We caught up with Micah to learn how a lifetime of whitewater, guiding on the Ocoee, and deep ties to the river community naturally led her to create Downstream Drips & Flips. What began as family river trips and years of raft guiding has grown into a community-centered coffee trailer rooted in creativity, connection, and life on the water. Today, Micah continues to balance guiding, kayaking, and business ownership, bringing people together on and off the river through shared experiences, good coffee, and a genuine love for the place she calls home.
For Micah, the Ocoee River isn’t just where she guides, paddles, and builds community. It’s now where she calls home. Originally from Central Illinois, Micah’s connection to whitewater began early through family trips to Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. Camping, hiking, and spending time on and near moving water became a rhythm of life, one that would quietly shape her path long before she ever imagined herself guiding trips or running her own business.
“I grew up mostly in Central Illinois,” she shared. “My family and I would often visit Tennessee…and stay in the Smoky Mountains, camp, hike, and spend time on whitewater.”
Outside the river, Micah is fueled by curiosity and creativity. She loves being outdoors, crafting, traveling, cooking, playing sports, and trying new things, a combination that naturally spills into everything she does on and off the water.
Whitewater rafting entered Micah’s life through her dad, who discovered kayaking in college and passed that love down to his family.
“My dad,” Micah says, “found whitewater in a college kayaking course. His life took him away from whitewater after college, but he was passionate about sharing it with us and those close to him.”
Her first river memory came early in life, sitting next to her mother in a raft on the Nantahala River at just six years old. From there, she and her siblings spent countless days tubing Class II rivers, slowly building a deep love for the water and the places it carried them.
When Micah was twelve, she ran the Ocoee for the first time with Rolling Thunder.
“We went down the Ocoee with Gomer at Rolling Thunder. Now I work with Gomer on the Ocoee at Ace Ocoee Adventures and it’s such a special thing for me.”
That full-circle connection is part of what makes Micah such a beloved presence on the river today. She began training as a raft guide during her senior year of high school and has now guided on the Ocoee for nine seasons.
Though she’s spent winters guiding in Costa Rica and has paddled rivers throughout the Southeast, the Ocoee continues to draw Micah back.
“One thing traveling and kayaking on other rivers has shown me is what an incredible home the Ocoee is. One of the best things about the Ocoee area is the proximity to a lot of epic southeast creaking and releases.”
With nearby favorites like North Chickamauga Creek, Suck Creek, and Little River Canyon, along with iconic releases such as the Cheoah, Nantahala Cascades, and the Gauley, the region has played a major role in shaping her as a paddler. But beyond access and variety, it’s the rhythm of the river itself that has defined her connection.
“The Ocoee is home to me… I’ve been visiting the Ocoee since I was a kid and now it’s where I choose to be.”
Its steady flow and unique accessibility allowed Micah to grow quickly, both in her technical skills and in her confidence as a guide.
“The Ocoee offers the opportunity to do multiple runs a day which gave me accelerated growth guiding and kayaking,” she shared. “Guiding on the Ocoee helped me with my confidence, with being in control, and not being in control.”
As she looks toward 2026, Micah’s goals are rooted not just in progression, but in sustainability.
“The most important thing for me is to stay healthy and avoid injury… I’m going to try to take good care of myself so that I can accomplish my other goals.”
After nearly a decade of guiding, Micah realized something many guides eventually discover, river life changes how you see everything else.
“One of the lows of raft guiding is that it kind of ruins normal jobs for you.”
In the summer of 2024, she found herself working as a barista at Ocoee Coffee Joint two days a week alongside guiding. The early mornings, craft of specialty coffee, and connection with the community clicked.
“I realized I may have found something that worked for me, the morning hours, the craft of specialty coffee, and connecting with the community.”
The idea for Downstream Drips & Flips came together quickly and intentionally.
“There’s a page in my journal from September 2024 where I wrote ideas for a mobile trailer business, along with some names. Downstream Drips & Flips was the sixth idea I wrote down, then rewrote it in cursive at the top of the list.”
The name reflects her river roots, a playful nod to flipping rafts, and her vision for the future.
A major part of bringing the trailer to life came through mentorship, particularly from a woman named Janet, a longtime raft guide and former owner of Mountain Surf Coffee.
“She is my secret partner in this whole thing and I’m so grateful for her. I still call her first when I have a problem or question.”
Owning a business hasn’t been without its challenges. Micah opened up about the realities of running a food trailer, frozen faucets, broken equipment, sudden storms, and tech failures have all tested her resilience.
Still, Micah sees these moments as part of the process.
“Frustrating moments are just learning moments for me right now.”
For her, honesty and adaptability have been key, both with herself and her customers.
Through her success, Micah is quick to credit the people who have motivated her along the way, especially the women pushing boundaries in whitewater. She points to paddlers like Elizabeth Lockmeir and Olivia McGinnis, whose dedication to training and standout performances in racing over the past year have been a major source of inspiration.
She also credits her brother, Shawn, as a major influence in her journey, having watched his progression from his early guiding days and first races to becoming a confident, fearless steep-creek paddler. Known for his tenacity and willingness to step up, probe challenging lines, and try something new, his approach to the river has had a lasting impact on her own.
“He’s been encouraging and supporting my whitewater journey from the beginning before I could even roll a kayak. He inspires me because I have seen him at every step of the way.”
This year, Micah is focused on balance. For her that means, growing Downstream Drips & Flips, staying healthy, paddling new rivers, and finding a rhythm that allows space for all of it.
“At the end of 2026, I would like to have consistent sales and locations where the cart pops up,” she shared, “and sneak in a lot of time on the water.”
At the heart of it all is her hope that others experience the Ocoee the way she always has, as a place that’s welcoming, approachable, and full of possibility. Whether someone is stepping into a raft for the first time or learning to paddle, Micah believes the river offers something rare: adventure without intimidation, community without barriers, and room to slow down, ask questions, and simply enjoy being outside.
As Micah continues to pour energy into both the river and Downstream Drips & Flips, her story remains rooted in the same values that define the Ocoee community: curiosity, creativity, resilience, and connection.
Follow her journey, catch the trailer when it pops up near the river, and say hello when you see her. Chances are, she’ll be holding a paddle, a black coffee with sugar, or both.
