River’s Wild Soul Retreat
Green River, Utah
May 12-19, 2024
7 days, 45 miles of canoeing, re-wilding and empowerment,
delicious food, 15 participants max.
Guides: Caroline Lewis, Meghan Callaghan, Renee Palmer & Lauren Bond,
Pricing: Early bird rate of $1900 until January 31
Scholarships are available! To apply for a scholarship, book the trip with a $250 deposit, and fill out this application
The deposit and cost of The River’s Path Canoe Adventures are non-refundable. We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance through our partner Outward Travel to protect your investment.
Join a group of people who are tired of playing small and jumping through hoops for the patriarchy in order to make their marks.
You are longing for both a fiercer yet softer embodiment. And even though the path forward hasn’t been carved yet for your wild and wondrous spirit, you don’t have to keep trudging through thick and dense forest.
The threshold lies before you on the banks of a River.
It is time for you to apprentice water in community with other wild, sovereign, sensitive folks while learning the art of vulnerable, courageous, collective surrender.
River’s Wild Soul is a river journey that will guide you through towering red rock canyons towards your center, your depths, your play, your voice, and your connection with community and the natural world. You will be held and grounded by some of the tallest and most ancient landscapes, so that your expansive, sensitive, creative energy can flow through you
If you know deep in your gut that you desire a wilder and more integrated way of being, a path that you must trust instead of force, an authentic presence that only is birthed after flowing with the Desert’s waters, then this is the exact journey you need right now.
And the sensitive people who have the courage to lead from their hearts and instinct and sing their truths while rooted to the Earth are the key to embodying a new path forward away from a status quo.
We believe wild and sensitive folks have so much to offer a world in need right now; yet to fully be in your creative flow you must allow your inner essence to guide you.Because when you are wildly yourself and know how to listen deeply to your inner guidance, you become like the River, an embodied presence that knows the way forward to a greater Earth community.
As a Wildly Sensitive Soul on the River, you will:
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Face fear about the future and surrender to the unknown while staying grounded
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Connect to your inner element of water for greater creative flow
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Cultivate a deeper sense of belonging with a community of other wild and sensitive folks
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Re-activate playfulness, spontaneity, and sense of joy
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Step into courage and let go of thought patterns that communicate “I’m not Enough, I’m too Sensitive, I’m too much.”
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Deepen your sense of belonging with the animate world
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Activate your voice from your instinctual, wild self
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Be empowered and grounded in the present moment
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Embody the Wild Feminine during these Threshold times
Meet the Guides
Caroline Lewis
River’s Wild Soul
Caroline is a storyteller, eco-therapist, leadership coach and facilitator of transformation in the wild.
She is the founder of Root Awareness, a community for highly sensitive women an non-binary folks choosing to step into their unique creative power and leadership during these threshold times.She is a humble expert on what it takes to holistically heal, transform, and align with who you truly are instead of what society has taught you to be.
She has worked with people around the world as a holistic and transpersonal psychotherapist, meditation teacher, podcast host, and wilderness guide. Her specialty is to support women and brave souls by connecting more deeply with inner and outer wildness and community in order to embody one’s inner creatrix.
She also believes that when sensitive folx choose to lean into the deep and joyful work of transformation and reciprocity, our Earth and greater collective community also heals and evolves.
Meghan Callaghan
River’s Wild Soul
Meghan is dedicated to restoring song to it’s rightful role in our daily lives – as a vehicle for building community, creative expression, celebration, healing, and remembering our true selves.
As a board-certified music therapist and founder of Mountain Health Music LLC, Meghan has brought music to newborns as well as those crossing over, and everyone in-between. She utilizes voice, percussion, guitar, harp, and piano in her facilitation of interactive music making in various community and healthcare settings. Her professional emphasis is in eldercare and End-of-Life work.
Meghan is the musical director of the Flagstaff Threshold Choir, a song-circle of women who visit the bedsides of those at life’s thresholds. In pre-pandemic times, she led seasonal Community Sings, and most recently, Meghan co-founded Song Hearth – a multi-generational song circle that celebrates and marks the wheel of the year. In addition to earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy from the Florida State University, she has studied with legendary teaching artists Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra, Kate Munger, Melanie DeMore, and Becky Reardon.
In a past life, Meghan had an adventurous streak as a wilderness guide in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Mojave Desert. She now makes her multi-generational home with her husband, son, and mother at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. As a free motion dancer, fledgling Perma culturist, and toddler mom, Meghan can be found simultaneously laughing, crying, and dancing along as she figures out how to keep plants alive and young children thriving every day.
