Available Trips 2006
Fire and Iceland has filled up (sorry), our Amazing Alps trip has closed and our Canadian Rockies trip has two seats left. Here are the trips with availability for the second half of 2006:
June 17 – 24 Utah Canyonlands
July 29 - Aug 4 Desert Mountain Escape
Aug 12 – 18 Tetons - Yellowstone
Sept 6 – 15 Best of the West
Sept 16 - 29 Awesome Aussie
Oct 2 – 7 Sedona Sojourn
Oct 7 – 14 Hawaiian Islands
Nov 4 – 11 Costa Rican Explorer
Please note we’ve moved the Aussie date forward from that advertised in our brochure.
Welcome - New Guides
Gaelyn Penberthy is a charter boat captain who will lead our Hawaiian Islands trip each spring and fall. A native of New Zealand, she now calls the trade winds of Oahu home. Like most Kiwis in their twenties, Gaelyn took a year to travel and explored most of the South American continent. She has owned a swim school and a yacht brokerage and currently offers her services as a marriage celebrant. She helped lead our Hawaii trip this spring and was a huge hit.
Prue Keenan is a teacher who will lead our Awesome Aussie trip. She is an Australian who has spent four years in New Zealand as a hiking and kayak guide. Prue has spent the last two years teaching English in Japan. She has traveled extensively in South America and can communicate in Spanish. She will be helping develop Canyon Calling trips in Peru and Ecuador in the near future.
Notes from the Trail – Spring Trips
Fiji – New Zealand
Good friends joined me on my last New Zealand tour making this trip even more special than usual. We had beautiful weather until Queenstown when it turned a mite chilly. At the marae (homeland) I presented the Maori people with a collage of pictures of the previous 13 groups who’ve walked onto the marae. Underneath each group photo I wrote the song that we sang at the marae - because that’s how they remember us best … “Oh, the You are my Sunshine” group! My friend Cushla hosted us for the evening at her beach house in the Coromandel - a really fun night.
Sedona Sojourn
An hour after everyone arrived in Sedona it snowed! However, it never lasts long and it made for some sensational photos. A day later we were hiking in a sunny 75 degrees under blue skies. We were all basketball fans and enjoyed watching March Madness games together in the evenings. Sedona is such a restful place that no-one wanted to leave! I was convinced to add another day to the next trip, October 2 – 7, 2006.
Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii had terrible weather January through March with flooding and washouts so we felt blessed with our week of fine, if cooler weather in April. The Na Pali Trail was challenging but no more muddy than normal – and the vistas are always sensational. Terry from Florida described our group best “It was like traveling with my favorite friends.” Kilauea lava was visible flowing into the sea but a little inaccessible – how inconvenient of Madame Pele! Swimming with the sea turtles was a definite highlight. We’re now offering our Hawaiian Islands trip in October (7 – 14, 2006) and adding a night so you can explore Kona for a day on your own before flying home.
New Trips for 2007
Magic Morocco (April 24 – May 5, 07)
Julie and I have just returned from exploring Morocco and we’ve designed a trip that you’re going to love! What an enchanting country full of contrasts – from ancient Kasbahs to modern cities, frigid mountains to broiling deserts, donkeys to BMW’s! Morocco is a cultural crossroads of Africa, Arabia and Europe with an ancient tradition of hospitality to travelers so we always felt very safe. We’ll be white water rafting past ancient villages, hiking in the High Atlas and riding camels in the Sahara. We’ll wander the souqs, visit a mosque, experience a hammam (spa) and share a dinner with local English-speaking women. Julie has visited many times and has a special place in her heart for Morocco. She will lead this trip.
San Juan Islands (late July, 2007)
We have many teachers who join us in the summer and some have asked for a trip in the Northwest that will be timed so they can get back for class preparation in early August. So look out for our San Juan trip next year where we’ll be hiking, biking, and kayaking in waters where the orcas follow the salmon run in the Haro Strait.
Go Greece (May 10 – 20) and Maine (early Sept) will return in our 2007 schedule. We LOVE to talk travel – call anytime! 928.282.0916
Cheryl Fleet
