Paddle into the Wild
May 3-5 & May 10-12 2024
Conducted in Partnership with the American Canoe Association
A three day immersive packraft experience in Leavenworth, Washington
…to ignite your thirst for river adventure.
Paddle into the Wild Program
ENHANCE your paddle technique and ability to read whitewater.
EXPECT the things that go wrong and practice how to respond.
CONNECT with like-minded adventure partners.
Who?
You! A gender-balanced group (~50% non-male identifying participants) and our world class instructor team!
Luc Mehl, Author of The Packraft Handbook,
Sarah Kilbourne, Executive Director of the American Packraft Association
Jon Strahl, Co-Founder of Basecamp Cascadia & ACA Whitewater Instructor
Chris Korbulic, International Expedition Kayaker
Elecktra Mathews-Novelli, ACA Whitewater Instructor
Where?
The creeks and rivers of the North Cascades provide crystal clear water to practice backcountry skills of reading and running small and big-water features. These waters join together into the Wenatchee, which flows right past our campsites.
What?
An inclusive and immersive workshop to discover your best packrafter: Scouting, picking lines, identifying hazards, setting safety, making the right move, and helping your friends.
When?
May 3-5 and May 10-12, 2024
$625 Per Person for the 3 day program.
What to expect
On-the-water discussions and practice sessions from 9 AM - 4 PM each day.
Optional evening activities and discussions at the campground both nights.
One-on-one feedback from the instructor team.
Skills covered:
Scout, read water, and hit your line
Make precise and fluid moves mid-rapid
Set safety and rescue partners
Lead the way down the river
Catch & surf waves and holes from an eddy and/or on-the-fly
Self-knowledge, risk assessment, and decision making at the top
of a rapid or before committing to a run
Is this course right for me?
We will be working in small groups and can accommodate a variety of experience-levels, but to get the most out of this course we require the following:
You are 18 years of age or older.
You have a packraft with thighstraps, drysuit, appropriate footwear, USCG-approved Type III life vest, whitewater helmet, and paddle.
You are physically capable of wading, swimming, and paddling in turbulent water (up to Class III), entering and exiting water over large rocks on the riverbank.
You’ve paddled enough to identify some specific gaps in your knowledge and skillset.
You are excited and support a safe (both physically and emotionally) empowering learning environment where questions and conversations are celebrated.
Contact us if you have any questions about your eligibility.
Transportation & Accommodations
Leavenworth / Pine Village KOA - resides near the heart of Leavenworth proper and is nestled right next to the Wenatchee River (central location to PITW programming).
Transportation: Participants must provide their own transportation each day (carpooling highly encouraged). Specific river put-in locations will be based on group ability and current water levels.
Accommodations: Leavenworth / Pine Village KOA have select tent group sites reserved for Paddle into the Wild Participants if needed. Contact Basecamp Team if you are interested (additional $40 per person for 2 nights). This is in the heart of where PITW activities will take place!
This 2 minute video below shows highlights from the 2021 pilot program version of Paddle into the Wild. Check it out and let us know if you have any questions!
Our Teaching Philosophy
Enable: The course not only covers all the paddling fundamentals you would expect, it includes tools, resources, and expert coaching to plan your own expeditions.
Inspire: Be inspired to grow your own paddling and adventure pursuits with a built-in fireside chat with your packraft instructor team during the three-day immersive course.
Create a sense of place: Build community with your fellow paddlers through group on-river and off-river activities, as well as connection to the rivers we get to paddle by learning how we can give back to these special ecosystems through community science.
Forge adventure partnerships: The course is only the beginning. Participants will come away with their own expedition plan for the year and a roster of potential compatriots.
Start safely: We want packrafting culture to prioritize physical and emotional safety. This means students make their own choices to take on physical challenges, and the community welcomes everyone to the sport regardless of their identity, background, or ability.
The Packraft Handbook by Luc Mehl
A beautiful, modern, and comprehensive guide to packrafting. Think of this as our course “textbook” though it is a whole lot cooler than most textbooks! Go to Luc’s website if you want to get a jump on some of the content we plan to cover in the course. We will have copies for purchase if you don’t have yours yet!
Be Inspired
Our instructor team will share tales and media from their own packrafting adventures. See below for Jon and Katie’s Alaska adventure in 2021. All paddlers on this highlighted trip completed the 2021 “pilot” version of Basecamp Cascadia’s packrafting program which prepared them for the Class II challenges of these rivers.
Increase female and non-binary identifying paddlers.
This year we will offer two sections of Paddle into the Wild to the public, with an emphasis on 50% of the spots in each section being held for female and non-binary identifying paddlers.
Why we are focusing on female and non-binary identifying paddlers: In whitewater paddling, diverse gender representation is lagging [way] behind, based on the fact that one of the premier whitewater kayaking competitions in the world finally added a women's category as recently as 2019 and there is still a large gender gap in the sport. To help in the effort to grow a paddling community that is more diverse and build support among these paddlers, we are putting a special emphasis on saving half our slots for female and non-binary identifying paddlers.
How would you describe PITW?
“An intentional and supportive space to develop paddling and risk assessment skills in the pursuit of fun. A focus on conscious engagement with the wild throughout.” - Kyle
“An excellent and necessary experience for folks of various paddling experience to learn more about packrafting with a focus on safety and empowerment” - Kira
“There is just the right balance of student-ownership with the safety of having experienced people to support you in trying new things” - Leslie
More feedback from past participants
“I really appreciated all of the feedback and encouragement. When I swam, the response was “nice recovery,” and “love the commitment!”
“I’ve pretty much just always jumped onto trips that I’ve been invited on from others and just make my way through the more difficult sections and learn every time, but by really focusing on stuff below my level and challenging myself in creative ways I feel I can learn a lot faster. So thank you for that.”
“This program exceeded my expectations enormously- and my expectations were high to start! I feel that I learned and grew more in 4 days than I have in any other educational- training experience due to the instructors intentionality, level of training, course content, and opportunities for practicing. The setting was also ideal and I appreciate everyone on staff working to inspire constant connections to the landscape and local communities. I will be recommending this course to many, many friends. PITW may need another session next year.”
“Loved seeing an empowered woman instructor. Met me where I was emotionally. Didn’t make me feel bad about freaking out before the swim on Saturday. Encouraging and awesome!”