With temperatures approaching 40 degrees, we set off on our unsupported, 10-day, 120-mile canoe expedition down the Green River and through the Canyonlands of Utah, USA. The only food to eat and water to drink would be what we took with us on day one. The wind speed was high, and it was clear that for many of us it was our first time canoeing.  We found ourselves spinning in circles trying to fight the oncoming headwind, whilst trying to hold on to our hats and prevent them sailing down the river - some more successfully than others!

As we continued and the conditions calmed, there was a surreal moment of realisation as we took in the scenery of the desert canyons surrounding us, reminding us exactly where in the world we were. We carried on down the river, learning different paddle strokes and techniques to better control our canoes and keep them heading in the right direction.

Eventually, we reached our first campsite, which we aptly named ‘Scott’s Bank’ – a near-vertical embankment that required us to haul hundreds of kilograms of kit up to occupy the spot. Scott confidently confirmed this would be worth the effort, as it was the perfect site to set up camp. Hesitantly, we all followed suit, dragged our kit up the bank and pitched our tents – which, in fact, turned out to be the ideal place to settle in. That evening, we continued with desert survival lessons, learning how to use knives and axes safely and how to build fires. We finished the night with chicken fajitas cooked on the fires we had made.

Day 2 wasn’t much better in terms of wind – headstrong gusts created waves that crashed over the canoes, forcing us to quickly develop techniques to keep them straight. Day 3, however, brought a complete change of pace with hardly any wind and plenty of still water, making for an extremely leisurely paddle down river. We basked in the sun and used far less energy without the constant struggle against the wind. This gave us the perfect opportunity to practise overboard drills, ticking off a training objective. These drills involved jumping off our canoes into the water and being rescued by nearby canoe teams. We used this time to swim, cool off, and learn essential safety techniques that could one day save lives.

We arrived at our next camp, docked the canoes, and set up. That evening we spotted scorpions, beavers and deer roaming the area. We took the opportunity to climb some nearby canyons, take photos and soak in the incredible views.

By day 5, we had learnt a variety of paddle strokes and techniques – J strokes, draw strokes, pry strokes, reverse strokes, and ruddering. We also rotated through a solo canoe to help hone these skills. The practice was paying off; we were progressing more efficiently and confidently each day. That night’s campsite had manmade shelter and toilets, which gave everyone a boost in morale, furthered by the flat iron steaks and wedges that had been expertly prepared over the open camp fire. There was also a perfect swimming spot right by where we had docked, which we took full advantage of.

We were soon reminded of the importance of vigilance when a crow attempted to steal some of our personal kit while our backs were turned. Fortunately, everything was secured so nothing went flying away!

(Report continues below pictures)

(Exercise Wyvern Shoshone Continued)

On day 6, we practised backwards paddling and had a few races as we made our way to ‘Register Rock’ – a huge rock wall etched with hundreds of names and dates, showing just how many people had travelled down the Green River over the years, dating back to the early 1900s. There was also a chained-up ammo tin containing a thick notepad for visitors to add their names and stories. Naturally, we added ours – including our units – to leave our mark on this little piece of American history.

Later, we reached that evening’s campsite and began practising our capsize drills. We learnt the curl method and the cross method, practising these drills in pairs in preparation for the rapids we were due to encounter the following day. It was on this day that we realised we were burning through water faster than expected. We began filtering river water into our empty jerry cans using the issued water filters, which quickly proved to be ineffective due to the fine sediment in the river – they were breaking at an alarming rate. Dinner was beef goulash and chocolate brownies.

On day 7, we stopped at a spot called ‘The Three Canyons’ to explore and take more photos before heading on towards the anticipated rapids – which, as it turned out, were no rougher than the waters we had already faced in the wind on days 1 and 2. Thanks to our earlier conditioning, we paddled past them with no issues. At camp that night, our top priority was filtering water. With no working filters left, we put our newly acquired desert survival skills to the test and filtered river water through a cloth into a jerry can, boiling it over a fire in a Dutch oven, then decanting it into another jerry can. This produced clean, if slightly smoky-tasting, water.

