Guides

Ben Simms

Adventure Center Manager
Wilderness First Responder, First Aid, CPR
Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Ben was born and raised in Atlanta, GA and attended the University of Georgia. After graduation, he moved to Estes Park, Co and became a mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking guide in Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding wilderness areas. There, he developed a deep desire to be in the mountains and nature and to share that appreciation with others. Later, he worked as a Landscape Architect in Boulder, where he designed parks, school grounds, and state parks. Ben’s desire to live a simple, authentic life in the mountains with good people kept pulling at him, so he and his wife, Addie, decided to pack up and move to Clark. In their free time, they love to do anything to get them outside along with their little ones Arthur and Vera and their dog, Chief.

Shannon Balzer

Guide
Wilderness First Responder, AIARE 1
Hometown: Placerville, CA

A California native with an engineering degree from California Polytechnic State University, Shannon is constantly trying to get her hands on a new adventure. She is outside from before the sun is up until after the sun goes down, rarely seen without her Jammy Pack (music playing fanny pack). She loves to travel! Shannon has been to over ten countries and visited every continent except Antarctica. This past spring she embarked on a six week trip backpacking through Ecuador where she hiked Cotopaxi- one of the world’s largest volcanoes at almost 20,000 ft! Fun Fact: Shannon loves Thai food!

Nate Margason

Safety Manager/Guide
CMC EMT Program
Hometown: Elgin, TX

Nate is officially our Safety Manager, but that is just the start of what he does at the ranch! When not fixing things or overseeing our fleet of 14 hot tubs, or guiding, or wrangling, he finds time to pursue his hobbies that include hiking, playing softball, dancing, and horseback riding. Nate really enjoys playing on Vista Verde’s intramural softball team during the summer and volleyball during the winter. For his first job, Nate was involved in restoring a 1939 Cadillac LaSalle. He is a volunteer with North Routt Fire Department as an EMT and Firefighter type 2. Finally, Nate married our own lovely Melissa in October 2016 in VVR’s Great Room!

Miller Anderson

Guide
Wilderness First Responder, CPR, AED
Hometown: Charleston SC

Miller is a 3rd generation alumni of The Citadel Military College. Miller loves anything outdoors but is especially passionate for fly fishing. During the summer months, you’ll find him either guiding at work or still fishing while off of work! Miller has even traveled to Patagonia, Chile in pursuit of trout. One of his favorite trips was to Wisconsin with fellow VVR staff Zach, to check musky off his list of fish to catch on the fly- he was indeed successful in this pursuit. We are glad to have him back for yet another season at the ranch!

Mette Rousseau

Guide
Wilderness Advanced First Aid, CPR, AED
Hometown:

Mette was born and raised in the beautiful PNW where she spent summers sailing the salty seas and winters sitting by a fire after a long day cross country skiing. In the past few years, Mette has studied in Guatemala, worked in Uganda, backpacked Europe, volunteered with Young Life, and clam farmed in the Salish Sea. Most recently, she lived in British Columbia managing a sea kayaking operation and mountain guiding for a wilderness ministry. She heard about Vista Verde while backpacking in New Zealand and is excited to explore the heights of the Rockies, the crispness of CO winters, and the depths of VVR community!

Greg Shepperly

Guide
First Aid, CPR, AED, AIARE 1
Hometown: East Leroy, MI

Greg is joining us for his fourth season at VVR! He is taking a gap from school, and is excited to spend that time off by guiding in the great outdoors. Greg loves to hike, mountain bike, fly fish, climb, and snowboard. When he is giving his muscles a rest, Greg loves to play the guitar. He also really enjoys travelling. Last fall Greg spent time in Peru with some fellow staff backpacking through the country. Fun fact: Greg has won multiple spicy food eating contests.

Alex Bell-Johnson

Guide
Wilderness First Responder, AIARE 1
Hometown: Lafayette, CO

As a Colorado native, Alex’s life has been shaped by adventure in the mountains. He is passionate about sharing his outdoor knowledge and looks forward to taking everyone who comes to VVR on a winter adventure of their own! Fun Fact: Alex’s first job out of high school was driving big rigs across Colorado.

Logan Busch

Guide
First Aid, CPR, AED
Hometown: Inner Grove Heights, MN

Logan is joining us for his second winter season at Vista Verde. Prior to arriving at the ranch, he was working in Minnesota and spending time with his family. While in college, Logan played baseball for North Dakota State. Aside from playing ball, Logan enjoys hunting, fishing, ping-pong, tennis, and road biking. Fun fact: Logan does the engineering for a podcast series!

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