Our Story
We love Colorado’s wilderness beauty and want to share it in a way that inspires others. By sharing our knowledge and expertise, we hope to open up to you the local wilderness gems. We believe you will have a richer, safer, and more enjoyable experience because of the knowledge you gain on mountain safety, environmental stewardship, and local mountain geography and history.
However, just because we love the mountains (and hope you do, too), we know the mountains don’t always love us. Your safety is our number one priority and everything we do is with safety in mind, from the vehicles we drive, to a regular assessment of the weather/road/trail conditions, to discussing appropriate daily objectives.
We want you to explore the mountains, travel safely, and have experiences that last a lifetime!
Founded on Passion
Our Mission
Transformative Experiences Matter! We strive to transform lives, leaders, and teams through experiential adventures.
Our Vision
To inspire meaningful connections with each other and the outdoors, empowering growth across Colorado and beyond.
Joshua Baruch
Owner, General Manager, Senior Educator & Senior Guide
As the owner, Joshua has more than 21 years of experience facilitating Leadership Development and Team Building Transformational Experiences. Josh has called Colorado home since 2002. He grew up in CT, but has lived in WI, FL, CA, and spent much time overseas in some of the most extreme environments in the world. Since 2010, Joshua has facilitated more than 1000 Corporate and Organizational Leadership Development / Team Building events and workshops. Josh has a BS in environmental studies and nursing and graduate research/studies in Adventure Education and Leadership Development. As a former professional athlete, he studied with some of the foremost international sports psychologists and athletic coaches in Tennis, Baseball, American Football, Alpine Skiing, Boxing, and Martial Arts for more than 15 years during his formative years. Since 2010, Joshua has facilitated more than 1000 Corporate and Organizational Leadership Development / Team Building events and workshops. Josh has undergone specialized leadership training in DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Strength Finder, 360, Peak performance for professional athletic teams and athletes, Leadership and Decision Making in high-risk occupations and environments, Leadership in Wilderness Survival, and Risk Management Leadership. Growing up around professional athletes and athletic teams and working in EMS/Rescue, and Critical Care Medicine, he has learned the fundamentals of achieving peak performance and achieving excellence through self-discipline, self-actualization, and highly effective teamwork. He has been fortunate to have worked with native healers to some of the foremost psychiatrists and psychologists in the world trying to better understand communication and team dynamics. His goal is to help foster individual self-actualization and peak team performance with the mindset of achieving transference to our team, work, and professional life setting. Josh’s medical licenses and certifications include Colorado RN with CCRN, ACLS, PALS, ATLS. Joshua had worked through many outdoor disciplines to achieve instructor or lead status including AIARE Avalanche Level 3; Avalanche Level 1 and 2 Course Lead; WFR and EMT instructor, AMGA SPI instructor and working on completing AMGA Rock Instructor Exam and Ski Guide certifications; Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT), Colorado Raft Guide Instructor; Fly Fishing Instructor; and Leave No Trace Master Trainer. These certifications and expertise help Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams create very unique Colorado experiential education by harnessing the power and wisdom of the outdoors combined with the art, science, research of a long human history in leadership development. CWCAT believes heavily in using the best evidence-based practices in leadership development and building highly effective teams. Come join us and collaborate in creating the best leaders and teams of the 21st century and beyond.
Meet The Team
Erica Baruch
Facilitator / Guide
Erica truly appreciates the ways in which the wilderness provides inspiration. She has been guiding for Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides and Colorado Wilderness Corporate and Teams since the company’s inception and has been moved by how instructive and stimulating the outdoors can be when incorporated into team building and leadership development events. Erica brings a passion for the diversity of perspective and an ability to help team members recognize the abilities and experiences of their colleagues. Erica’s skill in noticing team dynamics allows her to make insightful observations that carry through to an organization’s day-to-day work. In addition to working for Colorado Wilderness, Erica serves as an independent diversity and inclusion consultant for several local organizations. Her facilitation skills, honed in her consulting practice, contribute to her success with our clients. Additionally, she brings an enthusiasm for teaching effective communication and building trust. Erica values the cross-pollination of ideas that occurs by working in different contexts and enjoys seeing how quickly clients link what they learn in an outdoor event to their office environment. She believes nature encourages an openness that can be hard to achieve in the conference room. Erica came to Colorado in 2001 so she could access the inspiring and stress-reducing properties of the wilderness on a daily basis. She spends time outside whenever possible and particularly enjoys the power of the wilderness to promote personal growth and connection with others. Erica holds an AB and a MA in English Literature and a Juris Doctor. She is a certified trainer of the Influence Style Indicator (ISI), as well as a Wilderness First Responder.
