As I write this, it’s dumping rain, and it has since yesterday and is supposed to rain through this week. WOOHOO! We’re still not where we can packraft the Mancos (video clip above). And our snowpack remains just below 60%. But we’ll take this good news (and really muddy roads).
In scheduling and course news, due to demand, we’ve added a variety of upper level courses or spots on existing courses:
May 31-June 4: Level 3 Mastery w/ Doom & Waldo: We’ve added 1 spot.
July 5-6: Level 2/2+ Packraft Essentials+: This course is for people who own boats, use them frequently and who paddle solid Class II/II+.
June 28-29: Level 3/4 Packraft Mastery w/ Jeff & Doom: Registration for this course closes May 31.
Jeff is also teaching a 3rd SSI course Sept. 5-7 on the Colorado, Moab. Please email us to register.
In Scullbinder Ranch news. Chileans Maria José (aka José), Waldo Aguayo (of the guide service Scouting Rios), and Doom and I have been busy building gardening beds, while José and I have been planting everything you can imagine, from flowers to herbs to veggies, in the greenhouse. Things are getting green in there!! José is also teaching me how to make kombucha (aka “Kombu-Che”). Maybe we can make it half decent enough that I can stop buying a bottle a day. I’m addicted, but figure it’s no worse than Doom’s addiction to Crank Yanker. If it’s really good, we’ll share with those of you staying here this summer.
We just had our very first clients from 2020 back for a second trip, bikepacking into the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park (one of Steve’s and my absolute favorite trips!) They brought us delicious ciders from the Front Range, big smiles and a lot of enthusiasm for exploring the Ancestral Puebloan sites. We have the best clients. Thank you Justin & Jess.
And, last, but definitely not least, we ran our first DEI Learn to Packraft course for women of color through the Armida Huerta Adventure Fund. Yep, you heard that right: DEI. Diversity. Equity. Inclusion 😉. Waldo led the course, and José assisted (since she just got her Level 2 ACA Packraft Instructor certification the same time Waldo got his Level 4. Congrats to both of them!!!) We really appreciated the joyful group of ladies who participated this past weekend. To see some funny photos of them helping each other get the brand new drysuits on, visit the Armida Fund Instagram page. Along with sponsors Alpacka Raft and Mancos Valley Resources, Four Corners Guides strives to get more people of color and more queer folks into packrafting. Go DEI!
Thanks for being so awesome, y’all.
Best wishes, Lizzy & Doom
ps: Thanks to the 41 folks who answered the last survey on how many emails we should send out monthly. Almost half of you want weekly, with the other half split between once to twice per month. So our happy medium with this info is to send them two to three times per month. Hat winners include: Gary Smotherman, Lewis Patterson and Mary Bredeau. Please email me us your mailing addresses!
