Meet Cody Little | Owner and Guide of Tsé Kóóh Outfitters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cody Little and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cody, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business began when I was eight years old, straddled, one foot on the strainer the other on the IK that was quickly “tacoing” itself under my feet, in front of my very eyes and would surely blow up at any second. Scared and crying I knew in that moment what I wanted to do with my life. I tied the IK off to a Cottonwood root and muscled, army crawled and ripped my way through the Russian Olives, Tamarisk and Coyote Willow to a small clearing. The hot Summer Sun was soothing, I found my “Power Place” just in time to look up and see owner of Adventure Discovery and dear friend Jene Vredevoogd standing there with a huge smile on his face. I remember him telling me I was hired and for the next 30 years I dedicate my life to the Education, Networking and Resources that would allow me to build a childhood dream into a reality. Education, formal, informal, life experiences and my personal favorite the ‘hard way’ are critical to honing skills, building ones “tool box” and confidence to move forward, to make mistakes and learn from them. First educational lesson, learn to listen. The more you educate yourself the better you’ll be at trusting your gut when the time comes to do so. Tsé Kóóh Outfitters, Rock Canyon in Diné is the result of years of education on a river that has been a vain of life for peoples dating back to 14,000 plus year. Tsé Kóóh Outfitters acknowledges the fact we are privileged to operate on the ancestral lands of the Pueblo, Ute, Paiute, San Juan Paiute, Diné (Navajo) and Jicarilla Apache people. Cross Cultural Education should be the goal of all life long learners and my very first taste came after my arrival to Thailand, small town country USA to big city Bangkok is full of life changing experiences that shape you into the person you will become. The very first Cross Cultural Education tool I used to define my business is the same rule you learn abroad, doors open when you learn a bit of language and have the courage to use it!
Networking starts from the very beginning, the Dirt Bag River Rats that raised you will be the professionals in your corner. The “Old Bulls’ you meet will help polish off the velvet and you best find the wing of many Aunties. Networking is how you surround yourself with folks that have skills to compliment your own. Done correctly networking can connect you with all the right people. Proper networking takes trust and that takes time. When your web extends deep enough you’ll be surprised to whom it will lead and what will come from a phone call. The World is a small place and once you settle in on a particular business it doesn’t take much time to figure out just how small your industry is.
Networking led into the final thought process of starting my own business. Resources. How to use my education, experience and 30 years of networking to find the best resources for the job. The right guides, the right gear, boats and tools for the specific jobs that come with running the San Juan River. Utilizing a particularly unique resource can result it defining your company, making you stand out on the ramp. The proper resources within a set of best practice methods increases professionalism and overall group safety. While in the backcountry that’s the difference between enjoying the afternoon summer storm or simply being just cold and wet.
Tsé Kóóh Outfitters is a Biligaana owned company based in Flagstaff, Arizona operating San Juan River trips in Southeastern Utah and the boarder of the Diné Nation near Monument Valley. Our mission is stewardship and education of the San Juan River through cross cultural adventure and discovery. We work to provide a platform that supports First Nation Guides in the industry of commercial river running and backpacking. Years of Experience, Education and Networking on rivers of the Southwest and in the remote backcountry of Arizona and Utah have accumulated in a company that values the land, the river, the cultures and stories of a uniquely fragile ecosystem.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Tsé Kóóh Outfitters is a homegrown outfitter providing custom San Juan River trips for groups of up to 25 guests. Our reputation with Navajo Parks and Recreation and Monument Valley are points of pride for our company. We’ve worked hard over the last 30 years to be one of the few companies that has a backcountry permit on Diné Lands. A privilege we are particularly fond of. In addition to our reputation, the boats we build and run are uniquely special to the San Juan River. In fact, they are the boats that started commercial river running as we know it, first made by Norm Nevills in the 1930s, San Juan Punts were used to boat through Glen Canyon up until the completion of the Dam that then created Lake Powell. The result was the drowning of Glen Canyon and the burying of rapids like Boxcar and Slickhorn. Getting here took hard work and determination. It didn’t happen overnight, it took time to acquire the skills and connections needed to pull off a company like Tsé Kóóh Outfitters. Naysayers had to be ignored, trusting myself was just as important as knowing when to ask for help. Tsé Kóóh Outfitters will stay true to our mission of education and stewardship of the San Juan River through cross cultural adventure and discovery while continuing to put in the time to create a platform that encourages and advocates for First Nation Guides on the river and in the backcountry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The evening before our drive across the desert of the Diné (Navajo) Nation would be spent at the Anex in downtown Flagstaff, boatman hour would be spent reviewing the game plan and gear list for our up coming San Juan River Trip. 83 miles of premier boating in the Southwest. 14,000 years of human history, 330 million years of geologic time, hidden pools and cool shade filled grottos await. Th drive North to Bluff begins after breakfast burritos from Tres Amigos, the next stop is 3 hours north for Ice Cream in Mexican Water AZ before making the final push into Bluff Utah. San Juan Punts would be waiting at the Sand Island Boat Ramp, we’d load gear and wrap the day up with dinner at the Comb Ridge. The next morning after coffee we would push off the ramp and boat to out first camp on the banks to the San Juan, camp would provide side hikes to rock art and dwelling dating back to 650AD. The next three days would be filled with thousands of years of pictographs, desert flora and fauna, fossils and dotted with miners history, foundations and chimneys remnants of claims going bust.
The Lower Canyon changes dramatically as we round the bend and float under the bridge in Mexican Hat Utah. Towering cliffs, hidden pool and slot canyons wait to be explored. The next four days will be spent running the river and exploring this fragile desert ecosystem. Our last camp for the week is at the confluence of the San Juan River and Oljeto Wash. A huge sandy beach guarded by walls of Bluff Sand Stone, this one of my favorite places on Earth, visit with respect!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I don’t know many parents that would allow their eight year old to spend every summer being raised by River Rats. Thanks Mom and Dad, love you more! In our industry we call them “River Babies”, the fortunate few that grow up on the rivers with oars and paddles in hand. Jene Vredevoogd had his river guides raise a boy out on the San Juan River, a river in the shade of the Bear Ears and guarded by the Valley of the Gods, this was an amazing place to grow up. My parents and Jene are the foundation of this company, I’m here because of what they’ve taught me and the values they distilled.

The Adventure Discovery Tours Crew. I’m here because of all of you. This is what you raised me for!
The Doves of Canyon REO. A life time of support and encouragement.
Bluffoons of Bluff Utah, you know who you are and what you did!
Patrick Conley of Wild & Scenic, a real honor and pleasure to call you my friend.
Brad Dimock of Fretwater Boatworks threw fuel on a small spark, now Tsé Kóóh Outfitters builds and runs San Juan Punts commercially for the first time in 60 years. Brad was paramount in helping my company stand out in the most unique way, bringing the wooden San Juan Punts back to the river where it all began.

My crew, without them, we don’t leave the beach. Thank you for the support and what you bring to Tsé Kóóh Outfitters.

Website: tsekoohoutfitters@gmail.com

Instagram: Tsé Kooh Outfitters