Day 1

Upon arrival into beautiful Charlotte, NC it's hard not to get the impression that our adventure is already underway. After gathering your bags, your adventure begins as you meet your experienced trip leaders as well as your fellow venturers for the first time. You can imagine how exciting it will be to meet kids your age from all over the country, all of you different individuals, but all of you excited for the journey ahead. From the airport, it's only a brief ten-minute drive to our first base camp location right in the majestic Appalachian mountains. There, as we learn to set up camp for the first time in the shadow of the shelter of the Blue Ridge, you'll get the chance to hang out with your new teammates and really get to know them. Right before your eyes, your trip will begin to take shape. And finally, once we have all settled in, we'll get right down to business, planning the first leg of our journey.

Days 2-4

We'll spend the first days of our journey getting to know our environment and each other better – and of course having lots of fun. We'll take exciting hikes to beautiful Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock Falls. Looking Glass Falls gets its name from the way it looks like a frosty mirror as its crisp waters reflect the sun, and aptly-names sliding rock is a favorite recreation spot for adventurers like ourselves who will take turns riding down this natural waterslide.  The following day will take us to the highest peak in both the Appalachian Mountains and the eastern United States.  Located in the beautiful Black Mountains of Western North Carolina, Mount Mitchell stands at 6,684 ft above sea level.  At the top of this grand summit, we'll hike a few extra feet to a castle-like observation deck while we'll enjoy views of the surrounding peaks and valleys.  These first, appetite-wetting hikes will develop our wonderlust and our lust for wandering as we turn our attention to preparing for our backpacking adventure in the Pisgah National Forest.

Days 5-8

In western North Carolina, the Pisgah National Forest contains some of the tallest mountains in the Eastern United States. Also housing one of the last remaining preserves of old growth forest (anywhere), this is a the perfect environment for our introductory backpacking experience – an environment of stunning beauty and preserved wildlife. Here we'll learn all of the skills important to wilderness travel (backcountry cooking skills, minimum impact camping techniques, as well as map and compass skills just to name a few) but most inspiring will be your classroom's staggering beauty. Finally, upon exiting the backcountry, we'll again move towards civilization to grab some showers and do some laundry before setting sail once again towards our next adventure.

Days 9-10

Heading into the great Smoky Mountains for the next two days, we'll embark on a trifecta of fun, outdoor adventure activities along the Nantahala River. Here, in this majestic wilderness, we'll learn introductory inflatable kayaking, climbing on an Alpine Tower, and take a zipline canopy tour of the forest below us during this series of fun and complementary activities that are sure to bring us closer together as a team.

Days 11-12

Venturing into Georgia we will hike Tallulah Gorge, a spectacular canyon that is over two miles long and nearly 1,000 ft deep.  Taking in spectacular views of the waterfalls and canyons below us, we will enjoy our last hike together as a group.  Moving north towards the border of Georgia and South Carolina, we'll plunge into the waters of the Chattooga River.  We'll work and play together as a team while paddling this famous whitewater under the careful instruction of local guides.

Days 13-14

After drying off from our day on the river, the final day of our journey will take us back toward Charlotte. We will share our traditional end-of-summer banquet - sharing stories and memories of our time together and crawling into bed early in preparation for our tearful goodbyes and flights home the next morning.