Talk to an Expedition Specialist
1.800.EXPEDITION (1.800.397.3348)
Our team is the key to your incredible experience
Let our expert staff weave a narrative on a Columbia and Snake River tour and, turn what would otherwise be merely a string of extraordinary days, into an immersive experience of the rivers’ natural history. Benefit from their specialized knowledge—geology, history, photography, and more—and enjoy their company on hikes or over a drink or dinner.
Naturalist
For the past 20 years, Marylou Blakeslee has traveled the world sharing her love of wild places. She lectures on a number of topics from the bears and wolves of the Arctic, to the leopard seals and whales of the Antarctic, as well as the turtles and fishes of the Great Barrier Reef.
National Geographic Photographer
Award-winning photographer Melissa Farlow has worked extensively for National Geographic magazine in the American West for stories ranging from public lands and environmental issues to wild horses. Primarily known for her personal approach when photographing people, Farlow has documented diverse cultures and landscapes from South America to the Alps, Alaska to Quebec, and beyond. Her work has also been published by National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, LIFE, Marie Claire, GEO, and The Nature Conservancy. Melissa earned a Pulitzer Prize with the staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal and won Pictures of the Year portfolio honors while at the Pittsburgh Press. Her images are printed in over 70 books including Day in the Life series and a number of National Geographic’s books, such as The Photographs, Best 100 Wildlife Photographs, Women Photographers at National Geographic, and Wild Lands of the West and Long Road South on the Pan American highway. Based part-time in the Pacific Northwest, she has hiked and camped on the Oregon coast over the past 25 years and photographed stories for National Geographic in Olympic National Park and the Rouge River Valley. Melissa has led numerous photo workshops in Italy, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, served on the faculty of the prestigious Missouri Photo Workshop, and taught National Geographic Photo Camps, which use photography to help youth and young adults in underserved communities around the world to develop their own voices.
Naturalist
Rich Kirchner has worked as a naturalist in Antarctica, Alaska, the Bering Sea, Baja and the High Arctic, including Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and Iceland. His 25 years as a professional wildlife photographer has granted him international publication credits included in magazines such as Geo Germany, Geo France, Natural History, Audubon, National Wildlife and Ranger Rick, as well as more than a hundred books.