Who We Are

Who We Are

Built and operated by guides, we offer guiding community support.

We are the backbone of the guiding community, led by experienced guides. Together, the GSRGA unites the professional guiding community in the Grand Staircase Escalante region, providing a collective and collaborative voice.

our guiding principles

direct action

Regularly engage in planning with federal and local agencies.

STRONG STEWARDSHIP

Demonstrate strong respect and stewardship for our local natural resources.

EDUCATION & SAFETY

Educate and ensure the safety of a diverse clientele in rugged and dynamic environments.

Intentional growth

Intentionally cultivate a diverse and inclusive cohort of guides.

Exemplary practice

Demonstrate and articulate best practices and standards of risk management.

LNT & TREAD LIGHTLY

Actively promote and educate on Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly, as well as cultural resource sensitivity and protection.

EQUITABLE ACCESS

Champion equitable access to public land.

COMMUNICATION

Convey inclusive and robust internal communications with key stakeholders.

GUIDING RESOURCE

Provide resources and a voice for the guiding community to embody the mission and vision of GSRGA.

Our Team

Nathan Waggoner

chair

Nathan Waggoner has been a guide in Escalante for seventeen years. He owns Escalante Outfitters and lives in Escalante, Utah, with his family. Nathan conducts guided fly fishing and natural history tours on the Monument. He also owns a horse-packing business and runs supply trips for restoration and trail-clearing projects in the region. He has held permits for Dixie National Forest, Glen Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Becherof Wildlife Preserve, and Katmai National Park.

Before guiding in Escalante, he guided at Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado River and spent multiple seasons in Alaska. He has a undergraduate degree in ecology and creative writing from Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona, ande has spent extensive time traveling and studying the Colorado Plateau.

Connect with Nathan directly via email: nathan@escalanteoutfitters.com

Brandie Hardman

Board Member

Brandie always had a passion for creating events. At age 20, she started her first event production company — Avalanche Productions, and then Conscientia. Her experience in the recreation world and event management, along with her degree in Marketing created an opportunity to work as a marketing manager for Red Bull in 2000 and then Clearwire in 2006. In 2008, Brandie and her husband Ron Johnson bought Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch (BMGR).

Since the onset of BMGR, Brandie has become a sustainable activist with a strong focus on healthy soils. Throughout the years, the 750 acres of land have had soil remediation done using key-lining practices and compost tea. The other land-based projects they’ve accomplished are 14 wetland ponds, stream remediation, erosion control work, a swale system throughout the BMGR property, native seed distribution, and planting over 400 trees. She loves both land and event-based projects and continues to create an organically growing business.

Paul Gagner

Vice Chair

Paul has been an active climber for 45 years. He worked as a National Park Service Climbing Ranger in Grand Teton National Park before transitioning into the outdoor equipment world, where he has held senior management with several brands.

These included the President of Granite Marketing Group, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Gregory Mountain Products, President of Sierra Designs, President of Ultimate Direction, President of Research SportsOneSource, and Director of Sales Nite Ize. He and his wife Sunny purchased 21-year-old-Dreamland Safari Tours in Kanab Utah in early 2020.

Connect with Paul directly via email: paul@dreamlandtours.net

Jillian Mielke

Secretary

Jillian grew up on a bicycle. As she grew, so did her bikes. In 2010, she got to do a coast-to-coast supported tour with the non-profit Bike & Build. Shortly after, she somehow convinced her best friend to join her on an unsupported tour from Tucson, AZ, to Santa Cruz, CA. Along the way, she met Nathan Mielke, who was feeding his rock-climbing habit in Joshua Tree National Park. They bonded over their passion for physically challenging themselves in the outdoors, and before long, Jillian ditched her bike to pick up rock climbing, too.

Ever since, she has been enthusiastically exploring any outdoor sports she can get her hands on—rafting, kayaking, backpacking, hiking, mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking, off-roading, and, of course, canyoneering.

Connect with Jillian directly via email: info@allwaysadventure.com

Celie Dagesse

Treasurer

Celie has been a longtime recreator in the outdoors. She managed a guide outfit and bike shop in the Zion area for several years and now works closely with operators as a team member of the Flybook, a reservation platform for tour operators, rental providers, adventure centers, and other recreation-based businesses.

Celie enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and working in the dirt. She is rooted in Kanab, Utah with her husband Andrew and their two dogs, Meatball and Mallow.

Join in our voice as we influence and propel access for guides like you.

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