Packraft Essentials: Expedition & Paddling Course on the Dolores River
Course & Adventure Overview
Turn the blue lines on maps into trails and acquire the packrafting skills you need to embark on bigger and better adventures on your own! And do all this one of Colorado’s most stunning rivers. The scenery on the different sections of this river range widely from mountain forests to desert canyons. And the quality of the boating matches the scenery, with everything from wide and languorous Class I paddles to rowdy Class III+ and harder excitement (we only paddle up to Class III+). You’ll very likely see bald eagles, otters, bears and other wildlife, and generally not so many human beings. Sometimes, when the sections below McPhee Reservoir flow (which only happens when we have a big snowpack), you’ll have more company on the river. But the River of Sorrows never disappoints.
Join us for this exciting 4-day Expedition Packrafting course, which includes one day of skills training on the Animas River and three days on the Dolores River (section TBA depending on river flows in 2024).
We’ll have at least one Zoom meeting prior to the course, plus a planning sessions the night before the course to cover the logistics for this trip and do a gear shakedown (i.e. we help you leave stuff behind that you don’t need!) You’ll be meeting at the put in, so plan to have your car-camping kit ready along with your backcountry expedition gear!
If you’re not sure you are experienced enough for this course, please visit our blog post, “What Level Packrafter Are You?“
Price: $1395
A 50% deposit is required to secure your space. You’ll need to provide the remaining balance 30 days prior to your course. The remaining balance is due immediately if you are registering inside of the 30 day window.
Additionally, please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
What's Included
This course includes an open Alpacka Classic, PFD, paddle, helmet, permits, camping, backcountry sanitation kit, all meals for the backcountry portion of the trip: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. It does not include meals on the first training day or if you choose to dine out.
What's Not Included
Adult beverages, transportation, lodging, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags. You will need a drysuit for the duration of the course. You may rent them locally at 4Corners Riversports (they have only 4) or at Backcountrypackrafts.com (we will provide you with the 15% discount code once you register for the course).
Instructor
Thad Ferrell: Thad is a Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor. He additionally has advanced Swiftwater Safety training and he is a certified Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting and life-long cyclist and bikepacker, Thad has accomplished some ground-breaking, multi-week climb-bike-packraft adventures in the desert Southwest. He is also an expert fly fishing guide.
What You Will Learn
Please note, we are in the process of redesigning our curriculum and will provide updates by April 2024.
We designed this trip for adventurers looking to hone their backcountry packrafting skills. Although we do teach many of the standard techniques from our other packrafting courses, we spend less time on self-rescue and aggressive swimming skills and drills. Instead we focus more on what it takes to accomplish a multi-day packraft adventure in the backcountry. Checklist of things we cover in this course:
- ✔️Basic packraft equipment use and care
- ✔️Self-rescue, partner-rescue
- ✔️Dealing with currents
- ✔️Aggressive & defensive swimming positions
- ✔️River dynamics
- ✔️Intermediate paddle strokes
- ✔️Using eddies
- ✔️River commands
Plus, you’ll learn some of these skills:
- ✔️Field repair-tips & tricks
- ✔️How to pack light for backcountry packraft adventures
- ✔️Using online resources: GIS, USGS water gauges, Google Earth, etc
- ✔️Using paper maps and navigation in the field
- ✔️Trip planning & logistics
- ✔️Expedition pack lists
- ✔️What to pack and how/where to pack it
- ✔️Expedition vs. personal items
- ✔️Expedition food planning and prep
- ✔️Leave No Trace practices in the backcountry
- ✔️Managing your backcountry camping and boating gear
- ✔️How to find a good camp
- ✔️How to efficiently transition from the river to camp
- ✔️Reading whitewater/hazards and avoiding them
- ✔️Expedition mentality
Follow us @fourcornersguides on Instagram to see photos from our Advanced Expedition Packrafting course. Visit our Dark Canyon photo album on Facebook.
