DOOM Tour: Expedition Packrafting to Dark Canyon & the Colorado River, with Bikerafting Exit
"Loved this course so much. Steve and Thad are brilliant teachers and know how to teach to what the group and each individual needs. Their love for Alpacka Packrafts and the river are infectious. I came away from the course with tons of information, way more skills and confidence and understanding in my capabilities and desires as a packrafter."
Wendy B.
Pilates Studio Owner
Canyon, packraft, bikeraft mashup
Course & Adventure Overview
This 5-day Expedition Packrafting course is not for the faint of heart! You must be a solid cyclist with experience carrying weight on your bicycle, and you must have backpacking experience. You don’t need packrafting experience.
You’ll hike Utah’s stunning canyon lands, specifically through Dark Canyon, one of the most scenic (and swimmable) canyons in that state. Then you’ll paddle out the Colorado River to the Cataract Canyon take out, where you’ll pick up bikes for the bikerafting portion of the trip. There are two options for exiting, which the group will decide on during a expedition planning video chat the month before the course starts.
A Bit More About The Trip
We will be accessing a remote part of the Colorado River through the lower portion of Cataract Canyon. Starting at the Sundance trail we hike a relatively easy trail along the canyon rim, then descend the rough and steep Sundance trail (a 1200 vertical foot drop) into Dark Canyon.
Known for clear flowing water, ancient ruins and remote hiking, Dark Canyon forms at the Western Flank of the Blue Mountains and flows through the Bears Ears National Monument for close to 40 miles before merging with the Colorado River in the Glen Canyon National Rec Area. Our hike will take us through the lower section toward the Colorado River with one camp along the way. Once we exit Dark Canyon it’s a 20+-mile paddle out on the Colorado and Lake Powell with two night camping at idyllic spots, under dark skies, on the river.
We do a shorter version of this trip both with and without bikes. We consider it Level 2 due to the strenuousness of the hiking, involved terrain and length of the trips. Please email us if you are interested in this course.
Price: $1795
A 50% deposit is required to secure your space. Full payment is due 90 days prior to your course. If you are registering inside of the 90 day window, the remaining balance is due immediately.
Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
What's Included
An open Alpacka Classic packraft, PFD, paddle, helmet, all food for the backcountry part of the trip (starting with lunch on the first day in the backcountry and ending with lunch on the final day), permits, wag bags, sanitizing kits and camping.
what's not included
Food for the training day, adult beverages, transportation, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags.
You will likely need a drysuit for this course, though if you run warm you may get away with a wetsuit. You may rent one locally at 4Corners Riversports or online at Backcountrypackrafts.com. We will provide you with the 10% discount code once you register for the course.
We do not provide food, lodging or transportation. You must have your own vehicle.
Instructors
Steve Fassbinder
Steve, aka “Doom,” is one of the country’s first Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructors. And he is a certified International Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician Professional (WRT-PRO) and IRF Whitewater Packraft Guide. Steve is also certified in Advanced Swiftwater Safety and Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting, he has guided or instructed bike-packrafting to kids and adults for over a decade. And he has done remote packrafting expeditions around the world for over a dozen years.
What You Will Learn
We designed this course for adventurers looking to expand their backcountry skills by adding a boat to their repertoire. We teach the standard techniques from our Packraft Foundations–Paddling Skills courses, but we spend less time on drills. Instead we focus more on what it takes to accomplish a multi-day packraft adventure in the backcountry. This course is meant to introduce you to these skills, not to get you to master them. You’ll do more drills and hone these skills in our Level 2-4 courses.
Paddling & River Running Skills
✔Equipment (use and care + boat rigging, fit, and release of thigh straps)
✔Posture, safety, comfort, rocking and balance
✔Swimming and general water confidence
✔Self-rescue & buddy assistance
✔Dealing with currents
✔Aggressive & defensive swimming position
✔River hydrology/dynamics, features & hazards
✔Basic paddle strokes (forward, back, draw, sculling)
✔Using eddies
✔River communication: Paddle, hand, and whistle signals
✔Spacing on the river
✔The “River Safety Talk”
✔Field repair-tips & tricks
Expedition Skills
✔Multi-day trip planning & logistics
✔Multi-day pack lists
✔Where to pack your gear (zippers, weight distribution, securing packs/gear to or inside the boat
✔How to pack light (i.e. what to leave behind and why + how to share gear)
✔Expedition food planning and prep
✔Leave No Trace practices in the backcountry
✔Navigation in the field, finding camp, using available resources (river guidebooks and/or researching trip reports from the same stretches of rivers)
✔Basic overview of online resources: GIS, USGS water gauges, Google Earth, etc
Swiftwater Safety: Handling common emergency situations on the river
✔Identify and demonstrate the use of appropriate rescue and safety gear for packrafting
✔Responsibilities of the group, rescuer, swimmers
✔Boat-based rescues
✔Group communication
✔Using throw bags
✔Swimming in rivers & water confidence (aggressive & defensive swimming position)
✔Self-rescue & buddy assistance (wet re-entry)
✔River dynamics: currents, obstacles and hazards
✔Rescue priorities: people, craft, paddle, gear
✔Discuss how to avoid and prevent cold water shock, hypothermia, and hyperthermia by choosing proper clothing and recognizing and treating early symptoms.
