in rivers and deserts gives me hope and inspires me to make kind, conscious choices. They are waiting for us all to live better.” {Sarahlee’s Tips From a Pro »}

Sarahlee graduates from the University of Montana in May 2008 with a master’s degree in Environmental Science. Eventually she plans to develop an expeditionary education program. While completing her graduate studies, she spent a summer researching the Colorado River watershed with the non-profit Tamarisk Coalition, and hopes to create her program using their resources and a curriculum she developed during her master’s program. But first she’ll spend the summer living in a horse trailer and exploring Alaska alongside her husband Brandon and dog Chyulu, with periodic travels to guide river expeditions, continue her conversation efforts, and teach courses through the National Outdoor Leadership School.

Returning the Favor: “My conservation work on the Colorado River feels like giving back to something in nature that has been so meaningful to me.”