Joy, growth, rejuvenation, support, laughter -- these were the words that floated from our mouths and hovered over our rafts as we drifted down the last few miles of our San Juan River Women’s Retreat. Four days earlier our gaggle of now quite giggly women had met in Blanding, Utah, each an individual, not knowing each other or the river.

There was a tentative quietness at our pre-trip meeting in the lobby of the small town’s Comfort Inn. Exhausted women introduced themselves, shared stories of their efforts to get to Blanding, and conservatively asked the questions fed by uncertainty (“Will my cell phone work?”) and maybe even fear of letting go of life’s responsibilities for four days. Others were just ready to get their dry bags and go to their room and sleep. No one really laughed or chatted, though their bodies and souls longed for this trip.

As for me, I was SO ready for this trip. I have the very fortunate position of working at Holiday and the opportunity to go on our trips when time, space and life allow it. Even though I enjoy doing trips with my husband and family, I jockey to place myself on our women’s river retreats whenever possible. These trips recharge me, enlighten me and inspire me. I’ve been on several women’s trips and each time I find myself among a unique mixture of women – all ages, from all over, with a thousand different reasons (or no reason at all!) for being on a women’s river retreat. They share their life stories, laughter and love. Mainly, I savor going on these trips because at the end, I see each woman loving herself more than when she arrived weary from the rigors of day-to-day life.

Our San Juan Women’s River Retreat, over Memorial Day weekend, was no different. Women guests and guides came from East and West: a woman from Michigan celebrating her 50th birthday and her first solo soul journey; two sisters checking out from their families and busy lives in Massachusetts and Florida for sister time; a three-time women’s trip veteran from Colorado; a “never-ever” to river running and camping even though she grew up in Utah; and a librarian/social worker from Holiday’s Green River, Utah “hometown” looking for a hiatus from the hectic planning of her son’s wedding. When we finally put-on the San Juan, swift and silty with the peak of spring snow run-off, I could instantly see everyone exhale. You could hear the “Ahhhh!” and the laughter begin as the current whisked us away from the town of Bluff, cars, computers, phones and televisions, leaving our lives and worries behind . . . at least for a few days.

At our first camp we were introduced to some yoga stretches, fed a delicious Mexican fajita dinner, sipped a few cool margaritas and basked in a fiery sunset. Marlene Lambert, our incredibly gifted yoga and massage facilitator, played her guitar and sang her song about a Raven who says there is always a metaphor for life.

On this trip several metaphors were defining. One guest had computer problems before coming on the trip while also dealing with the beginnings of a divorce. When she called the tech support person, he told her she had “power issues” and all she needed to do was hold down a couple buttons on her keyboard and press restart! This trip was the perfect place to “press restart.”

To restart for some it was just a matter of taking a step back from life, getting a different perspective and getting away from the stress. For others, it was learning yoga for the very first time and finding a new source of calm. What I like best about the women’s trips is that each trip is a restart and each woman can make the trip her own.

The next morning five of us gathered for a morning yoga session, while other guests opted to sleep in, take a hike or just watch. Yoga with one of my new river friends brought giggles, calm and sisterhood. On my first women’s trip in 1998 no one could have convinced me that within 24 hours of the trip starting I would be massaging the feet of a woman who I’d never met before! This morning as I did partner yoga with a woman who’d never done yoga, I enjoyed the connection and support we gave each other. The day before we didn’t know each other from Adam (or Adel), but being a world away from civilization in the embrace of the San Juan’s canyon walls, and our guides’ and yoga instructor’s expertise, can make a world of difference.

For most of the day, as we wound through the towering sandstone walls, we laid back in awe. The heat mellowed us, but the frolic of small, intermittent rapids perked us up. There were comfortably quiet times for personal reflection and sheer reverence. There were also times of funny conversational games like “My Brush with Greatness”, then deeper discussions about spirituality, and life trials and passions. Some guests simply opted to dig into their first summer read – that was okay, too. The river cradled both the trivial and the thoughtful in an open space of non-judgment and support.

Our adept and genuine guides, Katie and Jessica, made river and camp time that much more fun and comfortable. They poured their infinite energy, talent and humor into our trip. So much so, that in the afternoon Jessica cajoled Katie into performing a team cheer. Up on her rowing seat she stood, as we her trusting fans waited. She wagged her hips, worked her arms and shook her finger, chanting, “Our team is the best in the city! We get down to the real nitty gritty . . . Right on, right on!” Back in real life, most of us may have thought she had lost it or completely regressed, but on our trip, a cheer for us was perfectly in order. It was ours!

Our last night camp found us at the foyer to Grand Gulch, a rapturous side canyon harboring oases, magic rock formations and a millennia of native ancestor’s joys and hardships. Eleanor, now completely shed of her guise as mother of two and corporate lawyer was enraptured with the innocence and wonder of exploring the Gulch. She trotted back into camp with a giant grin on her face and announced, “I’ve found the perfect place to do our afternoon massage.” Without question, we followed her through cool green pools of water, around boulders and up a small rock scramble to a giant slab of red rock cantilevered over reflecting pools and under a bright blue sky.

If the setting wasn’t restorative enough, learning, giving and receiving Swedish massage that afternoon certainly was. Our now tanned and lithe bodies drifted back down to camp – an unsaid, but effervescent peace and joy permeated our small place on the river, on earth and in our souls

Earlier in the day, Jessica announced that we would celebrate “Christmas on the River” that evening, and that we could each make, find or recycle something as a gift. At camp, in the center of our “dining area”, she laid out the setting for a twig of tamarisk set in a can, swathed in the ‘tree skirt’ of her delightfully colored sarong. One by one, resourcefully “wrapped” and adorned objects appeared under our fledgling Christmas tree as we gathered for dinner. After celebrating Vikki’s fiftieth birthday with a dutch oven brownie cake, complete with candles, we took turns picking a river gift from the tree – birthday girl first, of course.

The gifts were the very essence of our trip – offerings of thoughtfulness, creativity, nature, humor, practicality, nourishment for body and soul, and innate beauty. Gracious gifts, all given with sincerity and gratitude to and from our new friends, sisters, team members!

As we eased down the river toward life “re-entry” the next morning, we connected our rafts and sat in a meditative silence. I thought about the grandness of where we were, how powerful a group of ten women on a river can be, how our days were lazy with laughter and simply taking it all in, how thankful I was for the opportunity to know each of these women and have four days to restart. Then we each took a moment to express the trip, our feeling, our experience in one word. Mine was “joy”. If I could have used two words my answer would have been “Absolute Joy”!

For more information about Holiday Expeditions’ Women’s River Retreats go to: www.HolidayBikeExpeditions.com