Kathy & Bob and family,

There are no words truly .  Elyse  was a power ....a mountain spirit like her parents but to another level.....rivers, skiing, hiking, adding Alaska hotshotting , ski patrolling, river guiding etc.  Loved our shared snippets of Elyse re: Alaska , Ophir etc adventures ( where son Ryan lives)   after our exercise classes.  She had the very best parents in the world...unconditional super love  and so proud of her mountain adventures .  Please know we are sending you lots of love

We only spent two weeks with Elyse going down through the Grand Canyon with her, but we will always remember her positivity and humor and her adventurous spirit 💔

Philipp & Maike with Lisa & Yannick from Switzerland 

Emily Dickinson's words prove to be true:

"To the faithful, absence

     is condensed presence.

To the others,--there are

    no others."

You ALL are HUGELY LOVED.

I hope you feel us sharing your pain.

I first met Elyse on a Grand Canyon River trip. I believe it was her first trip through the Canyon. It was an OARS trip. Elyse was our assistant. It was August/September after her first season river guiding on the animas for Mountain Waters. 2013 maybe 2014. Upon meeting at the warehouse we immediately had a connection from the San Juans. As the trip progressed there is this place that River Guides go on these 2-3 week trips....Usually around days 9-11... We call it SNAP Canyon... It is where we lose our Shit for a bit, before coming to terms with the challenges. 

For Elyse and I, we both were close to finding SNAP Canyon on this trip around Stone Creek, river mile 132. It is usually an accumulation of frustrations from conflicts with other guides, bandaging guests for the 10th time, to answering the same question for the millionth time for the day...

Camped at Stone that night after we had finished dinner and dishes. Passengers all passed out. We were hanging out on the rafts. The moon was huge. We decided to go for a short walk to the first waterfall and get away for a bit and rinse ourselves under the waterfall. No headlight needed.

Sitting there under the waterfall and talking under the moonlight I don't even remember the frustrations that were accumulating at the time. What I do remember is her speaking of her aspirations to become a River Guide, Ski Patrol, and Ski Guide. Tiger-P had a drive like no one I've ever known, and was smart and skilled enough to do it all.

Let us all carry that energy on wherever we may go. Live our dreams like Elyse. 

Knowing Elyse was a great blessing for all of us lucky enough that got to spend time with her. 

From our “Women's Wellness River Trip 2022-

As a mother to a daughter, I often found myself inspired by the bond that Elise and her mom shared. It was a relationship I deeply aspired to emulate with my own daughter.