Upper Animas Three Day Trip

Itinerary

• 5:15 pm Evening Prior: Check into our office to get fitted for thermal wetsuit gear, go on your orientation raft trip, and take a practice swim in a Class II+ to III+ rapid.
• Day of Trip: Meet at our main office at the time guides designated at the orientation.
• Shuttle to Silverton Colorado via the Million Dollar Skyway.
• Suit up for your river trip! Wetsuits and Booties are required all season and are available for rent.
• Hit the river!
• Warm up in the "Animas Gorge" - continuous Class III rapids.
• Scout and Run "Ten Mile" rapid, your first Class V of the day!
• Stop for a deli-style riverside lunch.
• Hurry back to the river for more continuous Class III rapids.
• Scout "No Name" rapid and run it, if you dare!
• More continuous Class III rapid fun.
• Arrive at our semi-permanent Needleton Camp.
• Relax, hike and/or fish while our guides become your gourmet chefs and start to prepare your dinner!
• Enjoy the night in the true Colorado Wilderness.
• Wake up to fresh brewed coffee and a filling breakfast.
• Head out for a hike or see what you can catch in a secret fishing hole!
• Lunch back in camp
• Hike to Old Miner's cabin or find another fishing hole.
• Relax in camp with a game of horseshoes.
• Nibble on appetizers with beer or wine while your guides prepare another delicious dinner.
• Share stories around the camp fire.
• Sleep out in the peaceful quiet of the Colorado high country.
• Wake up to another hearty breakfast and get ready to raft!
• Hit the river!
• Enjoy continuous Class III rapids as a warm up for your second day of rafting!
• Scout "Broken Bridge" a Class V rapid and run it!
• Hit more continuous Class III rapids.
• Take a break for a hearty riverside lunch.
• Get back on the river for even more Class III rapids.
• Scout & run "Tank Creek."
• Run your final Class IV rapids, "Specter" and "The Narrows."
• Arrive at the Tacoma Power Station, take out & de-rig boats for the train ride.
• Board the train and relax as you take in the sights of the Rockwood Gorge.
• Arrive at the Rockwood Station, and shuttle back to Durango.
• Arrive back at our Durango office at approximately 6:00 PM.

Important Considerations:

• This trip is physically demanding.  All participants  must be in outstanding physical shape. When rafting, it is important to choose the trip that matches the level of the least adventurous and least physically fit person in the group. It is dangerous to ignore certain group members physical limitations. As group leader, it is important that you pre-screen all participants and let them know all trip details.
• The pre-rafting orientation is required. This includes a practice raft trip and a swim through a Class II+ to III+ rapid depending on river flows.  We teach you how to swim in the river, you jump out of the boat in the rapid, and swim for shore or the boat (whichever is closer). This is a necessary safety precaution before we take you on the Upper Animas. Meet at our office 5:15 PM the evening prior to your trip. Plan 2 to 3 hours for this orientation.  If you need to schedule a different time for the orientation, another evening or the morning prior, there is a $50/person charge.
• If you are not comfortable with the Upper Animas after the orientation, we will move you to another more suitable trip.  We will refund the difference between the trip costs, less $100 to cover our expenses for the train ticket, orientations, etc.
• Because the river bottom drops an average of 85 feet per mile creating non stop whitewater, it is important you are in great physical shape to handle the paddling and potential swim.
• When the Upper Animas gets to unsafe water levels, we switch our guests to the Needleton section of the Upper Animas or the Lower Piedra River.  Don't worry - we won't cancel your fun all together unless absolutely necessary.
• Mild to Wild uses different size rafts depending on the water flow.
• This price of this trip includes the $85 Narrow Gauge Train ticket.
  

What to Wear or Bring:

• Wear a swim suit under your clothes for the shuttle to the Upper Animas headwaters. Thermal (extra thick) wetsuits and wetsuit boots are required. Please provide height, weight and shoe size to reserve proper size if renting.
• Bring sunscreen, water, a hat and sunglasses if desired, and your sense of adventure!
• Bring camp clothes, hiking shoes, toiletries, and sleeping gear (tent, sleeping bag & pad) - rentals available.