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Alumni Association, Centennial Canoe to offer guided, historical trips down Gunnison, Colorado rivers in July 2010
Published: Thursday, January 28, 2010 by the Office of Alumni Relations
Author: Chris Aaland, director of alumni relations
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DURANGO, Colo. — The Fort Lewis College Alumni Association will again team with Centennial Canoe to offer a pair of historical canoe trips next summer. Trips will take place from July 9-11 and July 23-25, 2010. Cost is $340 per person for adults and $280 per person for children and space is extremely limited, as maximum capacity on each trip is 23 customers. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alumni Association's general fund.
In addition to Centennial Canoe's licensed guides, Fort Lewis College Professor of Southwest Studies and History Andrew Gulliford will facilitate these trips and discuss the history and geography of this region. He will reveal the colorful characters that helped shape the Grand Junction and Delta landscapes and little-known cowboy history of the Escalante and Dominguez canyon areas of the Gunnison River (the first trip) and the Colorado River (the second trip).
The region's first Native American inhabitants, Spanish explorations, mineral booms and busts, farming and ranching, and 20th century economic activities such as tourism and defense industries all contributed to this area. Explore how this combination of people, activities and environment helped create a distinct regional character and identity.
Gulliford said that on one of his expeditions into the area, he found historic cowboy corrals, rock shelters made by sheepherders, prehistoric Fremont and historic Ute Indian rock art, and a magnificent, wild canyon system perfect for exploring.
Canoeing on the Gunnison and Colorado rivers will spark a sense of adventure with opportunities for hiking and exploring, floating in your lifejacket and camping along the river's edge.
During this Gunnison trip, participants will be dwarfed by high walls of red sandstone and shale deposited during the age of the dinosaurs. Massive cottonwoods stand on many river bends supporting the huge nests of blue herons, hawks and eagles. Participants may hike into Dominguez Canyon (a Wilderness Study Area), one of the most beautiful stops on the river. Hiking into the canyon will reveal deep, cool swimming holes, waterfalls and many ancient petroglyphs.
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The limit for the Alumni Association's canoe trips down the Gunnison River is 23 customers per outing.
Desert bighorns can be viewed and photographed along the Gunnison and Colorado rivers.
Ancient Freemont Indian rock art can be seen throughout the canyons.
Jumping into Dominguez Canyon pools.
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The Colroado River trek features majestic walls of red sandstone and offers some of the best Colorado canoeing. The river is gentle with occasional small Class I+ rapids to add spice to the journey (Class I is easy and Class V is difficult). Roads do not bound this portion of the river and the steep-walled canyons are accessible only from the river, giving the area a true wilderness setting.
All meals are provided on the trip, and menus may include salmon fillets, barbecue ribs, salad, rice and pie for dinner. Daily happy hours include wine, cheese and shrimp hors d'oeuvres.
For more information, visit www.centennialcanoe.com or call 720-283-0553.
Director of Alumni Relations Chris Aaland is a 1991 Fort Lewis College graduate with a bachelor's degree in English/communications and business administration. He can be reached at 970-247-7427 or aaland_c@fortlewis.edu.
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