Location: Green River, Utah
Dates: Sept. 24-28
Number of Days: 5
Tuition: $850
Fitness Level: Gentle
Guest Teacher : Page Lambert

Workshop it on the water! Let your creativity flow on this fantastic five-day writing and canoeing retreat with novelist and poet Page Lambert. Draw inspiration from the dramatic Labyrinth Canyon of Utah’s Green River and stretch your expressive courage with new creative techniques. Page will lead structured writing exercises designed to loosen your literary juices and foster connection with cues from your physical surroundings.

Daily writing sessions will be interspersed with canoe travel, day hikes, solo journaling and personal reflection to create an experience that jumpstarts your mind, body and creative energy. You will have ample opportunity to share your writing and process with a supportive and encouraging group.

Page brings a wealth of experience working with women writers and a natural passion for the wilderness. Get ready to explore new dimensions of your writing and enjoy the openness and camaraderie with other wonderful women. This course includes an introduction to canoe travel, water safety and basic camping techniques and is appropriate for writers and canoers of all levels. Begins and ends in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Guest Teacher
Page Lambert was described in Inside/Outside Southwest Magazine as one of the most notable women writers of the contemporary West. One of fifteen writers selected to contribute to Writing Down the River: Into the Heart of the Grand Canyon, her annual River Writing Journeys for Women were featured in the January, 2006 issue of Oprah Magazine as “One of the Year’s Best All-Girl Getaways.”A recipient of literary fellowships for excellence in both poetry and prose, Lambert’s memoir In Search of Kinship, a Denver bestseller and novel Shifting Stars, a Mountains & Plains Booksellers finalist, continue to draw high praise.To read more about Page, click here! Begins and ends in Grand Junction, Colorado.

“Something magical happens on my river writing journeys—the combination of women alone in the wilderness, writing and sharing, creates a unique atmosphere of trust and openness. We play. We hike. We swim. We write. We talk about the creative process. We write some more. We share. We get wonderfully silly. We get profoundly serious. We get silly all over again. We’re in and out of the water, up and down the canyon walls, in and out of each other’s stories. From sun to shade, dark to light – in every metaphorical way you can imagine.”
 – Page Lambert, age 55, Santa Fe, NM

Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Dates: August 1-3
Number of Days: 3
Tuition: $450
Fitness Level: Moderate
Guest Teacher : Niobe Burden

Look Through A New Lens ! Capture the beauty you see in the wilderness on this three-day outdoor photography course and introduction to backpacking. Using Rocky Mountain National Park as a canvas and source of inspiration, you’ll learn how to find and capture extraordinary images in nature and practice observing new details throughout the landscape. Examine dramatic mountain peaks in beautiful light, watch for elk and moose, or focus in on flora, fauna and foliage.

Guest teacher Niobe Burden will offer group and individual instruction covering the ins and outs of your camera, learning about depth of field and film speed, and using different lenses to change perspectives. You'll practice setting up compositions, looking to all corners of the frame and working with different types of light. Each evening, we’ll discuss as a group the photos shot that day, gaining more insight into our photographs and technique.

From a comfortable basecamp, we’ll day-hike in a different direction each day to photograph, while also enjoying plenty of time to explore solo, reflect, relax with the group and practice outdoor skills. This course is great for digital and film photographers. Tripods are encouraged but not essential.

Guest Teacher
Niobe Burden fell in love with photography while backpacking through Europe 17 years ago. Her passion is fine art photography, telling stories through her ability to capture the light gracing a landscape and delving into local cultures to reach the essence of people through her work. To complement her photography, Niobe enjoys backcountry skiing, rock climbing and traveling near her home in the Sierras and around the world. Her photography has been internationally recognized and displayed. Read more about Niobe at niobeburden.com.