Jimmy Rafter
Corporate & Teams Sales Manager
With 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and management, as well as being a business founder and technical football coach and consultant, college and professional athlete, Jimmy brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record to the our team. Before transitioning into sales, he had an impressive athletic career as a college soccer player and boxer at The University of Dayton majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Following that, he was an amateur and professional football player. He played and/or was signed and spent time in three professional football leagues: the NFL, CFL, and NPFL. Specific teams in these leagues Jimmy was with include The Buffalo Bills, The Atlanta Falcons, The Cleveland Browns, The Saskatchewan Roughriders & The Columbus Battlestars. He also spent many years as a Security Team Special Operator and Bodyguard. Jimmy's passion for sports and mentorship continues to inspire athletes at all levels, and his desire to help people with their daily lives, goals, and adventures is paramount to his role at Colorado Wilderness.
Craig Dobkin
Facilitator / Guide
Craig is one of the most gifted and experienced facilitators in the state. Since 1985, Craig has trained and coached corporate teams using an experiential methodology. In 1994 he received the Association for Experiential Education’s (AAE) Michael Stratton Practitioner’s Award for his outstanding performance and in 2003 he was selected as an “exceptional experiential educator” to give AAE’s Kurt Hahn address. Craig’s journey has taken him on several paths, but always with an emphasis on team building and leadership development. Craig founded four non-profits focused on experiential learning: Genesee Outdoor Learning, a K-5 outdoor education program; West Pines Training Center, which uses challenge courses to develop curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, and tenacity; YouthBiz, which teaches middle and high school students entrepreneurial skills and habits through actual business ownership; and Play for Peace, which brings together people divided by conflict through laughter, inclusion, cultural awareness, and compassion. Play for Peace now operates in communities across the world through Play for Peace Clubs and Practice Peace Sessions where mentors and trainers teach and role-model trust, communication, respect, and cooperation. Craig holds a BS in Outdoor Education and a MA in Special Education. He is a trained facilitator of the DiSC and Myers-Briggs personality profiles and uses these tools in his experiential work with teams. In conducting programs, Craig uses humor and introspective questioning, bringing both laughter and significance to the experience. Few leave an event with Craig without a profound appreciation for his wisdom.
Cindy Gagnon
Facilitator / Guide
Cindy was born and raised in NH, and moved to Boulder in 1990. Her professional career began as a telecommunications engineer and her outdoor career as an Elite Ironman Triathlete. After racing triathlons for 18 years, Cindy expanded her horizons to the Colorado mountains. She joined the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) to learn mountaineering and rock climbing skills. In 2005, Cindy left the corporate world to spend a year traveling in the mountains of Nepal and North America. She found her passion here, and shifted her professional focus to outdoor skills education, leadership, and risk management. Cindy also became involved in a community-based cycling group, leading bike tours throughout North America. In 2006, Cindy became the director of the CMC Boulder Mountaineering School, where she managed outdoor education courses and instructed in all disciplines (rock, ice and snow). At the same time, she started to expand her professional outdoor skills by becoming a Ski Patroller, Ski Instructor and Avalanche Instructor. Cindy joined CWRAG in 2008 as a hike, ski, rock and cycling guide. Her professional certifications include NSP and AIARE Avalanche Instructor, PSIA Level 2, WFR, and CPR. Cindy’s passion for the outdoors and energetic spirit drive every trip she guides — she connects with clients, which enables her to customize each trip to be fun yet challenging. Her adventurous spirit drives her own life, and has helped her summit 23,000-ft Himalayan peaks, backpack New Zealand, ski-tour the Canadian Rockies, and cycle Tour de France routes.
Joe O'Leary
Facilitator / Guide
Joe started guiding professionally in 1993 after graduating from Purdue University with a BA in Kinesiology. In addition to guiding, Joe is also a writer, photographer, and professional concierge. Joe started guiding professionally in 1993 after graduating from Purdue University with a BA in Kinesiology. In addition to guiding, Joe is also a writer, photographer, and professional concierge. He began his guide career on the rivers and trails of Southern West Virginia, then to the waters of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, and then ultimately made Boulder, Colorado home in 2000. His many travels and expeditions include kayaking Grand Canyon, thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, exploring 27 countries and all 50 U.S. states, maintaining lively relationships, and raising two sons.
