Dear 7th and 8th Grade Families,
The first weeks of school have traditionally been a time to
get to know each other. Bringing back a
lapsed tradition, we have arranged with ARTA River Trips to spend Thursday,
September 13, at Camp Lotus and to raft 10 miles on the South Fork of the
American River above Folsom Dam Reservoir on Friday, September 14.
ARTA specializes in cooperative trips, designed to provide
inexpensive, participation-oriented, river-centered experiences for groups who
wish to take a more active role in their trip.
Trip members will be active in all phases of the trip, from paddling in
the rafts to helping out in the kitchen.
We expect that the trip will be an educational as well as unifying
experience and that the spirit of the adventure will launch us into a great
school year.
ARTA describes the magic of the South Fork in just the way
we want the kids to experience it:
The best thing about the South Fork is that you can share it with everyone. We’ve taken fearless 7 year olds and their fretful grandparents and we’ve taken world adventurers and their neighbors who’ve never slept outdoors. We’ve taken company groups, scout groups, church groups, and single people who live alone in studio apartments in the big city. …Some folks were at the upper end of their thrill threshold, others were at the lower end, but they all kept talking about Troublemaker or Satan’s Cesspool. …Everyone was in a paddle raft, (with a guide), participating and holding success in their own hands, unnerving at first, but unforgettable in the end.
The South Fork is a Class III river; with over 50 rapids in
a twenty-mile stretch, it is still considered a beginning level run. We will cover ten miles of the river. No previous rafting experience is
required. Each boat will have an ARTA
guide and 5-6 adventurers, including a TBS teacher or parent. Everyone wears a life-jacket. Check out ARTA’s website— www.arta.org —or email me (ggriswold@theberkeleyschool.org)
or Jeff (jsandler@theberkeleyschool.org)
if you have particular questions. Jeff
also knows this trip well, having taken his students on it many times.
Our plan is to leave Berkeley right after lunch, spend the
night at Camp Lotus, and raft from 10:00-4:00 or so on Friday. After a hearty snack, we should return to
Berkeley in the early evening. See the links
below for packing list, permission and participation form, ARTA’s release form,
TBS’s release form, and the wiki link for drivers. In order for your student to participate in
this trip, we need all forms completed, signed, and returned to school by Thursday, September 6, 2012.
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