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Pathfinder Blue Ridge Mountains Backpacking, Whitewater Canoeing & Rock Climbing

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LOCATION
a North Carolina
EXPEDITION TYPE
Backpacking
Canoeing
Rock Climbing
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
River Navigation, Ropes Course, Service, Whitewater Canoeing, Base Camp
PRICE
$7,395
PROGRAM
Pathfinder
AGES
18-25
LENGTH
30 Days
START LOCATION
Asheville, NC
END LOCATION
Asheville, NC
i
SEASON(S)
Fall
Spring
CERTIFICATIONS
Wilderness First Aid
SKILLS

TECHNICAL

  • Basic First Aid
  • Basic Paddle Strokes
  • Belaying a Climber
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Leave No Trace Methods & Ethics
  • Map and Compass
  • Natural History
  • Rappelling
  • River Reading
  • Safety and Risk Management
  • Self Care

INTERPERSONAL

  • Camaraderie
  • Character
  • Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Leadership
  • Positive Risk Taking
  • Problem Solving
  • Responsibility
  • Self Awareness
  • Self Confidence
  • Sense of Social Connection
  • Service
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Testimonial

“This expedition has given me more than I could have ever expected or wished for! I have never been as motivated as I am today. Thank you to all of the staff and my crew members for being so supportive and nurturing during our course. Words will never be enough for all that I have learned during the physical and mental challenges on course. I am certain that there are no limits to what we are capable of and will never forget the pillars nor the valuable skills we were taught.” – Estefane

Find your path and discover your passion on this Pathfinder expedition through the dramatic scenes of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Discover what it’s like to live, work and play in the great outdoors of Western North Carolina on this multi-activity wilderness adventure. The journey will take you deep into some of the oldest mountains in the world, over rocky mountain faces and through racing rivers. In the Pisgah National Forests, you and your crew will work together to make your way through lush forests, cook your own meals, set-up camp in the backcountry, navigate rushing mountain rivers by canoe, build trust belaying one another while rock climbing and learn Leave No Trace techniques to minimize their impact on the land. After long days of challenge and adventure, students will be rewarded with skills, views, memories and connections that will last a lifetime.

NOTE: This course requires that students submit proof of "Up-to-Date" COVID-19 Vaccination status as defined by the CDC. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.

UPCOMING COURSES

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For detailed information on course availability statuses and what they mean, click here.

COURSE # DATES DAYS AGE COST
NTP7-262 9.20.22 - 10.19.22 30 18 - 25 $ 7,395 APPLY NOW
NTP7-361 4.10.23 - 5.9.23 30 18 - 25 $ 7,395 APPLY NOW

Thank you for your interest in Outward Bound! 

This course starts within the next week. Please call us at 866-467-7651 to assess the possibility of applying for this course!

APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.

APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!

JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date. 

Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.

CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.

COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.

CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.

Pathfinder Expeditions

Sometimes you don’t know where you want to go in life until you spend a few weeks in the middle of nowhere. Pathfinder expeditions give you time and space to understand what’s important to you and the skills to get there. Over the next 30 days, you’ll rise to meet natural challenges, becoming accustomed to setting goals, making decisions, and recovering from set-backs, all of which help clarify bigger choices that await you in life beyond your course.

  • Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork, adaptability and leadership skills. Participants will have the opportunity to chart a path and pursue it with their own motivation as extra fuel.
  • Value strengths and strengthen values: Resiliency to recover from set-backs is a treasured and useful skill that will play a part in any Pathfinder expedition. Participants will explore answers to their most pressing questions about what they value, where their strengths lie and what direction their lives will take next.
  • Demonstrate mastery: As students gain confidence in new skills, they will take on more leadership and decision-making responsibilities and gain a deeper understanding of who they are as individuals. The entire crew will work together and individually to achieve goals, solve problems and succeed.
  • What you’ll learn: After spending 30 days in the wilderness, you’ll have mastered multiple outdoor skills and you’ll know what it takes to traverse mountain passes, climb the steepest cliffs and successfully navigate the challenges of the natural world around you. You’ll discover more about your true self and what you want to achieve, how you overcome setbacks and, most importantly, how to move forward to reach important milestones.

Return home after broadening your horizons, learning how to adapt to new environments and trying untested possibilities, with an action plan for the future. With newfound leadership potential, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills, you’ll be ready for your next big step.

Goal Setting

Before course starts, students identify a member of their support system (parent, friend, coach, teacher, etc.) who help them stay committed to their goals once they return home from course. Then, prior to the completion of course, students participate in a conference call with that support person and an Outward Bound instructor. The purpose of the call is to discuss lessons learned during course, identify goals for the future, and how to incorporate this newfound knowledge into their lives at home

Backpacking

Students backpack in Pisgah National Forest where they learn to travel safely through the backcountry, navigate varied terrain with a map and compass, as well as how to live in the wilderness responsibly using Leave No Trace principles. Equally important is time spent learning conflict resolution skills, communication styles, leadership techniques, as well as teamwork. After the crew has practiced these skills the Instructors step back, providing the opportunity for the group to work together, navigating through the wilderness where they will be rewarded with stunning misty mountain vistas.

