Day 1

After you arrive in either Brevard, you'll meet your instructors and course mates and then travel to Pisgah National Forest to rendezvous with the rest of the group. Enjoy a picnic lunch and a game of Ultimate Frisbee before setting up your first night's camp along the banks of the Davidson River. Excitement will build as you get to know your companions for the next two weeks, talk about your goals, and begin preparing for your upcoming backpacking section.

Day 2-4

These three days will take you through fern-filled cove forests and along tumbling creeks as you learn to backpack on some of the Pisgah Ranger District's finest trails. Since this is our first backpacking section, we'll start with the fundamentals of backcountry travel. You'll first learn what clothes and gear you need to bring and how to efficiently pack a backpack. Once on the trail, you'll discover how to plan and follow a route and how to select and set up a campsite. After a rewarding day on the trail, you'll particularly look forward to learning the basics of backcountry cooking! It won't take long for you to feel perfectly at home in the woods as you and your new friends leave behind the everyday world and rediscover the freedom and wonder of the great outdoors.

Day 5-6

As soon as one adventure ends, another begins. Take your backpacks off for a couple of days and set up base camp at the foot of Looking Glass Rock, where professional climbing guides will introduce us to the world of technical rock climbing. We'll learn the fundamentals of top-roping, belaying, and rappelling with a continuing emphasis on proper safety procedures. Over the course of these two days, your instructors will help you select routes offering the right degree of challenge as your abilities improve, and you'll have the thrill of mastering classic Looking Glass climbs such as Second Coming and Bloody Crack.

Day 7-8

Now that your on the up and up, may as well keep at it! You’ll jump in the van for a scenic drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to travel to Mt. Mitchell Sate Park. You’ll put those familiar backpacks on and begin at the Southeast base of the weathered mountain. You’ll camp deep in the dark green hues of spruce and fir forests. The next day you’ll summit Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River. From the gorgeous vista on the tip-top, you can view four states!

Day 9-10

The next two days, spent at the celebrated Nantahala Outdoor Center, are action packed! First, experience life among the treetops as you tackle the elements of an awesome Ropes and Challenge course, which will both challenge and extend your courage and confidence as it fuels the teamwork and camaraderie of the group. Imagine the thrill of walking across a narrow balance beam high above the ground with your course mates encouraging you from below! From there, jump into your own inflatable kayak and discover the magic of whitewater as we plunge through the shining rapids of the Nantahala River. Be careful, though: running Appalachian whitewater can be habit forming! After this taste of kayaking, you'll be eager to jump in a raft for the bigger water soon to come.

Day 11-13

The final section of our trip takes you to the world-class rapids of the Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympic whitewater competition. Through teamwork and with the tutelage of professional river guides, we'll tackle infamous drops like Broken Nose, Double Trouble, and the awe-inspiring Tablesaw. For our final evening, we'll share a rousing banquet dinner where you'll tell tales and share laughs and revisit the highlights of two glorious weeks together.