A dear friend invited me to join her on a whitewater raftingtrip; a women’s river retreat. I had never taken a vacation like this before. Iwas hesitant: It was a lot of money,

and I wasn’t sure about sharing my vacation with a dozenstrangers in addition to my friend. She twisted my arm well enough, and Idecided to give it a try. Little did Iknow then how much this adventure was an investment in my future.

I remember the first morning, anxiously waiting at the boatramp for instructions about how all of this would work: We watched as ourguides—all women--packed everything we would need, or want, for four days ontothese large inflatable rafts. Armed with sunscreen, sunglasses, and a stylishlife vest, we boarded the boats and shoved off into the current.

Our first stop would be for lunch. The boats were pulledinto an eddy, and we climbed out to a beautiful white sand beach, with some BoxElder trees for shade, and a rocky basalt ledge on which to perch while theguides prepared our repast, including lots of fresh fruit and veggies. I satstaring out at the Lower Salmon river, swift and clear. One of the other guestsapproached me and asked how I liked the trip so far. I replied that it waslovely, and I was pleased that one of these strangers had reached out to sayhello. Then I realized, it was my friend Amy. I had never seen her withoutmakeup before, much less with wetted hair and a skimpy swimsuit, and I didn’trecognize her! We were making the transition to river time.

The first day seemed like a long one, but once we rowed to acampsite, we were rewarded with lessons in foot reflexology, and got topractice on each other. Soon we were admiring the genius of our guides, who hadfrom their stores magically whipped up a Mexican fiesta dinner! Where had thosecook pots come from? And chairs, an awning, real plates and forks, too. Oh, andthere was strawberry shortcake for dessert! Other than sleeping in a tent, wewere hardly “roughing it.”

In the morning, we awoke to gentle calls for yoga practice.Even though the daytime was quite hot, the early hours were much cooler, so Iput on some fleece, and joined the group. The sand gave my asanas a whole newfeeling of rootedness. I had beenstudying some yoga, but our resident river guru introduced me to several newconcepts, including a style called “Acuyoga,” which combines Chinese medicinewith hatha yoga. She was knowledgeable about nutrition, too, and throughout therest of the trip we would chat on and off as we floated downstream. In thecapable hands of our guides, there was little to do but relax, enjoy thescenery of northern Idaho, and enjoy each other’s company.

Some of the guests indulged in paddling small inflatablekayaks from time to time, and I have it a try as well, but found it a littledistracting from the relaxing rhythm into which I was settling for the firsttime in years, maybe ever. Althought I had camped a lot, and had been on awhitewater trip once, I had never taken such a luxurious vacation before, hadnever traveled with a girlfriend before, had never traveled with a group -- agroup of women.

We were all getting acquainted, and in a very short timesharing intimate secrets of our lives; one woman from New York had recentlylost her brother in an auto accident. Others shared their struggles withmarriage—“Should we try something different sexually to rekindle the spark?”one woman asked. Others in the group took an afternoon break to sunbathe aunaturelle. It was easy enough to respect those who were more modest, since thebeaches were so vast. I knew I wasrelaxing when I found myself walking to that far end of the beach.

Sometimes we would slide into the water for a swim; itseemed not only an essential part of a river experience to swim in it, but itwas also an essential survival tactic on hot August afternoons when the dangerof dehydration is high. We learned that if you are suddenly not having a goodtime anymore, if everyone else on the trip is suddenly annoying you, you areprobably dehydrated. Drink water, and have a swim.

Before we knew it, we were at our last night’s camp, andwere amazed yet again at the skill and talent of our guides in preparing agourmet grill of salmon after a hard day of rowing and navigating rapids.Chocolate cake appeared for dessert, freshly baked in a Dutch oven.

By the next afternoon, we were land lubbers once more. Fourdays had passed without a phone, a computer, a car, or a convenience store. Ithad been a slice of heaven. At a motel in Grangeville, Idaho, we scrubbed offthe layers of sunscreen and sand (an excellent exfoliant, no extra charge), anddressed for dinner. Several of our group planned to meet at Oscar’s, a local restaurant,for a farewell.

Amy and I arrived, but didn’t see any of our new friends.Then we noticed them – at a table in the front, several women smartly dressed,fresh lipstick and combed hair. We had gotten to know our new friends from theinside – out.

My first experience on a Holiday women’s river retreatinspired me to become a yoga teacher and massage therapist, and now, nearly tenyears later, I spend my summers working for the company to give back to otherwomen the incredible gifts I have received from the opportunity to relax andrenew on the river. I have made manyfriends over the years, both guides and guests. Some, including Amy, havecontinued to join me on these adventures. Many plan special occasions aroundthese trips, inviting female family and friends to celebrate a birthday, orperhaps a daughter’s departure for college or marriage. Others arrive solo, andmake it an occasion for self-nurturing that only the simplicity of an outdoorriverside spa can offer.

by Marlene Lambert - terryfitzroy@gmail.com

River Rafting Vacation - River rafting guide and trips to Idaho, Utah and Colorado