About Tyler Williams

Tyler Williams knows adventure. Williams has rappelled slot canyons, bushwhacked through rain forests, trudged across deserts, paddled more than two hundred rivers worldwide, and spent as many nights under the stars as under a roof. In 2006, he became the first to travel British Columbia's Fraser River from source to sea—an 800-mile mostly solo journey. He was once featured as one of Backpacker magazine's "tough dayhikers," but his true calling lies in multi-day wilderness trips. His favorite backcountry haunts range from Alaska's glaciers to the depths of his backyard Grand Canyon, where he is a leading authority.

The son of a professional football coach, Tyler's youth was dominated by team sports, but by his teens his athleticism began to morph into an obsession with outdoor adventures: backcountry skiing, backpacking, canyoneering, whitewater kayaking, whatever it took to explore in the wilderness.

Tyler studied geography at Northern Arizona University before shedding academia to pursue a different path. Through his twenties, Tyler lived out of a pickup truck as an itinerant river guide from Idaho to West Virginia, and most points in between. Off season travels took him to Mexico and Central America, Japan, and Canada.

In 1998, Williams wrote his first book, Canyoneering Arizona. This ground-breaking guidebook helped develop the fledgling sport of canyoneering in North America. Using the momentum of his successful debut, Tyler published his second book, Grand Canyon River Hikes, in 2001. His highly acclaimed Whitewater Classics was released in 2004. Williams' latest title, Paddling Arizona, came out in January, 2007. All four titles are published through Williams' publishing company—Funhog Press. "Fun-hogging" is certainly something Williams knows well, and the results of his exploits often appear in the pages of Paddler and Backpacker magazines, among others.

When he's not in the field conducting book research, or chasing a magazine story, Williams is a professional river boatman, an interpretive wilderness guide, and a scientific field assistant on plant and animal surveys throughout the Southwest. Between travels, Tyler can be found at his home office in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he lives with his wife Lisa.

 

Tyler Williams' slide shows.

Funhog: One who possesses, holds, acquires, or hogs an inordinate amount of fun.
When author Tyler Williams chose Funhog Press as the name for his publishing company, it was more than just a catchy phrase. Tyler is the embodiment of "Funhog." Williams has made a career out of his passions, and his presentations reflect this. His slide shows are journeys of adventure, visually stimulating, entertaining, thought provoking, and informative. Tyler weaves stories together seamlessly in a rich dynamic display, finding a comfort level with his audience that makes even the largest venue seem intimate. His natural and honest approach creates a fun atmosphere that communicates well, and inspires thoroughly.

Rivers are perfect metaphors for life. Tyler's source to sea presentations trace the life of the rivers he travels, and the lessons he learned while following their course. His presentations illustrate how to adapt to changes, the necessity of planning, and the rewards of persistence.

These slide shows are suitable for any organization or event seeking an adventure speaker. They can also be tailored to educational venues, focusing on the geography of watersheds, and the cultural and physical characteristics of each region featured.

— Shows —

Fraser River—Source to Sea
In 2006, Tyler became the first to run British Columbia's Fraser River from its very source to its mouth in the Pacific Ocean. Join Tyler as he: bushwhacks in the Canadian Rockies, paddles the remote Fraser headwaters in a miniature pack raft, follows in the footsteps of mountain man Simon Fraser, breaks up fist-fighting indigents during a town stop, and runs 70,000 cfs of whitewater through infamous Hells Gate in his quest for salt water.

Klamath River—Source to Sea
"Klamath—The Broken River" is the story of a troubled waterway, and one man's journey down it. The Klamath is a 300-mile-long waterway traveling from Oregon's Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in northern California. It was once the third most productive salmon fishing river in North America. Today, Klamath River salmon are approaching extinction. Farmers demand water for irrigation. Indians fight for their share of the dwindling salmon. We all flip light switches from the dam-supported power grid. The Klamath embodies all that is at stake regarding water issues in the West.

 

Salmon/Columbia River—Source to Sea
Tyler launched at the source of Idaho’s Salmon, traveling over 400 miles by pack raft and whitewater kayak to the confluence with the Snake River. On the Snake, he loaded into a 15-foot motorized canoe, and continued through the first of eight major dams along his route. He battled treacherous wind waves on the mile-wide Columbia River before transferring into a sea kayak for the final push to the Pacific Ocean. The infamous Columbia River Bar at the mouth of the river—The Graveyard of the Pacific— was his final hurdle in reaching the sea.

 

Whitewater Classics
Talk about the ultimate paddling safari! Williams criss-crossed North America while conducting research for his book Whitewater Classics - Fifty North American Rivers Picked by the Continent's Leading Paddlers. Tyler visited whitewater rivers from southern Mexico to California's Sierras to the Appalachians. Highlighted in the show is a solo trip retracing the route of legendary Walt Blackadar. Tyler's 10-day journey down Alaska's Alsek River included close encounters with rolling icebergs and grizzly bears. Williams' presentation features the best whitewater destinations on the continent, places like Skookumchuck tidal rapids in British Columbia, and "the Deliverance river," Georgia's Chattooga.

 

 

 

Latest Funhog Adventure News

Source to Sea Quest Continues
In 2006, Tyler Williams became the first to paddle the entire length of British Columbia’s 800-mile-long Fraser River. The trip proved to be the first of several river journeys comprising the Source to Sea Project—Exploring Pacific Waterways from Headwater to Salt Water. Williams’ quest will descend the Fraser, Columbia, Yukon, and Colorado Rivers from source to sea.

A source to sea trip provides unique insight to a region, its people, and the interdependence of man and environment. Williams' journeys link wild mountains with rural communities, while riding the lifeblood of the continent. From the seat of his boat, Tyler sees our purest waters, and our most exploited. He gains a first hand view of dams that produce energy but kill salmon, reservoirs that are revered by some and reviled by others, agricultural diversions that help grow food but pollute our environment. He comes face to face with issues that we as a culture must confront.

Please click on the rivers located on the map to the right to learn more about Tyler’s source to sea trips.

On deck…the YUKON!!

New Guidebook
Arizona Summits—South is now available, which means that T Will is now researching the companion title: Arizona Summits—North. Due out in 2010.

Kayak Session
Look for Tyler’s in-depth profiles of whitewater luminaries to continue with Kayak Session magazine. Kayak Session’s flatwater annual, Paddle World, will run a feature on Tyler’s Salmon Source to Sea descent in the 2009 issue.