Trip Details
Utah Junior Whitewater School

ARTA provides the following:

You are responsible for:

How to Get There:

Delta, United, Southwest, and most major airlines have direct service to Salt Lake City. ARTA will provide van transportation from the Salt Lake City airport to the river and from the river back to the airport. If you will not be arriving or departing by plane, please contact our office for alternative arrangements.

Departure Information

At the conclusion of the school, students will be transported to the Salt Lake City airport for return flights. Arrival time in Salt Lake City will be around 2:00 PM on the afternoon of June 23, 2012. Please make return flight departures for between 4:00 and 7:00 PM on June 23, 2012.

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Additional Information:

About the School:

ARTA's 7 day Junior Whitewater School is a wonderful introduction to whitewater rafting and wilderness camping as well as an opportunity for exploration, discovery, and growth.

The school will take place on the Green River as it cuts through Desolation and Grey Canyons in eastern Utah. The Green is perfect for learning the basic elements of whitewater navigation as it starts out calm and gentle then builds in difficulty as the trip progresses. The canyon, too, is well-suited for learning and offers numerous opportunities for hiking and exploring.

Instruction will cover many aspects of whitewater navigation including rowing, paddle-captaining and inflatable kayaking. Training will also be provided in whitewater safety, repair, rigging, cooking, and minimum impact camping.

In addition to and perhaps more important than these technical skills, students will also develop teamwork, decision-making, interpersonal, leadership, and risk-assessment skills in a supervised, wilderness setting. Our goal is to act as positive role models and to foster a fun and friendly environment in which each student can gain self-confidence, independence, and maturity. 

Itinerary:

Day before the trip:  We will meet at the Salt Lake City airport between 1:00 and 4:00, then drive to the actual launching spot at Sand Wash on the Green River. Here we will have dinner, go over trip parameters and goals, and get to know each other. We will camp at the launch site.

Day 1: An early and busy morning during which we will learn knots and rigging and go over safety procedures will lead to a relaxing afternoon in the boats floating downriver. There are no rapids on this day, giving us time to learn basic navigation techniques and become comfortable in the boats. Camping will be at an undeveloped site along the Green.

Day 2– 6:  We will continue down the Green working on ferry angles, turns, pivots, and eddy-catching. The rapids will increase in difficulty and our skills will be challenged daily. In addition to whitewater instruction, we will take time each day to learn about other aspects of wilderness camping and the unique high desert environment of the Green River. We will hike to abandoned ranches, explore ancient cultural sites, and play games on the expansive sand bars of the Green River. The students and instructors will be divided into groups with each group having specific responsibilities for the day. Students will be involved in setting up and taking down camp, preparing meals, washing dishes and caring for the equipment. The days will be busy, but not strenuous. Evenings will include a combination of structured and unstructured time.

Day 7 – An early morning wake-up will get us to take-out before noon. We will de-rig the rafts, load the trailer and head to Salt Lake City to catch afternoon flights back home. See Departure Information section for details about flight times.

Alternate Ending: Over the years, many parents have signed up for a regular ARTA trip immediately following their child's Junior Whitewater School and have taken a trip together with their newly graduated "junior assistant guide". These trips have always been fun; the parents have gotten to see their kid in action and the kid has gotten to show off their new skills for their parents. We highly recommend this if you can make it work; call us and we'll help you make plans.

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Meals:

ARTA meals are well-balanced and consist of quality foods with fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. The guides double as camp chefs and the menu includes a wide variety of dishes. Lunches usually consist of hand-foods and are served picnic-style at riverside stops. Dinners and breakfasts are cooked over an open fire and often include tasty Dutch Oven baked treats. If you have special dietary requirements or are celebrating a special event during the trip, please let us know in advance.

Drinks:

ARTA provides fruit drinks at meals.

Camping:

Overnight camping will be done at riverside beaches with spectacular views of the river and canyon. There is usually a central kitchen and campfire area and guests pick out spots in the surrounding area to pitch their tents or lay out their sleeping bags. We will provide portable toilet facilities. Dinner is served in the evening and the campfire is often kept burning into the night for music and story-telling.

Weather:

The weather in the high desert country of Utah in late June is unpredictable. You will need to be well prepared for rainy and sunny days. Rainy days will be cool (in the 60's), and the sunny days will be warm, (in the 80's). A fleece sweater,  paddling jacket,  pile hat, and good rainshell for camp will take care of the rainy days; a hat with visor, sunglasses   and shorts will take care of the sunny days. The river temperature is in the 60’s.

Travel Insurance:

We recommend that you purchase short-term travel insurance that provides trip cancellation and medical coverage for you and your family. Please request a Travel Insurance packet from ARTA if you have not already received one.

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More Information?

If there are any questions we haven't answered, please feel free to contact us. We love to talk about our trips, so don't hesitate to call 800-323-2782.