Whitsell, Rhonda

From Spearfish Lake Tales Wiki

Rhonda Whitsell, trail name "Scooter", a short solidly-built dirty blonde/brunette with a love of the outdoors.

Scooter first met Crystal Chladek in 1995 at Ocoee Adventures in Ducktown, Tennessee. She had already been a river guide for a few years before Crystal arrived, ten years on eastern rivers all told before she moved on. Like Crystal, had been through OLTA (Outdoor Leadership Training Academy). A real life version of OLTA could be modeled on NOLS.

Scooter did the Appalachian Trail (AT) in 1993 and starts the AT a second time with Crystal in 1997, but is forced to drop out because of bad knees. In 1999 Crystal recruits her to join Canyon Tours which needed an experienced rafter. She is the second most experienced boatman after only Al Buck himself. She took over as a crew leader in her second year with the tours and makes herself distinctive by always smoking a cigar when the tourist's bus first arrives.

Scooter will be turning 30 in 2001 and is described as "her hair sunbleached to a dirty blonde she was sort of a smaller, older, coarser version of Crystal." BB.Ch12. Despite her increasing age, in the off season when not running rafts, she joins her fellow guides surfing, sailing or skiing.