Rocky Mountain National Park Wild Basin Entrance Sign, Colorado, USA
5 DAYS
Detailed Itinerary: click here
Focus: Backpacking + mindfulness
Difficulty: Level 5 out of 5, learn more
Group Makeup: 8 spots available, women identifying, all ages (usually our trip average age is 30’s-60’s), mostly solo travelers (but pairs and small groups welcome!)
Tour Leader: Shannon Briese + Breanne Kiefner
Deposit: $500 due to hold your spot, custom payment plans available!
Includes:
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Plus:
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This trip is an amazing opportunity to introduce yourself to the incredible world of backpacking, all while getting to do it in one of the most beautiful National Parks! The experience of being in the Colorado Rockies is second to none with crisp Rocky Mountain air, soaring views, wildlife sightings, and tranquil mountain glacier lakes.
With 2 local guides with decades of experience, you will be well taken care of throughout your adventure. From the beginning, they will help make sure your gear is properly packed and fitted, tend to aches and pains on the trail, and prepare delicious and nutritious meals.
Our Root Adventures Tour Leader will infuse the experience with mindfulness practices that will help you reconnect with nature and yourself. Ending with a fun stay at the historic Stanley Hotel , you'll have the opportunity rest and reconnect with your fellow travelers before heading home.
We provide a full service experience. Included in your trip cost is:
Transportation: All transportation is included from arrival at the Denver International Airport and return.
Food: All food from lunch on day one to dinner on day 5 are included as outlined in the itinerary.
Accommodation: Accommodation during the backpacking portion of the trip will be in shared, modern, lightweight 2-person weather-proof tents. Also included is a one night stay at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park on the last night of your trip.
Equipment: Trip participants will be responsible for providing their own hiking clothing, rain gear, day packs, and sturdy hiking footwear. We will provide group camping gear along with sleeping bags and sleeping pads. Option for us to rent backpack and hiking poles for you. The guides will provide the group safety gear such as tarps, emergency communication devices and bear spray as well as group cooking gear and food.
Safety: As with all our trips, safety is our number one priority. We expect the unexpected and will have plans for anything that could happen while on our adventures. We will have radios and other types of emergency communication devices, evacuation plans, and all of our guides have current Advanced Wilderness First Aid Certificates.
2 Root Expert Tour Leaders who will facilitate mindfulness/wellness practices
2 Local Guides
Daily mindfulness activities
Individual pre-trip assistance as needed
2 pre-trip calls
2 post trip calls
Access to our Director of Traveler Experience who can help answer all your questions!
All tips/gratuities
6 Week Post-Trip Meditation Series to help integrate your experience
Lifetime access to the Root Community
Travel insurance
Flights costs
Please arrive in Denver, CO (DIA Airport) by 11am on August 30th. Departure from Denver, CO any time after 11am on September 3rd.
If you need assistance booking your flights, you can reach out to us directly, [email protected]. We can help with any travel details!
Shannon, a Pilates instructor and Massage Therapist by trade, co-founded Malas for Tatas, a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals with breast cancer afford alternative, holistic care to supplement cancer treatment. Through the organization and with Root Adventures, she hosts mala making workshops that fundraise for their recipients. Shannon encourages volunteerism, community building, and creativity and ultimately encourages others to cultivate a mindfulness practice. It is an opportunity to heal and to provide support to others on their healing journey.
Shannon fell for travel the moment she arrived in Belize at the age of 18. The experience opened her eyes to the raw beauty of Central America and it's culture. She knew immediately that travel was a wise teacher and she, an eager student, and has since explored parts of Mexico, Canada, Europe, and a handful of gems in the United States. She has a deep appreciation for the wonder of the world and loves to connect with the culture of anywhere she lands. Shannon's adventures often include her husband and daughter when they venture out from their Colorado home base.
Q: What's your favorite book?
A: Empire of the Summer Moon- A powerful historical take on Native American culture, primarily Comanche, and white settlers whose battle over control of the American West spanned over a 40-year period. Generations were and continue to be impacted. Why I didn't learn this in history class is a mystery to me. Which is why I appreciated it as much as I did.
Q: What are your favorite self-care practices?
A: I am particularly fond of meditation, connecting with nature on a hike in the front range, journaling for self-development, acupuncture, and baths. Getting quiet is the common thread here. Learning and practicing the art of slowing down and getting quiet ( still a work in progress) has been invaluable to reconnecting with myself and learning what my true wants and needs are. This is the greatest act of self-care I can practice.