Finally, after 120 miles, we arrived at our final campsite on day 9 on the Colorado River. There, we found a care package waiting for us – ice-cold water in a cooler, left prior to our arrival. It’s hard to put into words how refreshing it was to taste fresh, cold water after 10 days of extreme heat and hard work. After hydrating, we began washing down our kit in preparation for our exfil the next day. We pitched our tents on the sandy shore, had a pasta dish with the remainder of our food, and enjoyed our last night on the river.

The next morning at 1000, the pre-booked jet boat arrived to collect us, our gear and return us to civilisation via the Colorado River. Just like that, our adventure was over. We spent the final two days conducting essential admin in Moab and reflecting on what we had accomplished as a team over a well-deserved cold beer!

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Welfare & Benevolence

Find Support Here

The AAC RHQ team operates from HQ AAC which is based at the Army Aviation Centre, Middle Wallop, Hampshire. The team administers the AAC Charity, (Charity Commission No 1184333), which provides the basis for welfare and benevolence in the Corps and for AAC Veterans. 

If you are aware of somebody in need who may require help or advice, please direct them to their local Royal British Legion, SSAFA Regional Office, or the Officers’ Association, (or Veterans Aid in London), in the first instance.

These organisations give advice and will task caseworkers where appropriate.

Advice may be sought from either the AAC Welfare Assistant or the Army Air Corps Secretary via email:

AACHQ-RHQ-Mailbox@mod.gov.uk

Serving personnel may access support through their Unit Welfare staff or the service-related charities above.

SSAFA - 0800 731 4880 from 9.00 to 17.30 weekdays. At other times a message can be left. www.ssafa.org.uk/about-us/contact-us

The Royal British Legion – 0808 802 8080 from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week.
www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/

The Officers’ Association - 020 7808 4175
www.officersassociation.org.uk/contact- us/

Veterans’ Aid - 0800 012 6867 or 0207 8282468 or visit VETERANS-AID.NET/CONTACT/ Veterans Gateway can put veterans in touch with organisations dealing with healthcare, housing, employment and more. 0808 8021212. www.veteransgateway.org.uk/

More detailed information here

The RHQ team also:

• Adminsters the AAC Veterans' Association (AACVA) and produces the AAC Association's monthly newsletter;
• oversees the Eagle Connect communications platform on the Military App and WebApp, using it where needed to raise funds, take donations or take payments for ticketed AAC / AACVA events through the Stripe payment platform;
• liaises with Colonel-in-Chief AAC and co-ordinates the annual drumbeat of commemorative and Remembrance activities on behalf of the Corps.

Find out more about the team here

Trinity Insurance Partnership

The Army Air Corps Charity has entered into a new partnership with Trinity Insurance. Trinity is committed to providing protection to the Armed Forces community, including serving, reservists and veterans.

Trinity is a Financial Conduct Authority regulated broker and also a member of BIBA (British Insurance Brokers’ Association). The business is run by veterans and has over 23 years’ experience of serving the Armed Forces community.

With 50% of their staff drawn from across the military community, Trinity has a deep understanding of the needs of serving personnel, veterans and their families. With thousands of customers from across the armed forces community they strive to operate and serve those customers under the military values of service, loyalty, integrity and trust.

How can Trinity support members of The Army Air Corps family?

• By offering a range of products to members including buildings and contents insurance, travel insurance, life insurance, personal accident insurance, private medical insurance and more.

• By offering an experienced customer services team who are at the end of a dedicated phone number (and web chat) for any questions or quick quotes.

• By becoming a trusted insurance partner to members– striving to offer easy to understand products that are good value, meet the needs of the armed forces community and are backed up by excellent customer service.

AAC and Army Aviation members of Eagle Connect, serving and retired, can read the full list of offers available to the AAC family in the latest edition of Hawkeye, published on the app https://armyaircorps.co.uk/web-app/

Or, members of our Army Air Corps family can visit Trinity online via this bespoke link: Talk to Trinity