This $150 is a deposit to hold your spot on the course. If you are someone in need, we will refund you this $150 upon completion of the course. We invite you to donate this $150 to future courses.

Please note these courses are for people who do not have the means to pay in full. If you do have the means, please consider paying part or all of the full price of $1495. This money will then be put back into the fund to fund future adventures for LGBTQ+ folks. It will not be tax deductible. 

Please email Lizzy and Tami at the Armida Huerta Adventure Fund for an application form. You’ll be asked about generally about your financial situation. 

Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page

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. 

Lodging/camping, food for the training day, adult beverages, transportation, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags.

You only need a drysuit for the first day of this course. You may rent them at Backcountrypackrafts.com (we will provide you with the 15% discount code once you register for the course).

We do not provide transportation, so you must have your own car. And due to legal/insurance reasons, we cannot transport clients in our car. But we’ll work with all participants to ensure shuttling.

Lizzy Scully (She/Her): Instructor

Lizzy is co-owner of Four Corners Guides. She has been packrafting seven years, is certified in Swiftwater Rescue and as a Wilderness First Responder and is a Level 2 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor. She’s packrafted the Grand Canyon twice, along with a dozen other rivers around the Southwest. And in 2025 she’ll be acquiring her Level 4 Packraft Instructor Certification.

Justin Bickley (He/Him): Instructor

Justin returned to Alaska in 2022 after a life of travel and exploration around the lower 48. He studied at the University of Hawaii and Northern Arizona University, earning a master’s in elementary education. For Justin, the outdoors offer more than just adventure—they are a space to reconnect with his inner child, a place of healing, freedom, and authenticity. Packrafting, in particular, has become a way for him to connect with nature on a deeply spiritual level. When he’s not packrafting, you’ll find him skiing, backpacking, or rock climbing in the mountains.

Tami Graham (She/Her): Mentor

A fifth generation Coloradoan, Tami has spent her entire life adventuring in the mountains, deserts and rivers of Colorado. She moved to Durango in 1984 to attend Fort Lewis College, with a keen eye on the amazing access to all that the Four Corners has to offer. Having climbed most of Colorado 14ers), she turned her passion to river rafting in her 20’s. She began packrafting when armida started working for Alpacka Raft and hasn’t looked back since. Tami is the Executive Director of KSUT Public Radio and has spent her career working with non-profit organizations. She moved to Mancos in 2004, where she is highly involved in numerous community organizations.

We designed this 4-day courses 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.