Join Holiday and Forrest Cuch for a special Native Voices Desolation Canyon Rafting Trip, through traditional Ute lands. On this trip we will hear from one of the voices who needs to be heard most as the West faces a critical moment in time to protect our region’s rivers. Forrest will join us August 28-September 2nd 2023 in one of the plateau’s most remote and beautiful canyons along the stretch of the Green River which also serves as the modern-day Western border for the Uintah Ouray Ute Tribe.
Desolation Canyon has long been a favorite trip, known for its extended length of time to enjoy the backcountry, intermediate and playful whitewater, shady cottonwood trees and exquisite riparian biodiversity. With 5 nights and 6 days to get out of touch and enjoy life’s finer things (good food, good company & good fun) this trip has it all. On this specialty trip however, the experience will be immeasurably enhanced by the wisdom of our friend and fellow water steward, Forrest Cuch.
Forrest is an enrolled member of the Ute Indian Tribe, a historian, advocate and spiritual guide. Forrest has formerly held many challenging positions including education director for the Ute Indian Tribe and executive director, Utah Division of Indian Affairs. Throughout his career, he has worked to call attention to the ancient presence and contributions of American Indian people throughout the Western Hemisphere, including the intermountain west. He is currently engaged in working with spiritual leaders throughout the Western Hemisphere to usher in the new shift in feminine consciousness known as the New Earth and calling attention to Climate Change and Harm to Mother Earth. Forrest strongly believes racism and environmental injustice are interrelated: “How man treats man is reflected in how we treat the environment. We are witnessing a high degree of environmental violence and destruction which correlates with how we treat each other.”
Want some pre-trip reading? Dive into Forrest’s book, A History of Utah’s American Indians.
Read more about this stretch of river: Insider’s Guide to Rafting the Green River through Desolation Canyon
Green River, Utah: Things to Do and Places to Explore