to our world. - NOLS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Ashley Wise
The river is your classroom as you learn the skills to navigate some of the West’s most exciting whitewater. Hell’s Half Mile Rapid, Gates of Lodore, Green River, Colorado
ROCK AND RIVER
Imagine learning two skills in two very different wilderness environments:
the stunning crags of Wyoming and the whitewater of
Utah and Colorado’s Green River. The climbing section in either
Sinks Canyon outside Lander, Wyoming, or Vedauwoo near Laramie,
Wyoming, explores granite, limestone, and sandstone rock
as well as stunning scenery. You’ll learn movement on rock, knots,
rope handling, belaying, anchors, protection placement, traditional
and sport climbing systems, rappelling, and risk management. If
you are ready, experience the thrill of being on the sharp end of the
rope while lead climbing. The second component of your course
will take you through Green River’s Desolation and Gray canyons,
where you’ll get the chance to row an oar rig, captain a paddle raft,
and steer a whitewater kayak—all through Class I–III+ rapids.
You’ll live and travel within the canyon’s sandstone walls rimmed
with sage and piñon pine, experiencing what it takes to organize
and lead your own river trips.
DETAILS
Age and Length: 16 & Over • Average age: 20 • Duration: 30 days
Tuition: $5,520
Optional College Credit: 4 hours Skills Practicum, 2 hours Risk Management
Dates: page 105
WHITEWATER RIVER EXPEDITION
Imagine expeditioning 125 miles through the breathtaking canyons
of Utah and Colorado’s wild Green River, the birthplace of whitewater
boating. This course offers a thorough introduction to travel
skills on the same river that launched General John Wesley Powell’s
famous 1869 expedition. You’ll learn to kayak, captain a paddle raft,
and row an oar rig as you negotiate the whitewater of Desolation and
Lodore canyons. You begin in calm water and progress to moving
water, learning increasingly advanced maneuvers. As the canyons
get steeper and the rapids get bigger, instruction shifts to hydrology,
hazard evaluation, and rescue techniques. Rapids like Disaster Falls
and Hell’s Half-Mile, named by Powell himself, offer exciting challenges
while exploring this magnificent river.
DETAILS
Age and Length: 16 & Over • Average age: 18 • Duration: 16 days
Tuition: $3,705
Optional College Credit: 2 hours Skills Practicum
Dates: page 105
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