Common Concerns

Prior Experience, Privacy, Comfort & Cleanliness!

Playing in the wilderness presents a few common concerns. Prior experience, privacy, cleanliness and comfort are some of the issues that we think are important to address. If these concerns are not addressed to your comfort level below, please feel free to call our trip consultants regarding any concerns at 800-567-6745.

Prior Experience Concerns

Concerns about having "prior experience" in the specific outdoor adventure and/or previous camping "experience" are common. Our soft and medium adventure trips do not require previous experience, and even our most difficult "hard" adventure trip, the Upper Animas, does not require previous rafting experience (although it is recommended) if you meet the physical fitness and adventure level criteria.

Concerns arise when you have not been away from the desk in your office for 10 years! Even if you have been visiting the gym regularly, other factors can affect your fitness level, including high altitude, or an activity that requires using different muscles than you use at the gym.

With 27 trip options ranging from mild to wild, 2 hours to 4 days and for ages 4-84, our trip consultants "qualify" you before booking you into a trip to ensure the right "fit" and the best possible trip for your needs. Qualifying questions include the demographics of your group such as your age range, adventure levels, experience levels, fitness levels, and time constraints. All of our raft and jeep trail tour trips include a pre-trip safety orientation and instruction to prepare you for your trip- whatever the adventure level. Our high adventure raft trips may include either an on-river orientation (practice raft trip on class III rapids) or a mini-physical fitness evaluation to determine the appropriateness of the trip for you. This is important since you can’t turn back once you have departed on our high adventure canyon trips – there are no roads out!

Even if you have done the activity before or camped before, you will feel more comfortable in preparing for the trip if you know what you can expect on the trip. Our trip consultants experience our trips so they can explain first hand what you are going to see on each trip, what you are going to experience on each trip and what you are going to receive on each trip.

If you have not camped before and/or do not have the necessary equipment, no fear! See Camping with Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Trail Tours, Inc. We set-up camp, help with your tent and have high quality rentals available. Our permanent camps, like that on the Upper Animas River, are very elaborate, with a kitchen tent with heat (a pot belly wood burning stove)! In locations where we are not allowed to have a "permanent" camp set, our "gear" boat carries tents, sleeping cots, camp chairs, folding camp tables, and portable toilets.

Some of the locations where we camp are located near a natural hot spring for a relaxing soak under the stars- much better than a hot tub! We do not include camping and sleeping gear in our prices since many have their own equipment and do not need to pay for something they already have. For cleanliness of our rentals see Concerns for Cleanliness.

Privacy Concerns

Concerns for privacy in the outdoors include the availability of changing areas and bathroom facilities. For trips that depart in the "wilderness," it is best to ride the shuttle with a swimsuit under your clothes. Then, upon arrival at the put-in, you simply strip your clothes, put them in a dry bag on the raft or leave them on the shuttle (depending on the logistics of your specific trip) and slide a wetsuit on over your swimsuit. Don’t forget to bring a pair of underwear for the way home. You can then put these clothes back on at the take-out point and comfortably enjoy the shuttle ride home.

At camp, the portable toilet is situated out of sight from camp and is usually enclosed by a tepee. To indicate whether the bathroom is or is not "occupied", a paddle is situated at the trailhead. When the paddle is missing, the portable toilet is occupied. To avoid the possibility of hikers coming upon the outfitter’s "out of site" portable toilet, a canvas or tarp tepee surrounds the toilet.

Before arriving at camp and while on the adventure, bathroom facilities are less available, depending on the trip. On some rivers, the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management has port-a-potties along the way. On our more remote trips, we carry a portable toilet on the gear raft, which can be taken off the boat and into the woods for use. If this is not possible, then the woods are your best option – most convenient and great smelling! Be careful where you squat to avoid poison ivy or other uncomfortable irritants. Either way, women find it convenient to have a "sarong" (wrap around skirt) available to surround their lower half. Also, a 2-piece bathing suit or nylon shorts and sports bra is preferable so you can just lower the bottoms, not the whole suit, inside the "sarong".

Comfort Concerns

Concerns for comfort include desired level of service provided, sleeping and "lounging" accommodations, and the ability to "look and feel good" while in the wilderness. Guests vary in the type of service they desire! If your idea of a vacation is to sit around the pool and have drinks delivered to you, then let us know! You can sit back and relax while the guides serve you appetizers and wine, set up your tent, prepare fresh, tasty meals over the campfire, and cater to your every need.

If you prefer to be "part of the team" – assisting in camp set-up and the preparation of the food and clean up - then we can accommodate this desire as well. Our guides welcome the help and love to teach all about camp logistics. Groups and families often want this experience. Either way you prefer it, just let us know your needs and desires so we can accommodate them to your absolute delight!

Sleeping and "lounging" accommodations with Mild to Wild Rafting are comfortable! Our tents with skylights, padded cots, fluffy down sleeping bags with liners, foldable rocking "lounge" camp chairs and folding camp tables complete with table cloth are just some of the luxuries we have available. Camping can be a 5 star experience!

Feeling good in the outdoors is what it is all about. The fresh air, beautiful scenery and your desired level of physical activity are rejuvenating, refreshing and relaxing. Looking great can also be part of feeling good! If you prefer a daily shower, bring along an inexpensive "sun shower" (available at discount and outdoor stores) - a refreshing way to begin any day! If you feel best about yourself with make-up and hair fixed, or clean shaved, then bring these accessories. In your free time, you may want to polish your nails, mud your face or cleanse your skin, in addition to fish and hike! Your only limitation in the wilderness is the lack of electricity. And remember, nothing is more refreshing for your skin than the mineral waters of natural hot springs, available on the Lower Piedra and Verde Rivers!

Women may prefer to have women guides on the trip. If this is important to you, make a request. Either way, all of our guides are able to address specific women’s concerns, including the monthly cycle. Waterproof bags are available on the raft to put your personal fanny pack (bring your own) enclosing your supplies (napkins or tampons), some toilet paper and some small Ziploc bags. Dispose your used tampon/pad in the plastic bag, and then dispose in the camp toilet. Simple!

Cleanliness Concerns

Concerns for cleanliness in the wilderness include kitchen procedures, hand washing availability and cleanliness of rentals. A 4-step dish washing procedure is always used to ensure cleanliness. First the dishes are rinsed, then washed with soap, then sterilized with bleach and hot water and finally rinsed again in clean, filtered or bottled water. A hand wash is available at all times at camp; a waterless hand sanitizer is used when washing water is not available, like during the raft excursion when stopping for lunch.

Sleeping bag liners are provided for cleanliness. Rented wetsuits and wetsuit boots are sanitized after each trip with our 4 step system: 1. Rinsed and scrubbed, 2. Dipped in antibacterial soap, 3. Thoroughly rinsed again, 4. Hung to dry.

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