Cataract Canyon

As long as you are open to a multi-day day trip camping outside in a tent, that’s ok. We will teach you the necessary skills to feel more comfortable sleeping outside. Imagine what it will sound like sleeping next to the river at night and listening to the night sounds hundred of miles away from roads.

We are partnering with OARs, a leader in guided river rafting adventures. They work with all experience levels and ages. Please reach out directly with more questions.

When we are at basecamp and camping near Moab, UT, we will have access to toilets. On the river we have to carry our waste and we’ll use the “River Groover '' to carry our solid waste. We will teach you how to use the groover and how to properly “pee” in river camps.

While we are camping on the river, you are able to swim! We will carry the appropriate soap to wash that is not harmful to the river if you feel inclined to wash.

We are able to carry lots of food on river trips! This won’t be boring canned camping food from decades ago. We will eat fresh fruits and veggies, and yummy meals that are adult tested and approved. We will try to accommodate as many dietary restrictions that we are able to–please let us know in your application if you have any concerns about this. Daily, we will provide breakfast, lunch, plenty of snacks, dinner and non-alcoholic drinks.

No, this is not a psychedelic assisted therapy trip. For this journey, we discourage mind altering substances. Alcohol is allowed but we encourage you explore what will allow you to be fully present during our time together.

Since we are going to be outside moving from boats to shore, each individual must be able to walk comfortably on uneven terrain. You must be able to lift 15 lbs in order to carry your personal bags from the boat to your tent location. We can not accept any active suicidal indivduals, or anyone who is in active psychosis. Folks must be healthy enough to be able to mentally navigate changing group dynamics and physically navigate in a remote wilderness setting. You will be asked to provide a medical form and acceptance is contingent upon this medical evaluation.

This trip is designed for IFS therapists and practitioners. Please stay tuned for more trips! Or if you have a group already in mind, reach out for a custom trip.

Plan for a wake up call around 7–though you may rise earlier if you’d like–followed by coffee, tea and breakfast. We’ll begin with a morning group meeting that includes meditation, overview of the day’s plan and a group check-in. After the meeting, we’ll pack up camp and get on the river. While on the river, we travel on white water rafts that are human-powered by oars. Each boat will have a guide that is rowing the boat, allowing you the opportunity to watch and learn about the Cataract Canyon ecosystem as we travel downriver. Throughout the day there will be plenty of opportunities to deepen our sense of self, others and place.

Each afternoon/evening, we’ll arrive at our planned campsite and set up camp for the night. We hope to have plenty of free time in camp for individual check-ins, personal time for journaling, meditating, playing games and/or talking. Each night we will have a group meeting after dinner where we focus on our inner growth and share our experiences during the trip. Depending upon the fire restrictions, we may or may not have a fire each night. Bedtime is self determined after our evening group.

We are in a “high desert” ecosystem. Most of the elevation will be between 4,000 - 7,000 feet.

You will see a variety of trees in the higher elevation such as Ponderosa Pine, Scrub Oak, and Aspens. In the lower elevation, we’ll see lots of Piñon Pines and Juniper as well as the magnificent Cottonwood trees along the river. There are lots of desert shrubs and plants such as Mormon Tea, Sagebrush, Yucca, Buffaloberry, Mountain Mahogany and varieties of succulents.

As for animals, we will most likely see mule deer, rabbits, many different kinds of lizards, Great Blue Heron, Canyon Wrens, and ravens. If we’re lucky, we’ll see bison, bobcats, desert bighorn sheep, black bears and mountain lions. We also will be fortunate if we see native snakes and scorpions. If we are VERY lucky, we may find the elusive and endangered lynx.

OARS has been carefully following up to date COVID procedures for all guided trips. On the river, we will be traveling and living outside, which allows for social distancing and we’ll have adequate sanitation supplies on hand as needed.

All of your guides have a Wilderness First Responder certification. This means that we are trained and certified to manage wilderness injuries. We also have In-Reach satellite devices that allow us to call in help if the injury requires evacuation.

We will accommodate all food allergies as best we can. We will also manage environmental allergies as best we can. We ask that if you have known food or environmental allergies, to please bring your personal Epinephrine and be sure to let us know of all allergies on your application forms and we’ll be in touch if we see any barriers to participation. We will also carry additional Epinephrine in our medical kits.

To reserve your spot you’ll complete an application and pay a $1000 deposit. You’ll have the option to pay the remaining balance in full or through a payment plan with the final balance due June 1.