Adventure trips with fellow Wounded Warriors

warriors on cataract canyon

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.”
- Edward Abbey

2024 Upcoming Events

Rafting
May 2nd

Cataract Canyon: Open Manifest, Moab UT to Lake Powell through Canyonlands on the Colorado River. All branches of the Military, all conflicts, both sexes. 

Four day excursion. Navtec is the outfitter.

Smiles
May 22nd

Cataract Canyon: Special Operations, Moab UT to Lake Powell through Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River. Open to any SOF troop, any service. Four day excursion, staged out of Moab. Worldwide  

is the commercial outfitter.

Morning coffee on the river
July 18th

Cataract Canyon: Open manifest (Cheyenne and Salt Lake VAMCs). Desolation Canyon on the Green River, five day excursion. This trip stages out of Moab UT. Sheri Griffith  Expeditions is the commercial outfitter.

Evening at Camp
August 28th

Gates of Lodore: All Female Trip
(Open to any female active duty or veteran) 

Scenic and peaceful Gates of Lodore on the Green River, four day excursion.
This trips stages out of and returns to Vernal UT. Sheri Griffith is the commercial outfitter.

Whitewater rafting

Cataract Canyon is a section of the Colorado River above Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon. It flows through Canyonlands National Park and is simply amazing country. The highlights are hidden waterfalls, archeological sites, magical side hikes, and solitude of the desert.

2024 Upcoming Destinations: Cataract Canyon Gates of Lodore

Cataract Canyon is cut by the Colorado River into the Colorado Plateau, a vast continental uplift comprising much of the American Southwest. Until approximately 80 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau was near sea level. Over millions of years, a series of inland oceans transgressed onto and regressed from the region, resulting in a series of horizontally deposited rock layers.

Danger Rapids
Cataract Canyon

Each of us who has been a part of this effort has been deeply touched  by seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter, witnessing the relaxed social interactions of the participants, seeing the progress and coming out as the trip progresses, reading comments written by the participants at the last camp, receiving the follow-up emails.

The bonding and friendship and camaraderie and support that are spawned on these trips continue long after the raft trip is over through email and other contacts and joining in activities.

No one can understand the struggles of a combat veteran better than another combat veteran, especially those suffering from physical and other deep wounds. These raft trips offer an effective venue for these interactions.