Guides

R.A.D. Guides

R.A.D. Guides come from diverse backgrounds and have a ton of wisdom and passion about the outdoors to share with R.A.D. Campers. All R.A.D. Camps guides must complete a background check and attend "Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting" training. Each trip is led by a Wilderness First Responder (or higher) and is accompanied by both male and female guides. As naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts, our guides teach experientially through free play and exploration and are well versed in "Leave No Trace" principles. You can rest assured knowing your children will be well cared for while they are having a blast in the wilderness with us! Learn more about each guide in their short biography below.

Chance - Owner/Camp Director

Chance was born and raised right here in Bend, Oregon and knows the wilderness around central Oregon like the back of his hand. He grew up in the outdoors of Central Oregon doing activities such as skiing, biking, hiking, and just about every other outdoor activity Bend has to offer. He also grew up going to RAD Camps as a camper with Eric and Adam as his guides.

Chance became a RAD Camps guide in the summer of 2020 and has since become the owner and director. He loves teaching kids all about the wilderness and everything they need to know on how to be environmental stewards of their own.

During the winter season, Chance can be found ski patrolling at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Spending every season of the year outside in someway is what makes him happiest. He is looking forward to running and guiding RAD Camps this coming summer, and can't wait to see all the RAD families again!

Adam

Better known as Radam, started R.A.D. Camps in 2008 with Eric. He has an Associate of Arts Degree from Central Oregon Community College in Outdoor Leadership and is a certified Wilderness First Responder and professional Lifeguard. He loves to play in the woods, fish, hunt, ski, snowboard, and enjoys showing people how to have fun in these outdoor settings.

Adam is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys living out of his backpack and sleeping in his tent. He has traveled to remote locations in the Nepal Himalaya, the Sierra Nevada Range, the Rocky Mountains, Costa Rica and Panama, Molokai, the Oregon backcountry, and much of the Pacific Northwest.

"I am dedicated to the mission of R.A.D. Camps and do my best daily to promote an outdoor active lifestyle. I truly enjoy facilitating such an amazing program and will continue offering high quality outdoor service, whether at R.A.D. Camps, coaching skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor, or enjoying free time in the backcountry. Thank you to all of my friends, family, and the Central Oregon community for such amazing support."

Eric

Eric started R.A.D. Camps in 2008 along with Adam. As well as running R.A.D. Camps, Eric also works as a Registered Nurse here in Bend. He spends as much time as possible exploring all of the Oregon mountains, seeking out the best possible camping spots (winter too!) and the best swimming lakes. Whether it’s summertime backpacking or wintertime snowboarding, he is always out exploring the Central Cascades, as well as numerous other mountain ranges throughout the country and the world.

Being far more comfortable running around in the mountains than running around town, Eric truly believes in an “outdoor healthy lifestyle” and believes this starts at a young age. Hence his belief and passion for R.A.D. Camps. Being able to introduce the freedom of the mountains and playing in the woods to others he feels, is the most rewarding experience one can have, and one he will continue to do.

A huge thanks to all the friends, families, and to the community for all the support over the years in helping keep Central Oregon R.A.D.!!!

Rayna
Rayna has been an outdoor enthusiast her entire life. Growing up in Southern Oregon with many parks and nearby woods, combined with the encouragement from her equally enthusiastic parents, Rayna was privileged to have easy access to wild places. With no television or video games in the house as a distraction, she spent the majority of her time playing outside and was rarely caught wearing shoes.

As an adult, Rayna's love of the wilderness has only grown, and now her goal is to instill the same love and appreciation in the upcoming generations. Rayna holds a bachelor's degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. Rayna first started working for RAD Camps in 2016 and worked three consecutive summers before becoming a river instructor for NOLS in 2019, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream and adding yet another avenue through which she can teach youth to feel comfortable and confident in the wilderness.

When she is not in the woods with RAD campers, Rayna can still be found outside. Whether it's rock climbing, backpacking, or simply taking her pup on a walk, Rayna finds a way to be outside every day.

