We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the quality, capabilities, and leadership of our 2016 Adventure Treks instructors. On Wednesday, June 15, our 62 instructors transitioned from our large orientation site in southern Washington into our six-person trip teams. Vans filled with instructors are now on the road, exploring their trip destinations as we continue training in smaller groups for another full week.
Our instructors are studying their trip notes and learning their itineraries, mastering the tiny details that make an Adventure Treks experience unique. They will scout trailheads, practice driving, refresh backcountry camping and hiking skills, plan menus, shop for food, and study student and parent questionnaires and health histories to prepare for our students’ arrival. Most important, as role models, they will build a kind, close, and caring community which will form a model for our students.
During orientation, we apply recent trends in youth development to our outdoor environment, with a focus on a growth mindset, 21st century skills, and our “Great Eight Outcomes.” We also refreshed our medical skills, reviewed policies and protocols, talked extensively about risk management, spent an intensive day on van-driving training, and exchanged ways to develop the inclusive communities that are the hallmark of Adventure Treks.
We also played a lot of games! If our instructors are having fun, so are our students! And there is actually research to back the impact games can have in group development. We are working hard to create an incredible summer for our students. This is a very special team of instructors, and we can’t wait for the summer to begin!
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to capture a fantastic shot. What’s more, you don’t even have to have a fancy or expensive camera. Today’s point and shoot cameras come equipped with systems that rival more expensive options (think digital SLRs), so you’ve got what you need to create a beautiful photograph. The next time you head out on an adventure, just keep these tips in mind and you’ll be creating magazine-worthy images before you know it.
Perspective
Always think about what will make the photograph look interesting and different. Below, in the image to the left, there’s a pretty contrast between the snow and the creek. But it’s just an average picture… until the wind picked up. Try to include an element of awe or surprise, and you’ll instantly add a wow factor to your photograph. Filters also help add creative elements to an image. This scene was originally shot in color, but was switched to black and white to add a more powerful contrast. Most cameras and smartphones have a variety of built-in filters. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Take the picture in the normal setting as well in case you’re not sure you’ll like the final effect.
Though the highest summit in the Appalachians, Mt. Mitchell, tops out at just under 6,700 feet, during their formation more than 300 million years ago, the Blue Ridge Mountains were among the highest peaks in the world. On the Blue Ridge Explorer trip, students will get to hike in the Shining Rock Wilderness, the largest protected wilderness area in the state. They’ll traverse several peaks over 6,000 feet, including Black Balsam Knob (6,214 feet, pictured), from which they’ll be able to view several other impressive summits like Mt. Mitchell, 45 miles to the northeast, on clear days. What’s most awe-inspiring, however, is the panoramic view of the lush, vividly green rolling hills of the Black Balsam range.
Waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls! There are as many as 1,500 waterfalls in North Carolina, and the other area in which we backpack, Panthertown Valley, houses at least eight of the prettiest ones. Students will have the chance to stop and swim around beneath the larger falls, including Schoolhouse Falls (pictured). There’s no better way to cool off on a hot day than having “splash wars” in crystal-clear swimming holes next to sandy beaches! Panthertown, a 6,700-acre tract of gorgeous wilderness, also contains huge granite domes, validating its nickname “Yosemite of the East.”
More water! Just as impressive as our host of waterfalls is the sheer volume of rivers running through western North Carolina. Known as a hotbed for boating enthusiasts, our students spend five to six days inflatable kayaking, canoeing, and whitewater rafting the great waterways of the region. The Chattooga River, the first river east of the Mississippi to be designated a Wild and Scenic River, has some of the most exciting rapids we paddle. They’ll also hop into inflatable kayaks, aka “duckies,” down the Nantahala River, culminating with the optional drop down the dramatic, class 3 Nantahala Falls. Finally, Blue Ridge students will learn and hone canoeing skills on either the serene Lake Santeetlah (pictured) or the French Broad River, which is the third-oldest river in the world!
Chances are your teenager has seen the movie The Hunger Games, and it’s also likely that your teenagers knows that filming took place all over western North Carolina. On the Blue Ridge Explorer, our students mountain bike through DuPont State Forest, where some of the more memorable movie scenes take place at Triple Falls (pictured) and Bridal Veil Falls. DuPont’s single-track trails attract mountain bikers of all skill levels, and many of its trails offer something that most Appalachian forests don’t: slickrock, i.e. smooth, wind-polish rock trails, that wind through beautiful waterfalls and rare habitats like high-elevation bogs.
Last but not least, the wildly diverse ecological systems of North Carolina help make the Blue Ridge Explorer trip so memorable. Students will have a birds-eye view as they zipline through the Green River Gorge, whizzing through deciduous forests down 1,100 vertical feet. This gorge has some of the most dramatic landscapes of any area we visit in North Carolina, and is bursting with plant and animal life as one of the most bio-diverse regions in the eastern United States. This zipline is one of the fastest in the United States—the perfect end to a wonderfully fun trip.