Gals on the Gorge: University of Utah took on the green river with their spring chapter grant

This fall, the University of Utah Backcountry Squatters chapter did our very first rafting trip on the Flaming Gorge section of the Green River in eastern Utah! This was a huge undertaking made possible by the amazing $600 chapter grant awarded by Lila and Darby and our amazing national Backcountry Squatters community!

With rafting, there are so many moving parts to the trip, and most of the equipment isn’t something that you find in your basement or can bring out of storage; you have to rent A LOT of gear. This starts to add up, whether it's the boats, metal frames, coolers and dry boxes, dry bags, oars, PFDs, food, the list goes on! Having this grant meant that we could tackle this huge new trip and focus on the fun parts, not just the funding. This meant that our trip was cheaper for the 17 people we took on the river, making it more accessible for what is usually a quite expensive outdoor experience. This grant also allows us the flexibility to plan and offer so many other fun activities and trips during the semester!

During our trip, we got to go down the ABC section of the Flaming Gorge, a 25-mile stretch of red rock canyons and gorgeous treelines. Members got to chat while floating down the river, paddle a ducky (a small inflatable kayak separate from the boats), or, if they were really adventurous, go down a stretch of rapids while rowing a boat for the first time! Even aside from the new skill of rowing the boat, there is so much to learn, like certain river terminology, how to load/unload a boat, and the maintenance that is needed for these trips.

For example, when we were heading into our 3rd and final day on the river, we knew we were heading into the shallowest section of the river, so we had to hand pump (yes, hand pump) all of our boats back to full inflation because they had lost air over the course of the trip. Everyone got a turn in learning where the nozzles of the pump go, what to look for/how to know when a section of the boat is fully inflated, and the forethought required in daily planning before we even push off down the river. All skills are important when it comes to the outdoors, and exposing new members to not just the river side of rafting, but also to the work off the river is super important to grow their skills and comfort level with all aspects of a trip!

It was also amazing to see how the group got closer over the trip. When you spend a lot of time in one boat, you really get to know people! With only a few people per boat, the whole group might not be able to come together as fast because we are separated between boats. But with our time at camp, using henna, painting, playing guitar, or having a non-talent talent show/pitch-perfect esque riff off around the campfire, we were able to get to know each other and build that whole group bond that made our days on the river so fun. We managed to create a party barge that connected all 4 boats and even detoured to the side of the river when we spotted a rope swing to spend some time swimming.

To close out, I am going to quote a famous American poet, William Cullen Bryant (sorry to force my love of poetry on people), who has a poem called the Green River that I went back to after taking this lovely trip! I’ll only quote the first stanza of it, but I love the way he describes the river, and you should definitely read the whole thing! 

“When breezes are soft and skies are fair,

I steal an hour from study and care,

And hie me away to the woodland scene, 

Where wanders the stream with waters of green,

As if the bright fringe of herbs on its brink

Had given their stain to the waves they drink;

And they, whose meadows it murmurs through,

Have named the stream from its own fair hue.”

This trip allowed us to “steal an hour from study and care” to explore the outdoors and develop skills, whether a beginner or pro. Everyone comes together to share their love for what our world has to offer, and it is such a lovely feeling to be a part of a group that embodies that stoke and love! I’m so grateful that Squatters offers such a tangible form of long-lasting community that fosters an atmosphere where members can be themselves, laugh with friends, and create bonds, while we “hie ourselves away to the woodland scene.”

Annalise

UofU Exec Team Member