Outdoor Adventure Education Programs for School Groups

Creating the Adventure

Our activities function as tools for personal growth in a caring and respectful environment. We embrace the “challenge by choice” philosophy, which empowers your students to decide whether they will participate in an activity. Our staff will teach the students to support one another, so that they will step outside of their respective comforts zones and accomplish tasks that were previously thought to be impossible. Finally, students will take time to reflect, or process, their experiences. By reflecting on their experiences, students can transfer the lessons learned at High Rocks to the challenges they face at home and in the classroom.

HIGH ROPES COURSES
Forty-five feet up, a student perceives that she can’t make it. Her partner and the group send up positive encouragement and then she takes a step out onto the wire... This is an activity that gets right to the point. Students openly challenge fears in a safe environment where personal growth is inevitable. Our high ropes course offers 18 challenging elements at heights of 25 and 45 feet. Led by trained staff, these students choose the challenges they want and learn how to safely make their way through the course.

BACKPACKING
Spending several days in the forest can be a life-changing experience. Learning how to live independently while having to rely on the group is a powerful lesson. From correctly packing their own backpacks to cooking over a camp stove, students discover what it takes for humans to live in the natural world. Extended natural history lessons and activities can be offered while trekking through mountain valleys, over peaks and across streams. At night, we sit around the fire, debrief the day, swap stories or play some great games. Our backpacking trips range in length from two days to an entire week.

ROCK CLIMBING
Our experienced instructors guide students through a journey of self discovery via our 53’ climbing tower as well as some of the best natural rock faces in the Eastern United States. Our program focuses on safety, individual achievement and group support. Through this challenge, students develop greater self-confidence and trust, while learning the basic movement techniques and safety systems of climbing. These ancient rock walls offer spectacular and unique views of the Pisgah National Forest. Climbs ranging from novice to advanced can be established at a single site to accommodate various skill levels.

WHITEWATER RAFTING
Rafting offers a great opportunity for a group to tackle a task together. The challenge of taking on the rapids is truly a memorable experience. The Nantahala River offers a great opportunity for students to practice a new skill and have fun rushing down the river...

WHITEWATER CANOEING
Through the mist of a rapid emerges the bow of a canoe followed by the faces of two students beaming with pride. Through a skill progression, students can learn the meaning of teamwork, communication, and trust. Our whitewater progression begins with training on our eleven-acre lake where students learn the skills necessary to safely control a boat on a river. The group then takes on one of our many exciting class I and II rivers to navigate, explore, and have fun.

MOUNTAIN BIKING
The wind flies by as your cruisin’ through the pines and hardwoods of single and double track trails at High Rocks or at nearby Dupont State Forest. An introduction to basic riding skills and bicycle maintenance leads to a day of fun on wheels. A group can cover a lot of ground and discover the forest’s diversity in a single day of mountain biking. This activity is great for boosting individual self-confidence while instilling group accomplishment. At the end of the ride, our instructors process the ride and lessons learned.

BACKCOUNTRY NAVIGATION
Leaders are born, roles are discovered, and a cohesive group develops as we trek through the rolling hills of High Rocks to the beautiful mountains of Pisgah National Forest. Under the tutelage of our instructors, student groups will navigate through the wilderness using a compass and a map. Each student can develop his/her leadership abilities by taking turns guiding the group. The trek also provides excellent opportunities for discovering and exploring our natural world. This activity can be tailored to the skill level of your groups or combined with an adventure race component, GPS units, and Geocaching.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
We make it a point to integrate environmental education and natural history into everything we do. Western North Carolina contains more biological diversity than anywhere else in the Continental United States. On a journey from the low river valleys to the high mountaintops and balds, one can experience the equivalent of a trip from Mexico to Maine. We try to integrate current curriculum of the classroom with a hands on learning experience in the natural environment.

Activities can cross multiple subject areas with the use of journals, calculations, presentations, and even natural and cultural history endeavors.

Some lessons include:

• Watershed Discovery
• Tree and Plant Identification
• Outdoor Living Skills

• Edibles in the Wild
• Forest Diversity
• Geological History

GROUP INITIATIVES
Group Initiatives involve many activities that rely on every individual in the group. The challenge will be difficult to overcome without input from each person. By working through difficult situations as a team, students develop confidence, good decision-making skills and a sense of social responsibility. Initiatives are great as a springboard for conflict resolution, for groups who lack cohesion, or as a foundation for communication and discussion to take back to school.

Solo Sit
It is rare when we can spend time alone convening with the natural world for any length of time. For around an hour, one can listen to the natural world and absorb all it has to offer. After the solo sit, the small group will circle and discuss what they observed and what they may have learned from the experience.

Evening Activities
After a long day of learning and adventure in smaller groups, our evening programs allow for the large group to reunite and have fun! Our evening activities include campfire, contra (square) dance, night exploration/ hikes, skits, and group art projects. The fall is also a great time to take in a Corn Maze! Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Operations on National Forest System Lands are authorized under Special Use Permit by the Pisgah National Forest.