Where do Synergia trips and Expeditions take place?
All over. Most of our trips take place in California, in the Sierra Nevada (which is our home) and the Coastal range. However, we also lead study and service trips to Baja California; canoe trips down the Black Canyon of the Colorado River; backpacking trips on the Big Island of Hawaii. We have explored Death Valley and the Green River in Utah. We are hopelessly in love with rivers and boating, and some of our favorite rivers to lead trips on are the Eel, the Colorado, the East Fork of the Carson, and Cache Creek.
How do you get there?
Synergia owns two 15 passenger vans, affectionately dubbed “Van-Go” and “Van Morrison”. We even travel to Baja California, Sur in our vans, which are equipped with dual rear wheels for extra safety. While parents sometimes have a hard time imagining that traveling in this way, especially over long distances, could possibly be enjoyable, it actually is. The vans are fairly roomy, Synergia staff intersperses throughout the ride, both vans have good stereo systems, and we bring an abundance of music and spoken word recordings. Considering the number of people that can be transported, the fuel efficiency per person is comparable to a Honda Civic.
How do you get all the gear to where you are going?
We have canoe and equipment trailers that we pull behind the vans.
How do I know what clothing and gear to get for a trip? How much can I expect to spend extra on specialty items?
Before every program you will be sent a complete and extensive packet that contains forms to fill out, an itinerary, emergency information, and a packing list. Everything is explained in the packet. Generally, you can keep extra costs to a minimum. Expensive items such as backpacks and sleeping bags can be rented from Synergia.
What about safety?
See the About Us section for details on safety, staff qualifications, etc.
What kind of food do you serve?
This is also part of a larger discussion on the Nutrition page, which we invite you to read. Briefly, Synergia teaches and practices minimum impact back country and travel skills and “Leave No Trace” ethics. This thinking applies to the food we eat, where we buy it, how we prepare it, and what our relationship to waste is. The short answer is that we serve wholesome, nutritious food. Wherever possible we buy locally, of all the food we serve, 80% is organically grown, and we are working on the remaining 20 per cent! Many of our staff are master chefs, and almost everyone raves about the food on a Synergia trip.