A year after Helene, a group of raft guides embarks on a river clean-up mission

So she went from being a professional whitewater river guide to being a "professional trash lady," Taylor says. Taylor has been a whitewater river guide in the area for about sixteen years. Through state-funded relief grants, the outfitters are able to pay raft guides like Amelia Taylor and other out-of-work guides to go on clean-up missions. Lilly Johnson and her husband own one of the rafting companies that's contracted to do the cleanup work. Dozens of river guides are doing clean-up missions nearly every day and feel confident they'll be able to get back on the river next year.