Jim Yost -
As a boy growing up in Colorado, my passion was horses, the West and the Rockies, providing me some great memories. I got my first job at 14 leading mule trips up Pikes Peak. That formed a foundation not only for handling horses in the mountains, but also for safely accommodating riders in rugged terrain. 
My dreams of a horse ranch faded as I got a PhD in anthropology, taught at the University of Colorado for several years and then went as a missionary to the remote Ecuadorian Amazon where Kathie and I raised our three children (Rachelle, Natasha and Brandon) among the Waorani tribe for a decade.
But as much as I loved the rainforest, returning to the Rockies of my youth tugged at me. When we joined the Georges to buy Latigo Ranch over 20 years ago, my long-forgotten dreams of a horse ranch came flooding back. Although I still do anthropological research, writing and film-making during the off season, my deep passion is serving folks through the dude ranch experience. Sharing my lifelong pursuit of understanding the Rocky Mountains is one of my greatest joys. I can honestly say that since buying the Latigo dude ranch I have never dreaded getting up in the morning!
Kathie Yost -
Jim and I met in college in Minnesota, moving back to Colorado where I taught music in the public schools while Jim finished graduate school. Raising three babies in the Amazon rainforest taught me lifelong skills and lessons as I homeschooled them, often living for weeks at a time with our children in a tiny village of thatch-roofed huts while Jim trekked to other villages. After moving to Latigo, guests would freque
ntly ask our children how they felt about living so isolated here at the ranch. Their reaction, like mine, was that this is civilization beyond words. In the Amazon we had a thatch roof and dirt floors, I cooked over a ground fire, and our finest (and only) furniture was hammocks.
After dealing with truly life-or-death situations in the tribe for so many years, getting to serve people at the ranch has been a delight. Ranch life was not only a wonderful teacher for our children, teaching them the value of hard work and personal responsibility, but a chance for us to work together much of the time. I thoroughly enjoy seeing our guest families get to experience those same qualities as they come to Latigo where they too get to enjoy each other without the pressures city life imposes. As a bonus for me, I get to share my other joy, music, with our guests in our weekly dances.
Randy George -
I came to Colorado from the east coast for college and immediately fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. After studying engineering and then business, I worked in several different states for a few years, but longed to return to Colorado. 
My opportunity came with a management position for a small ski area, and I’ve never moved away from the mountains since then. A few years later, while teaching business and economics for a small college in the Denver area, I moved into the role as manager of a larger guest ranch about 40 miles east of Latigo. While there, I met and worked with the delightful woman who would later become my wife. It also was there that Jim & Kathie and I worked together for 3 years before acquiring Latigo. Serving dude ranch guests has been my life’s work for almost 30 years.
Meals should be a time to enjoy food, friendship, and family. Its my goal to create an environment where that consistently happens at Latigo. When asked where I learned to cook, I jokingly reply that I learned all I needed to know in chemistry lab – how to follow directions, combining ingredients, understanding temperature and time, etc. I first taught cooking professionally (if you can call it that) as a camp counselor helping fellow boy scouts learn how to plan meals and make stew. Come and enjoy our nouveau ranch cuisine; it’s a far cry from boy scout stew.
Lisa George -
Michigan was my home until I followed my love for mountains to Colorado. We have gorgeous views of peaks and meadows from most every room in our home, but to me 
the best view is the one I see from our dining room table – the faces of our wonderful family. Our oldest son, David, is 24. He and his wife, April, are training horses in central Illinois [www.DavidMGeorge.net]. Spencer, our second son, is 21 and has his degree in business administration. He regularly amazes us with his sharp wit, leatherworking, photography, and dessert skills. He will work as a cook with us at the ranch this summer. Hannah, our youngest, just turned 19. She loves playing the piano and violin just about as much as she does reading or writing a good book and will be helping cook this summer too. Hannah is working on her degree in English through distance learning. She’s nearly as horse crazy as I was at her age, and we love it when we have a chance to ride together.
Randy and I found great joy in homeschooling our kids here at Latigo and learning right along with them. This guest ranch lifestyle has been an ideal place to instill a good work ethic and a love for serving others in our children. It’s a privilege for me to be at home with them during our off season when I don’t need to be cooking at the ranch. We all work together at the ranch in the summer, so there is great camaraderie within our immediate family as we strive to make your vacation at Latigo the best week of your year.
7 More Reasons You'll Enjoy the Latigo Dude Ranch