Outdoor Adventure Trip Highlights: Week 2
Choose Your Own Adventure
Yesterday we had several groups return from their adventures off-property, so today we’re highlighting those trips!
Whether it was backpacking, mountain biking, paddling, or rock climbing, boys were exploring some beautiful nearby locations this past week.
Mills River Day Trip
The mountain bikers took a trip to North Mills River on Friday, a section of Pisgah National Forest south of Asheville. Pisgah mountain biking is known for it’s technical and rugged terrain, with long gravel road climbs leading to fast singletrack descents as the reward! This group enjoyed the roots, rocks, and river crossings that the area is known for. They also refueled with “pluggers”, the on-the-go lunch classic that’s beloved by campers: bagels with cream cheese and pepperoni.
Art Loeb 3-Day
The Art Loeb is a 30 mile trail in North Carolina, known for its beautiful but technical terrain, and designated as a National Recreation Trail (NRT).
This trail traverses through Pisgah National Forest, and is also part of the Shining Rock Wilderness, an 18,000 acre area of federally protected land, managed to minimize traces of human use. The Art Loeb offers beautiful views of the NC mountains, and it was a great few days on the trail!
Panthertown 3-Day
Panthertown Valley is part of the Nantahala National Forest, in Jackson County, North Carolina. One of the most popular hiking destinations here is Schoolhouse Falls, a waterfall with a great swimming hole at the base! When people lived in the nearby valley, there used to be a schoolhouse for which the waterfall is named. The backpackers spent 3 days hiking the area, exploring, and playing in the creeks and swimming holes here!
Linville Gorge Climbing 3-Day
The rock climbers headed to Linville Gorge for three days of scenic rock climbing, belaying, rappelling, and enjoying mountain top views. The Linville Gorge Wilderness is part of Pisgah National Forest. Its dramatic landscape is created by the Linville River carving into the valley 2000 feet below the surrounding mountain ridges. There are over 11,000 acres of forest land in western North Carolina that make up the Linville Gorge Wilderness, and plenty of beautiful rock faces to climb there!
Tuck/FB9 2 Day
This week the paddlers spent two days on the Tuckasegee and French Broad Rivers. The Tuckasegee River starts around Cashiers, and flows for about 60 miles through North Carolina before finishing at Lake Fontana. The French Broad is a 218 mile river, starting in Rosman, NC and finishing at the edge of Knoxville, TN.
The portion of the French Broad River our group paddled was section 9 (FB9), which starts in Madison County and flows to Hot Springs. This section is popular because between the rapids Barnard and Stackhouse, the run is fairly consistent with class 2 and 3 rapids dispersed throughout. Both the French Broad and the Tuckasegee are fun rivers to work on whitewater paddling skills!
Lake Jocassee 3-Day
Another group of paddlers enjoyed a relaxed 3 days canoeing around scenic Lake Jocassee. This 7,500-acre lake is in northwest South Carolina, accessed through the Devil’s Fork State Park. Jocassee is known for its clear teal water, and beautiful wooded shoreline. Canoe camping trips are like backpacking for water-lovers, and the best part is that the canoes carry all the weight of the gear and food!
Today is Saturday, which means that another fun weekend at camp is beginning. We look forward to telling you all about it!