Gabe Chez
Facilitator / Guide
Gabriel is originally from Arizona and has called Colorado home for the last 10 years. You can find him climbing peaks year round, skiing and teaching AIARE in winter, and backpacking/climbing in summer. After thru-hiking the Colorado Trail in 2016, he found his lifelong passion for the outdoors. Comfortable guiding 14ers, backpacking, climbing, backcountry skiing, fly-fishing or survival skills, Gabriel is at home anywhere outdoors. He loves bad movies, good sushi, and a nice cup of coffee. Professional training includes: AAS Outdoor Education, AIARE Course Instructor, AIARE Pro 1, Wilderness First Responder, Colorado Naturalist, SWRT-4, Leave No Trace plus Search & Rescue coursework, Gabriel is committed to helping others experience nature and the outdoors safely and profoundly.
Justin Studt
Facilitator / Guide
Justin was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, where he raced BMX bikes. After completing college in North Carolina, he moved to Colorado in 1999 and began his career in construction as an Operations Manager, managing 250 employees and over 20 million in sales annually. Outside of the office, Justin could be found climbing in Eldo multiple times per week. In 2007, Justin moved to Boone, NC to run a startup construction company. While he was building a company, he also took interest in emergency medicine, completing an EMT-Basic course and volunteering with a local rescue agency. He eventually became a paramedic, working on an ambulance part-time. During his free time, Justin took part in the Boone mountain biking community and was part of a team that built a county-owned mountain bike park. Justin returned to Colorado in 2012, working as a ski patroller and paramedic, the start of his journey into avalanche education.
Sarah Bury
Facilitator / Guide
Born in Southern Maryland, Sarah grew up hiking and backpacking the East Coast. Her love of all things outdoors led her to manage a local outdoor gear shop, where she facilitated outdoor education and training for backpacking, kayaking, SUP’ing, snowshoeing, fishing and climbing. Sarah first migrated west to Colorado in 2009 and fell in love with fly fishing the canyons and exploring the far corners of the state. She primarily spends her time fly fishing, skiing, trail running, and backpacking. Sarah loves the challenge and beauty that comes with all seasons in the outdoors and especially loves sharing that enthusiasm with others through guiding.
Tye Baruch
Therapy Dog Educator
Tye is Colorado Wilderness Rides And Guide and Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams official outdoor and therapy dog educator. Tye is a F2 Golden Doodle; Thus he has hair instead of fur and is non-shedding, and has a hypoallergenic coat. His father was a full poodle and his mother a golden doodle. Like his roots, Tye has a gentle and calm, but appropriate energetic disposition. Tye is a quick learner and has mastered the “touch down shake" for Sunday football events, how to travel the bike Multi-use trails of Boulder (running 3-7 miles at a sprint), and rescue swimmers or paddlers perceived in danger. Tye was born in the town of Herber City Utah but has spent the majority of his young life in Colorado helping in outdoor adventures, facilitating leadership and team-building events, and being a source of healing for many of our guests and participants. Tye recently turned two and qualified for the service dog program based on his sweet disposition, good nature, and is a great healer. You will see him around our offices, guided tours (outside of the following: wilderness areas, class III or below rapids, and avalanche terrain in our mountains), or at one of our education and training events. Organizations and clients that join us or have previously joined us can give special requests to have Tye on sight to help promote healing, tranquility, and increased productivity or learning. Tye favorite activities include dawn patrol (chasing randonee skiers up and down Arapahoe Basin Ski Area); Any day in the snow or river; Playing fetch with a ball; fly fishing (bobber chasing and teaching our guests when to set a hook as a trout strikes); or helping to bring love, compassion, and empathy to our and your day.
Our Clients
©Colorado Wilderness Corporate and Teams ©Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides
Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides is an equal opportunity service provider.
Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides is a permittee of Roosevelt National Forest, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Parks And Wildlife, BLM Kremmling, City of Boulder, Jefferson County, Estes Park and Bureau of Reclamation.Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides operates in Boulder, Colorado, Denver, Estes Park, Golden, Upper Colorado River Basin, and beyond.
Colorado Outfitter License #: 2717; Colorado River Outfitter License #: 534; Colorado PUC license #: 55777