Renee Palmer
River’s Wild Soul
“The kitchen is where my passions for food, nutrition, art, and community harmonize. Dazzled by the many combinations of colors, textures, and flavors that meet on the plate, I draw inspiration from my early years growing up in Western Africa and Eastern Europe, where ritual celebrations, connection and sense of place were forged by mealtime gathering. Today, I am part of the team at Global Kitchen in Mancos where my hands and heart intertwine in service to the land and community. When I’m not in the kitchen, you can find me striding on my rollerblades, making lemon peel earrings, soaking at hot springs, hiking, sharing coffee & walks with close friends, and building my Tiny House.
I so forward to bringing my latest inspirations to the river and share my love of food with you all!
What to Expect – Overnight Canoe Trip on the Green River
While the exact itinerary will change based on the theme of the trip, some things are common for all trips down through Labyrinth Canyon:
We’ll canoe a total of 45 miles down the Green River through the steep canyon walls of Labyrinth Canyon in Utah. The trip begins at Ruby Ranch (located just south of I-70) to Mineral Bottom (located near Canyonlands National Park). Four to five days of paddling will be interspersed with layovers at wilderness campsites along the canyon. Paddle days are usually 7-15 miles each or about 3-5 hours of gentle paddling. The river has no rapids and hardly any current. It is muddy and shallow (except for high water in May and June)
While in camp, in addition to our theme program activity, we may swim, take short hikes or explore side canyons. After we all pitch in during camp setup, we’ll have plenty of free time to relax, enjoy our surroundings and have the opportunity to get to know each other as we experience the beauty around us. Then we’ll come together each evening around the campfire.
The River’s Path guided overnight canoe trips involve staying deep in the wilderness with no electricity or cellular reception, and in case of an emergency, evacuation will be done via rescue boat or helicopter. If you need to have medically necessary equipment that uses electricity or need to stay in contact with someone at home, the guides will have a texting device available. Please contact Lauren Bond at 303-859-7174 or lauren@theriverspath.org to discuss.
Temperature changes quickly and can be unexpected, so it is important to bring items from the packing list in case of any drastic changes. Rain and thunderstorms can pop up at any point. Temperatures for each month can range from the high 60s and low 30s for March to the high 100s and lows in the 70s for August. Please see the NOAA graph for Labyrinth Canyon monthly weather averages.
The section of the Green River we will be on is considered a Class I river with no rapids. This is essentially a flat water trip.
Each canoe accommodates two people and they include two Crazy Creek camp chairs with backrests. Canoes will carry all of the personal gear and camp supplies.
The River’s Path will supply 2 dry bags, one large and one small, for your personal gear.
Group gear provided includes: canoes, paddles, life jackets, canoe seat backs, camp chairs, full kitchen setup. Supplies provided include: all food, shade canopy and river toilet with a privacy shelter.
Your personal camp gear that you are responsible for includes: tent, tarps, sleeping bag, and anything else you need that is not provided. That being said, we highly recommend you approach this with a minimalist mentality. Everything you bring, along with your canoe partner, must fit on your canoe. We will supply you with a complete packing list.
While many adventurists kayak the Green River, the amount of gear, supplies, and coolers of fresh food on our journey requires canoes.
The River’s Path will provide food and drinks for all meals and snacks. We can accommodate most diets including vegetarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free. The water is too muddy for most portable water filtration devices, so we will pack all drinking water.
If you have other needs or concerns, contact the trip guide, Lauren Bond at 303-859-7174 or lauren@theriverspath.org
It’s important to note that this is a collaborative experience. To form a strong community and have an even more powerful, life changing, memorable experience, each individual in the group will participate and share in camp responsibilities. Everyone helps with setting up and taking down camp, unloading and loading canoes, cooking meals and cleaning up. Each individual must bring their own tent, sleeping bag and pad, as well as other items on the packing list. Those using a hammock must provide an appropriate setup for that.
During your trip through the Labyrinth Canyon you’ll find a slow meandering river with steep colorful canyon walls, amazing side canyons (and maybe evidence of ancient civilizations), incredible stars, unforgettable sunsets, and a hushed serenity you’ll find no place else. No matter where you look you’ll see the unforgettable and awe inspiring colors and sounds of nature.
You might consider long sleeved shirts and pants, bug lotion and head netting if you are extremely sensitive to bug bites. Birds like golden eagles, peregrine falcons, canyon wrens, screech owls, and more can be seen along with small animals like beavers and larger ones like desert bighorn sheep and deer.