Mother and Daughter Reunion
By Jill Carstens-Faust

“Mom, do we really need all this bug spray?” asked my 12-year-old daughter, Catie. We were packing the last of our bags before leaving the next morning on a mother-daughter camping and rafting trip in northeastern Utah. I assured her insect spray was at the top of the packing list, and we’d be sorry if we didn’t have enough.

Getting away for six days wasn’t going to be easy. We were leaving Dad and younger brother and sister behind, and our crazy schedule hadn’t slowed down much since the end of school and the start of summer.

But the fact that my daughter would soon turn 13 seemed reason enough to plan a getaway just for the two of us — a time to experience something new together and, as trite as it sounds, to make lasting memories.

The concept of female-only getaways is not necessarily new, but the idea has grown considerably, as witnessed by the numerous getaway packages — from shopping forays to rugged adventures — now marketed to women traveling together. These women may be best friends since seventh grade, college roommates, sisters or even mothers and daughters.

Our adventure began when Catie and I stepped off the plane in Salt Lake City and into our rented Ford Mustang convertible. The four-hour drive to Vernal, Utah — a scenic and mountainous jaunt — would definitely be more exciting with the top down and the scenery unfolding around us. After an overnight in Vernal, we met with our outfitter, Adrift Adventures, early the next morning for a pre-launch meeting in nearby Jensen.
With gear loaded and our belongings, including an obnoxious amount of insect repellent, safely packed in dry bags, we set off to our put-in site in northwestern Colorado. The two-hour drive offered an ideal time to read up on the area.

Our girl getaway was a four-day trip starting in Lodore Canyon on the Green River aboard an oar-powered raft. We covered 44 river miles through remote wilderness in Dinosaur National Monument.

Each sun-drenched day of our journey was filled with exciting white-water rapids, views of soaring red-walled canyons, hikes through spectacular terrain to even more spectacular waterfalls, the occasional sight of a bighorn sheep at the water's edge, delicious dinners around the campfire, tales of the area’s history and the rugged and colorful people who settled the area, and the chance to see up close petroglyphs and pictographs created as early as A.D. 500 by the Fremont Indians.

Some of the best times came after Catie and I settled in our tent for the night and recounted the day. One evening ended in a fit of giggles as we recalled the chilling experience of washing our hair in the river that morning. What a sight we must have been, sudsing each other’s hair and plunging into the chilly water to rinse as fast as we could.

As we headed back to Salt Lake City for an overnight and early morning flight back home, Catie and I weren’t exactly focused on the memories we had made. Our discussion was more centered on the long, hot showers waiting for us at the hotel; after all, we had four days’ worth of bug spray to scrub off.

Jill Carstens-Faust is the senior/photo editor of AAA Home & Away.

If you go

Adrift Adventures
800-824-0150; adrift.com

There are a variety of getaway ideas designed for the all-girl trip. Budgets, destinations and the group’s interests are all considerations. Here’s a sampling of offerings:

Big Girls Slumber Party: Girlfriend’s Getaway Package
Phoenix's JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa features a deluxe room, two spa treatments, cosmopolitans at the Vista Lounge and a turndown gift that includes fashion magazines. 480-293-5000; jwdesertridgeresort.com.

Get Your Glam On
Offered at Omni properties across the country, including San Diego, San Francisco and Dallas, this package features deluxe accommodations, a bottle of wine, chocolate-covered strawberries, a “chick flick” DVD and girlfriends tarot card kit. Packages can be customized to include spa treatments, limo service to nearby shopping dinner reservations and more. 888-444-OMNI; omnihotels.com.

Giddy-Up Gals Getaway or Divot Divas Diversion
Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg offers two different packages just for women. For cowgirls, the Giddy-Up package includes personalized riding instruction, horse/tack education, unlimited trail rides and an afternoon of team penning. Divot Divas get unlimited golf, including nine holes with a golf pro, a three-hour group lesson. Both packages include all meals and a desert cookout. 928-684-5484 or 800-684-5030; sunc.com.