Troop Rafting Adventure Weekend (Premier Dam Release Weekend)

Expect adventure and excitement! You'll enjoy real rapids, test your paddling skills, and even get to jump out and take a swim. We require a minimum of one adult for every five youth to ensure there will be at least one adult in every raft (each raft holds 5-6 rafters; smaller groups may be combined). Trained river guides give paddling instruction and a safety orientation before rafting and accompany rafters in kayaks, providing safety oversight and guidance.

This is a primarily a troop-based, member-only program (like a camporee). Adult members will need to have current background-checks as troop leaders or support volunteers. Individual girl/parent pairs can partner up with an attending troop they know, though we ask that you inform us of such arrangments at programs@gshnj.org so that we can place you at the same campsite.

Meals: Lunch on the river and a simple continental breakfast (yogurt, granola and fruit with coffee/tea for adults) are included. Other meals are each troop's responsibility, since most of the badges include camp cooking as a requirement. For alternate meal options, the campground has an onsite snack bar open Saturday/Sunday, and there nearby pizzaria Enzo's delivers to the campground.

Accommodations: A campsite for two evenings in included in the program fee, and each campsite can accommodate multiple tents.Have a sister troop or troop from the same SU you wish to be combined with or near? Let Kelly know by June 5th at kmcdonald@gshnj.org. For those who wish to rent a tent (which will be pitched on your site for you), or reserve a rustic bunkhouse (wooden bunks, BYO mattress pads, no electricity) add-rentals are available.

Certifications: As with a camporee, all troops need to have at least one outdoor certified adult who has completed Outdoors and Overnights Steps 1-3 and enough adults to meet or surpass trip supervision ratios (enough to ensure at least 1 adult in every raft). Troops at the same site can share certifications with prior arrangement. An onsite GSHNJ Staff member can serve as a Troop First Aider if a troop lacks a troop first aider also with prior arrangments. For information on O+O Trainings, see here.

Capacity: Currently, GSHNJ will all be in the same rafting group (limited to 90 people). An additonal rafting group can be added if needed to increase capacity, but only if there is signifcant demand to justify an additional group.