Q: What's your favorite place to travel and why? I have a deep love for the water and mountains. If you put them together, I am in heaven.
A: Cinque Terre, on the Italian Riviera, stole my heart. I fell in love with this part of the world, a true feast of the senses. This magical, slow-paced, Mediterranean haven has a rich history, is full of passionate people, and fresh food; grown and harvested there. The coastline is stunning, one that you can explore by foot or train but if you feel like you want to relax, you can grab food from a local grocery and enjoy a picnic on the beach. I never wanted to leave.
Visit: www.totalbodywellnessdenver.com
Follow on Instagram: @Totalbodwellness
Visit: www.malasfortatas.org
Follow on Instagram: @Malasfortatas
A: Yes we do offer customizable payment plans!
All that is due at the time of sign up is a $500 deposit to reserve your spot.
Our goal is to provide unique and once-in-a-lifetime experiences while paying our local guides and tour leaders fairly and boosting the local economies that we visit. We also want to make sure that our trips are financial available to those who are interested in traveling in a conscious and intentional way, which is why we offer customizable payment plans.
Please call 765-418-0571 or email [email protected] to inquire about how we can help you make this trip a reality.
A: Absolutely! We are here to make everything for your trip, including planning, go as smoothly as possible.
Once you secure your spot on the trip with your deposit, we can help you navigate flights and travel and answer any other questions you have about the trip including what to pack, what to expect, any fears you might have and more.
We are a real company with a real human being just like you at the other end of your phone, text, or email - no call centers or un-caring customer service representatives. We are mindfulness practioners and teachers who truly want to know about you and how we can help make this an incredible experience for you.
A: It’s very important to Root Adventures that our trips include mindful components. This might be yoga, meditation, journaling or other transformational activities. Every day we will have intentional practice and connect to nature, however this trip is for you!
We encourage you to take time to rest, unplug, and do what feels right for you.
Our wellness guides have decades of experience in transformative group work and are trained in inclusivity to ensure that experiences are accessible to all.
New to mindfulness or wellness practices? Not to fret! You will be provided with a pre-trip guide that will walk you through components of mindfulness practice if you're new to it all! We love beginners and always hope to create a space where we can return to our child-like selves, seeing everything as if for the first time.
A: Yes. Each trip has two pre-trip calls via Zoom. One will be about a month before departure and the second about a week before departure. You will have a chance to meet the other participants, the tour leader, and ask all remaining questions that you might have.
In addition you will receive packing lists, a pre-trip guide to prepare for your trip, and access to our mindfulness-trained Director of Traveler Experience. She is here to help you with any pre-trip questions and planning that you need.
After your trip there will be 2 post-trip Zoom calls with your tour leaders as well as a post-trip integration guide that will help you ease back into life and keep the magic of the trip going!
Your adventure begins today! You’ll meet your group and guides at the Denver International Airport. We’ll enjoy lunch in town before transferring to our frontcountry campground just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. We’ll make sure our bags are packed and fitted properly and distribute group gear. We’ll enjoy a delicious camp dinner before getting into our tents to rest up before our first big day of hiking!
Accommodations: Frontcountry Camping
Meals: L, D
After a leisurely morning at camp, we’ll begin the drive to the trailhead. We’ll enjoy a 4 mile hike to our backcountry basecamp for the next two nights and learn about the indigenous people and park history along the way. Upon arriving at camp, you’ll enjoy some gentle movement and stretching followed by a welcome dinner with good company. You’ll sleep beneath the stars surrounded by the mountains.
Accommodations: Backcountry Camping
Meals: B, L, D
An optional morning meditation practice will clear our minds for the day's new adventure.
We’ll spend the day hiking 11 miles- being sure to take our time! Mid-day we’ll stop for lunch with a view at a beautiful glacial lake. We’ll be rewarded with lush green meadows, wildflowers, and maybe some falls. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for elk, moose, bears, big-horned sheep, and more! After returning to our campsite we'll enjoy a gourmet camp dinner with a cool down stretch and time for evening reflection.
Accommodations: Backcountry Camping
Meals: B, L, D
After a leisurely morning with some recovery movement and mindful practices we’ll enjoy breakfast at camp before packing up and making the final trek to where we started. We’ll then make our way to the town of Estes Park and the historic Stanley Hotel. We’ll enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant as we reflect on
our adventure!
Accommodations: Stanley Hotel
Meals: B, L, D
This morning, we will make our way back to the Denver International Airport and say “see you soon!” to the group and guides.
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