Mindful River Guide School

Course Description

Ever wanted to learn to become a river guide?  There is no better textbook than learning in the field on glacially fed waters.  This course occurs on the ever-changing, dynamic rivers, the Chilkat, Klehini, and Tsirku Rivers.  While we focus on the technical skills necessary to successful and safely navigate the cold waters, it also introduces mindful practices to help participants actualize their Blue Minds.

The opportunity to experience Alaska in this setting is profound. More importantly, this unique course equips students with a valuable understanding of principles that can be applied to wherever students live.  It is the hope that it also motivates students to make a difference in this complex world we live in. 

This course was amazing.  I most enjoyed learning about all of the different geological, enviromental, and cultural aspects of Haines from the amazing instructors and master experts. ~ Quennita

Itinerary

There are several iterations of this course depending on the student and college needs and requirements.  Below is the standard layout.   

Day 1: Begin on Chilkoot Lake to learn how the mechanics work.

Day 2: AM Classroom Session- Hydrology 101, followed by time on the Chilkat River to begin to read water.

Day 3: AM Classroom Session- Hydrology 201, return to the Chilkat, introducing the concept of the Swift Water Stop.

Day 4: Head to the Klehini to incorporate faster-moving water and learn to face your danger.

Day 5: We move up the Klehini to introduce even faster-moving water and more objects to avoid.  Deepening our reading water and navigating skills.

Day 6: Upper Klehini, where we add more weight and faster-moving water.  This is a day to integrate techniques as well as deepen our water connection.

Day 7 and 8: AM Introduction and orientation for an overnight on the river. Field session and overnight is designed to provide valuable experiential learning that synthesizes the learning throughout the course. These sessions will focus on concepts such as wildlife biology, tracking, birding, geology, and ecological succession.

Day 9: We move to the Tsirku, a dynamic river in constant flux.  Here, we will focus on reading water and navigating safely down a braided river.

Day 10: Check-offs where we practice how to safely take passengers down the river.

***Please note that this schedule is tentative.

Dates and Availability

We try to offer several course dates to accommodate students and various colleges.   Contact us about specific dates.