Tori

After growing up in Wisconsin, Tori left for the west coast for her love of the mountains and to pursue a degree in biology at Willamette University. In her freshman year, Tori became president of the school’s ski and snowboard club, leading trips to Mt. Hood every available weekend throughout senior year. Between school years, Tori worked for a Yale medical research group in Maine for four summers. After living in a lighthouse research station, she returned to Oregon to finish her senior year and graduate with honors in biology.

After that, Tori moved to Bend, thinking she would only be here for a year, yet here she is ten years later! She’s worked at bachelor as a ski instructor every winter since and has since gained her alpine L3 cert, children’s specialist 2, as well as my Wilderness First Responder certification. Outside of ski instructing, Tori has worked as an electrochemist, goat farmer/cheesemaker, landscaper, water purity technician, and has worked at multiple kid’s outdoor camps, so she can take any curveball you can throw at her!

Tori is very excited to be working for RAD camps again this summer, fall and winter, and can’t wait to adventure with everyone! She’s an avid hiker (sometimes even with my cat Dumont!), backpacker, kayaker, and definite skier; she can’t wait to share her passion for the outdoors with everyone!

Jamie

Jamie was born and raised in beautiful Southern Oregon and moved to Bend two years ago. She is a bilingual teacher with over ten years of experience teaching and working with kids. She has her Master’s in Education, Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and is licensed to teach ESOL, Spanish, and Yoga. She is an outdoor education advocate and loves sharing her passion for nature with kids. She co-created an outdoor classroom and “Forest Friday” program at her last school, which empowered students to take the concepts and skills they were learning and apply them outdoors.

When not teaching, you can find Jamie exploring and playing outdoors. She loves backpacking, snowboarding, yoga, slack-lining, climbing, Acroyoga and has recently gotten into bird hunting and fishing. Jamie is an avid traveler who loves learning about new cultures. She lived abroad for a year in Australia, taught English for a year in Mexico, and has been to Guatemala, New Zealand, China, and Ecuador.

She wholeheartedly believes that connecting with nature is a vital component of holistic health. Children need ample time freely roaming outside, exploring, playing, and strengthening their creativity skills. She is beyond excited to join R.A.D. Camps this summer, ready to share both her expertise and lively energy!

“Think outside, no box required.”

Ua
  Joshua (a.k.a Ua) is an Oregon native; however, he moved to Maui, Hawaii when he was little and lived there for 15 years. When Ua is not up in the mountains for work, either leading a group of rad kids on an adventure or up at the ski hill, you can find him in the mountains! He loves hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, skiing, biking, ski biking, and just recently pottery. Ua is working on getting his bachelors degree in tourism and outdoor education.

    After moving back to central Oregon in 2017, Ua went headfirst (pun intended) into learning how to alpine and nordic ski, a longtime dream of his. Now, Ua gets to spend his winters up at the fantastic Hoodoo Ski Area, where he works in the Front Office / HR department and at Ski and Ride School.

   Ua went to college (University of Hawaii Maui Campus) intending to become a teacher; however, he quickly realized teaching might not be for him considering that as a youngster he had trouble sitting still and paying attention, and he didn’t thrive in an “indoor setting.” Little did he know that some years later he would discover his aspirations to work with kids and make a difference by being a positive influence and inspiring creative thought processes. Though not in the form of a schoolhouse, instead, in the form of a Rad camp! Growing up exploring his natural environments, like the rain forest or beach, was where Ua thrived. He is thrilled that he gets to be a part of this incredible mission to “leave no child left inside!”

Stacie
Stacie is an experienced outdoorswoman and grew up in Oregon with an active lifestyle, playing in and exploring natural settings. She started camping and backpacking as a kid and had completed the 5-day/43-mile Timberline Trail loop around Mt. Hood as a 12-year old in scouts. As an adult, Stacie has been a raft guide and a ski instructor for many years and even worked with challenged youth in wilderness therapy.

"I am so thankful to be with RAD Camps. It is my passion to facilitate experiences that are crucial to the development of a better life for the entire world community." - Stacie Johnson.

Stacie is a singer/songwriter/musician who performs regularly around Central Oregon and lives with her boyfriend and their two kids in Bend, Oregon.