logo

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.

- John James Audubon

image
Avatar photo

Contributor

Jack Billings and Linda DeSpain

Linda is a world traveler, rafter, sailor, hiker, mother, and retired teacher of Social Studies and English Language Arts. She and Jack Billings have shared their passion for outdoor adventure and discovery since 1978. Linda counts among her favorites: flotilla boating along the Inside Passage from Alaska-into British Columbia, hiking the Bright Angel Trail into the Grand Canyon of the Colorado for a rafting launch, Mayan ruins via rafting the Rio Usumacinta, trekking along Survey Creek in the Middle Fork of the Salmon wilderness, motor camping in New Zealand, sightseeing along Amsterdam canals, looking into active calderas in Nicaragua, and teaching English through Drama in Nanjing, China. She also experiments with short story fiction based in Pacific Northwest cultural geography. Her home sits in seven acres of mixed forest near Eugene, Oregon, with three cats, countless deer, and many mysterious marauders of the night. Jack Billings retired from a 45-year legal career as a prosecutor, private attorney and Circuit Judge. He has been on the water rafting, sailing and boating for more than four decades. He has rafted most of the major rivers of the Western United States, including the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Rogue and nine times on the Colorado. He and Linda have sailed in Desolation Sound, the San Juan Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands. The Outdoor Journal has featured his stories about rafting the Rio Marañon in Peru and the Rio Usumacinta, between Mexico and Guatemala, written with Linda.

By using this website you agree to our cookie policy and privacy policy.