Seven youth from the Nevada Urban Indians (NUI) Native Connections Program enjoyed a 3-day whitewater rafting trip on the South Fork of the American River. The participants were part of the 2026 Youth Outdoor Leadership Camp, which also included a backpack trip. The trip went perfectly. Youth and volunteers had a great time!
Friday, July 31
The group met at the Nevada Urban Indians Office on Friday afternoon. We started off with group introductions and a discussion of expedition behavior. Our base camp was the Nugget Campground on the banks of the American River. The camp was beautiful, covered with green grass and blackberry bushes. Youth set up their tents and prepared dinner. We ended the night with a campfire discussion on suicide prevention and mental health. We talked about the 988 crisis line, use of culture as prevention, and how the outdoors can be good for one’s mental health.
Saturday, August 1
We ran the Gorge Section of the river on Saturday. A safety talk taught youth about some of the hazards one can experience in the river like waves, holes, strainers, and sweepers. Youth learned how to safely swim in whitewater. Youth learned basic paddle strokes and raft commands. Rapids increased dramatically in the afternoon as we entered The Gorge. At the end of the day, participants had an opportunity to do a small cliff jump into the water, a challenge by choice activity.
In the evening, participants were given the opportunity to explore a small cave at the camp site. One youth mentioned how he learned to “connect with people while exploring the cave.”
Joe Cano of Reno-Sparks Indian Colony led interested youth and volunteers in making medicine bags and teaching the cultural significance of them. As they worked on their medicine bags, Joe played his flute.
Sunday, August 2
On the second day we did the Chili Bar section of the river. The rapids were a little more challenging - the teamwork and paddle skills that we learned on the first day were very helpful. One youth fell out of the boat on the Troublemaker Rapid but used his whitewater skills to stay calm and get close to the boat so that Steve could pull him back in. Falling out of the boat and swimming some of the rapid was one of his favorite memories of the trip.
Youth were given the opportunity to guide the boats, and they loved it! One mentioned, “I learned that I have the ability to have authority, because I have been a guide on a raft.”
At the end of each rafting day all the guides and participants shared their favorite experiences of the day. Youth saw apprentice guides barely older than themselves guiding rafts, and this inspired them to consider joining a training to become guides.
During dinner on Sunday night, surveys were completed. It is clear from their comments that youth and volunteers loved this trip. Here are some quotes from their surveys:
“I am a lot braver than I thought”
“I learned exercise can improve mental health”
“I learned I can make friends with people I never met”
“Whitewater rafting lets me forget about my childhood (trauma), it let me be me. When we were on the river it was the first time in my life where all my dread just went away.”
“On the trip I learned how important community connections are for mental and physical health”
What was your favorite memory? - “The whole trip because nearly every single second another amazing memory was made."
Gratitude
The power of this trip grew from the many people and organizations that made it a reality. Seven organizations helped to make our Youth Outdoor Leadership Camp a success. So much came together to provide for a safe and impactful trip for all involved.
This trip was organized by the Nevada Urban Indians Native Connections Program with support from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Native Connections Program, and the University of Nevada Reno Office of Indigenous Relations.
Reno ICO provided camping gear, including tents, sleeping bags, pads, and warmer clothing for the evenings. In addition, Reno ICO hooked us up to San Francisco Bay ICO Rafting, who led all the aspects of rafting, including guides, boats, shuttling, and guiding NUI in camping and food prep.
Also, a shout out to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association who led the backpacking portion of the Youth Outdoor Leadership Camp.
Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) is part of the Sierra Club. We are grateful to the Sierra Club for supporting the two ICO groups that made this happen. Both ICOs said they would love to partner with us in the future for trips. Next year we would like to do this trip again.
Trip Report by
Steve Hedrick
Native Connections Program
Nevada Urban Indians
8-10-26