Whitewater Canoeing

After a few days discovering wilderness fundamentals and building crew comradery, students will learn to maneuver Class I-Class III whitewater rapids. Paddling through sculpted rock channels in tandem (two person) canoes offers the perfect opportunity to foster further collaboration and communication skills between crewmates. Students will execute synchronized strokes, dynamic eddy turns, peel-outs and ferries on either the French Broad, Tuckaseegee, Chattooga, New or Nantahala Rivers. Some of the topics crews cover during this portion of the course include: identification and use of equipment, basic water safety and rescue techniques, how to work with paddling partners to successfully negotiate Class l-Class III rapids and flatwater and whitewater paddling strokes.

Rock Climbing

With a focus on safety, climbing instruction starts by teaching the basics, such as working with ropes and learning to tie knots. As students progress, they learn how to climb up, or rappel down, a rock face. They may also have the opportunity to work through a high ropes obstacle course together. These uniquely structured activities provide opportunities not only for self-reliance, but also for communication and collaboration as participants confront and work through fears and challenges.

Wilderness First Aid Certification

Participants prepare for the unexpected by earning a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification. This fast-paced, hands-on training is designed to teach skills to care for those who become ill or injured and are far from definitive medical care. Offered through a partnership with Landmark Learning, an accredited organization, this certification includes classroom lectures and demonstrations combined with realistic scenarios where mock patients challenge participants to use what they've learned.

Solo

During Solo, Instructors assign students to their own individual sites within a designated area. These sites are both secluded and within hearing distance of other group members and Instructors for safety. Students will have all the necessary gear, food, water and skills to enjoy this time alone. They also know the location of their Instructors’ camp site should they need to contact them for any reason. Instructors will be monitoring students closely during this experience. Solo is a great opportunity for students to relax, recharge and reflect on their course after having long days of strenuous group activities. Participants return from Solo with a new perspective on the parts of themselves they are ready to leave behind and those they want to embrace as they move forward. On this course, students will participate in a Solo progression that includes daily reflection time and a multi-day Solo experience. 

Service

Service has always been an integral part of Outward Bound, providing the opportunity for students to experience a deeper relationship with the environment and the local communities that surround the course area. Students can expect to engage in several service projects that may include trail maintenance, building and grounds maintenance in local recreation areas, invasive species management, working with rescue animals, or building houses. Students explore the role of service on course and in their life at home and reflect on the impact of service on the community and themselves.”

Course Area

Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina

The Blue Ridge Mountains, or Southern Appalachians, is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. While the mountains themselves formed over 250 million years ago, some of the rocks that underlie the region are over a billion years old. The long geologic and evolutionary history of the Southern Appalachians has created one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America. Some even say it is “rainforest-like.” This region is home to beautiful rushing rivers, hundreds of waterfalls, and some of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States—including Mt. Mitchell (elevation 6,684 feet), the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Its diverse landscapes have been featured in many motion pictures, including The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans.

Outward Bound students can expect to share the wilderness with over 700 different kinds of trees, more than 50 types of mammals, 150 different types of birds and over 50 species of amphibians. The huge numbers of tree and plants is actually what gives these mountains their namesake. Trees put the ‘blue’ in the Blue Ridge Mountains from the organic chemicals they release into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the distinctive color of these mountains. Temperatures in this area range from 50 to 85 degrees in the summer, 30 to 65 degrees in the spring and fall and 10 to 50 degrees in the winter. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Cherokee.

SAMPLE ITINERARY
DAY 1
Course start
DAY 2
Ropes course and team-building initiatives
DAY 3-6
Backpacking training expedition: navigation and camping skills, exploration of personal strengths, first coaching session introduction to goal setting
DAY 7-9
Rock climbing, belaying, rappelling and multi-pitch climbing
DAY 10-13
Backpacking main expedition: advanced navigation and group decision-making, second coaching session
DAY 14-16
Wilderness First Aid certification
DAY 17
Service project: trail-building or work with community service organization
DAY 18-21
Whitewater canoeing: paddle strokes, boat maneuvers, rapid scouting, self-rescue
DAY 22-25
Solo, third coaching session, goal setting for post-course
DAY 26-28
Backpacking final expedition: leadership and independent student travel
DAY 29
Personal challenge event; clean and de-issue gear; Support phone calls; Graduation Ceremony
DAY 30
Course end and transportation to the airport

Testimonial

“This expedition has given me more than I could have ever expected or wished for! I have never been as motivated as I am today. Thank you to all of the staff and my crew members for being so supportive and nurturing during our course. Words will never be enough for all that I have learned during the physical and mental challenges on course. I am certain that there are no limits to what we are capable of and will never forget the pillars nor the valuable skills we were taught.” – Estefane

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Getting Started

If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.

To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee. 

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