GOALS 4-day Ruby / Horsethief Itinerary

Day Title Detailed Description

TRAVEL DAY. Today, we travel to Highline State Park in Loma, where we’ll spend the late afternoon 1 swimming in their large lake (depending on the time we arrive) to beat the western slope heat. When

night begins to fall, we’ll set up camp in the group campsite we have reserved - and will begin the Date: TRAVEL DAY GOALS curriculum by

composing our group oath. As excited as we are, we’ll try to get a good night’s sleep tonight, as we ___/___ officially begin our river adventure tomorrow morning!

After packing up camp and a thorough safety talk, we’ll meet the rest of our professional guide crew and launch onto the river to begin our downstream adventure. Slowly, the canyon walls will get taller and taller as we head downstream in rafts, inflatable kayaks, and on SUP boards. When our bellies tell us it’s time, we’ll pull over and make a delicious riverside lunch. 2 After lunch, we’ll continue downstream toward our first night’s camp - most likely in the area of the

Cottonwood and Mee camps. As we float, we’ll be watching for bald eagles, river otters, and desert Date: GETTING IN THE FLOW bighorn sheep. When we arrive at tonight’s camp, we’ll break into teams, some of whom will help in the

kitchen, some on the boats, and some with setting up the camp itself. Late afternoon is a great time for ___/___ camp games or a quick swim in a river eddy to cool down. The kitchen crew will help our guides prepare tonight’s dinner, then we’ll circle up in the “living room” around a campfire and re-call our favorite parts of the day, play a game or two that our guides teach us, and ultimately retire to our tents or outdoor sleeping area for a great night of sleep under the desert stars.

After waking up to the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of guides working on a delicious, hearty breakfast in the camp kitchen, we’ll all find ourselves smiling as we recognize just how good it feels to be here on the Colorado River. The kitchen crew will find their way into the camp kitchen while the rest of us watch the day come to life as the sunlight warms the canyon. After enjoying 3 breakfast, we’ll get motivated to break down camp and head for the river - floating through a beautiful

FLOATING TO BLACK section of Ruby Canyon that will lead us to the famous “Black Rocks section” - home to some of the Date: ROCKS oldest exposed rock on planet Earth. We’ll plan to camp in this section tonight and should be able to enjoy even more time in camp this afternoon because we’ll have a shorter day on the river. Lots of ___/___ exploring this afternoon - examining the unique shapes of the Black Rocks section surrounding our camp that have been carved by millions of years of water and wind. Since this is our last night in the canyon, we’ll spend some time this evening composing a thank-you letter to the canyon - a GOALS tradition, then reflecting together on the growth we’ve experienced during our time here. One more night under the desert stars, and a fun day tomorrow still lie ahead!

As we leave the Black Rocks section today, we’ll head toward McDonald Creek for a short hike to some 4 ancient petroglyphs. While studying them, we’ll learn about the early civilizations that lived here and created them - pondering the Date: ANCIENT MEESAGES messages they may have been trying to share with us. When we get back to our boats, there is still about 8 more miles of fun floating to the Westwater Canyon ranger station, where our river journey will end. ___/___ After helping the guides load their trailers and giving them good-bye hugs, we’ll head for home - already dreaming of the next time we can return to the Colorado River!