BAKER CITY — Eastern Oregon’s abundant natural beauty has something to offer whether you’re into hiking, paddling, fishing or stargazing.

Go Wild: American Adventures, a Baker City-based outdoor guiding company, is eager to share Eastern Oregon’s wild side with trips that guide adventurers from near and far through Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains.

The founder

Dan Sizer, the founder of Go Wild, grew up between Baker City and Haines and graduated from Baker High School. In his youth he spent time in the woods with his parents.

“Both my folks were really avid outdoors people. Instead of going to Disneyland, our vacations were car camping at the lake that was an hour away,” he said.

During Sizer’s college years in Portland at Lewis & Clark College, he introduced friends, particularly those from other countries, to the wilderness and small-town spirit of Eastern Oregon.

“I think that’s where the idea for Go Wild really started,” Sizer said.

In 2016, he returned to Baker City and established Go Wild to invest in his community and share the beauty of Eastern Oregon.

While many of Go Wild’s clients hail from the Pacific Northwest, others come from across the United States and even abroad.

“I sort of bring the world to me,” Sizer said.

The trips

Go Wild offers a range of activities, including backpacking trips, fly fishing lessons, kayaking and packrafting trips. All trips and lessons are personalized and focus on making the outdoors accessible while creating memories.

“I think that’s really what sets Go Wild apart from some other tour companies,” Sizer said. “The love and expertise we bring to a trip, down to the minutest detail.”

Sizer is still personally involved in nearly every trip.

“Our model is more quality over quantity,” he said.

Go Wild’s backpacking adventures venture out primarily to the Elkhorn Ridge of the Blue Mountains and the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains. Options range from luxury trips, with mules to transport gear and gourmet meals prepared by the camp chef and bartender, to a more traditional backpacking trek with dehydrated meals.

“Our trips take a lot of work,” he said. “I think the luxury part of it or the upscale part of it comes into the service we provide and the attention to detail. We’re there fixing coffee in the morning, smiling, talking, and doing the whole thing. I think that’s really what people come away with loving about our trips is it’s very personal and intimate.”

Go Wild’s approach also emphasizes conservation and responsible recreation. Drawing from his early career with the U.S. Forest Service in Eastern Oregon, Sizer shares his ecological understanding of the region with clients.

The food

Anyone who’s been on a backpacking trip knows that the food is not usually a highlight of the experience, and many look forward to their first “proper” meal back in civilization.

Sizer said the culinary experience is the highlight on each Go Wild adventure. The company focuses on gourmet and local chef-prepared food and craft cocktails. Pat Vaughan, who has since moved on to work as a nurse but still contributes to menu plans, played a key role in developing this gourmet approach. Sizer said when a trip ends, his clients don’t look forward to a juicy burger in town — they say they wish they could continue eating his food at camp.

“That’s why I love cooking in this situation,” Sizer said. “When I get to cook something up in front of people and hear the silence, the ‘mms,’ and ‘ahs,’ and get the feedback, it’s super gratifying. It’s sharing that whole experience that I think is so special.”

Go Wild’s food incorporates flavors from Sizer’s international travels, while focusing on locally sourced ingredients.

“Everywhere I go in the world, whether it’s Colombia or Argentina or Korea, I try to bring back those culinary traditions to Go Wild,” he said. “For example, we might serve bibimbap from Korea, using locally pickled vegetables.”

He said investing in the community’s economy and supporting nearby businesses is a big part of Go Wild’s plan.

“All the cheese we use is from the local cheese shop, the wine is from the local winery, the beef is from local ranches,” he said.

Sizer noted the importance of younger people, like himself, continuing to invest in local communities to prevent their decline. In this same spirit, Go Wild offers an opportunity to learn about the region’s heritage in a self-guided Baker City Walking & Tasting Tour.

Other types of trips

In its eighth year in business, Go Wild has some newer offerings, one of which is packrafting trips that include ultra-lightweight, inflatable kayaks that are carried in a backpack.

Go Wild’s packrafting adventures take participants down the Minam River in the Wallowas, accessed either by hiking or flying in. As of now, Go Wild is the only permitted packrafting guide on the Minam, and also brings packrafts on backpacking trips to alpine lakes.

“It’s pretty cool to be in the backcountry and have the guide all of a sudden bust out a kayak,” he said.

South America offerings

Sizer was recently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and planned a stop in Colombia on his way home.

Colombia is Go Wild’s next destination for trips. During a stint working on a cruise ship, Sizer made some Colombian friends, and eventually paired up with a similar eco education focused guiding company in Colombia.

Like Go Wild’s Eastern Oregon trips, the South America itineraries will prioritize local community by employing indigenous guides and lodging guests in Colombian-owned accommodations to keep the tourism earnings in the country, unlike other more typical tourism.

“You do some cookie cutter trip in a country and all the money’s going to whoever owns the Hilton that you’re staying at,” he said. “We’re trying to keep that infusion going into the local communities.”

This November, a Go Wild trip will span the Amazon, Andes and Pacific Coast with kayaking, birdwatching, mountaineering, culinary tours and more. In addition, a kayaking trip to Mavecure Hills, a group of three huge volcanic hills set in dense jungle in eastern Colombia, is planned for February 2025.

At the core of Go Wild’s mission, Sizer said, is reconnecting people with nature and providing a respite from the increasingly chaotic world.

“I think we have less and less time for that in our lives now. We’re so connected, so distracted by everything,” Sizer said.

In Eastern Oregon’s remote areas, there’s no cell service. He said families and friends gather around the fire, appreciating the food, the environment, and each other. Sizer said that time and space allows people to rekindle old memories, strike up meaningful conversations or even have personal revelations.

“That’s a really beautiful part of what I do,” he said, “and I think what keeps me coming back to it.”

For more information, visit gowildusa.com.