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Matthew James Ryan

Arta Staff

Guide

aka Matty J

Most guides will tell you they know to fix things, and most guides know how to swing a hammer and use a saw. But there is a BIG difference between a river guide with tools and a river guide who owns tools. Matty J is the second. Before he decided to buy a van and live down by the river, he used to build sandals in Bellingham WA. Before he was a sandal builder, he used to build houses with his brother in Iowa. And before he built houses with his brother he used to swim. Not sure how swimming helped him learn how to build, but it defiantly set a solid foundation with water. Now everyone in ARTA wants Matty to help them build things. And that actually has nothing to do with his skill. If we had to guess, it might have more to do with his infectious smile, kind heart, and terribly funny puns.

Matthew James Ryan
Matthew James Ryan

More About
Matthew

Main Salmon
“Is it hard?' Not if you have the right attitudes. Its having the right attitudes thats hard.”
I grew up in Iowa in a suburb of Des Moines called Urbandale. It was your classic midwest American childhood, 4th of July parades and pool parties. For me Iowa is a great place to be from.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Waterworld. I read it in college and it was one of the first books to really make me look at the world differently. Waterworld becuase who doesn't love a liveaction movie that tanked in the box office.
The Main Salmon in Idaho. Its your classic multi-day river trip, long enough to be out there away from the world. The river canyon has has some of the best big sandy beaches and fun splashy rapids. Its like going to Cabo but you get to stay in Idaho.
When I was a kid my family would spend my dad's two weeks of vacation in a van with a pop up trailor touring all the national parks. So since then?
Robin Williams. For one it would be hilarious and to be able to see the river through the way he looked at the world would be life changing.
Sleep and try to sell my van. Anybody want to buy it?
Wear Sunscreen especially on the first day and swim as much as you can, either on purpose or otherwise.

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Fourteen Rivers, Infinite Possibilities!

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Two people do yoga overlooking a river A group of rafts float down a scenic river A group of people site in camp chairs and play instruments