Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge Expedition log (2006-06-19 -> 2006-07-02)

Leaders: Willy Seabring and Katie Tennille

Students: Rose Traubert, Travis Christenberry, Reid McLean, Nathan Brody, Jack White, Elaina Mishu, Daniel Thompson, Jessie Lemery, Dylan Bissonette, Willis Brooks, Anderson Gibbons, Henry Leavitt, Morgan Hill

June 19, 2006
All have arrived and are preparing for their backpacking section in the Pisgah National Forest. Will update soon. Stay tuned!

June 20, 2006
Our first day of backpacking in Pisgah National Forest was a great first day! On our way to Butter Gap we experienced two beautiful waterfalls and even had a little bit of time to get wet and cool off. After frolicking in the waterfalls we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of rice and beans. Our leaders of the day, Rose and Nathan, did an outstanding job today. Before bed Reid entertained us with his scary stories!

June 21, 2006
On our second day we climbed Cedar Rock Mountain. There was a very tricky technical and steep section which took Dylan and Henry out of their comfort zones. They pushed on and climbed the rock face beautifully. We had a picnic lunch at the top and then found our way back to the trail. Back on the trail, Travis kept us all going with his light hearted jokes and Wills lead with a strong pace. It was difficult to find a place to camp because we were on top of a mountain and there was little water to be found. Many thanks to Morgan and Anderson for finding a water source that was larger than the one we were using. Jack and Jessie helped prepare a huge pasta feast. Everyone was hungry from today’s hike and we all had seconds, some even had thirds! After dinner everyone crashed for a long and good nights sleep.

June 22, 2006
Before we got on the trail, Elaina led everyone in a group stretch which got us ready for the day. Behind Daniel’s lead, we started our hike out of Pisgah National Forest and back to the fish hatchery. Daniel set a go slow pace for our decent down some very steep trails. We got out sooner than planned and attempted a visit to sliding rock, but the weather would not permit it. Preparations are underway for rock climbing at Looking Glass. Stay tuned!

Katie and Willy
June 23

This was our first day of rock climbing and our group of fearless teenagers shattered the likes of looking glass. There was so much positive energy and encouragement from all of the students and our guides Stuart, Jason and Ian which made this rock climbing experience very enjoyable. Several of the kids had not had that much experience with rock climbing but that did not stop them at all. Henry and Morgan both expressed their fear of heights and convinced themselves that they were not going to climb at all and before the end of the day they had both made a very admirable attempt and faced their fear of heights. Jessie, Anderson and Travis all climbed the hardest section of the climbs with great ease and finesse. I was very impressed as that was a section that I could not have climbed myself. The whole day the kids were involved with each and every climb. They were all taught how to belay and assist belay while their comrades escalated up the rock. After a long hard day we called it quits hoping to be able to attempt sliding rock again and just like last time, the weather took its toll and prevented us once again. Regardless of being able to do sliding rock, every child had a smile on his or her face.

June 24

The second day of rock climbing and it just so happened that we had seen this big enormous open faced rock on our previous backpacking section. We were attempting the huge Cedar Rock. Having already completed this rock before, the kids were all boosted with huge self confidence and everyone gave it a try. Nathan and Daniel both made it up to the top with style and confidence and were able to even further motivate the others by telling them how awesome it was at the top and how the view was breathtaking. During this section we had also seen many other groups climbing as well and they were all very impressed at how successful our students were at such a young age. Rose and Elaina both had smiles from ear to ear and Elaina kept us laughing about how much she missed a shower and that she couldn’t wait to take one. Jack and Dylan although nervous at first were both able to make it up Cedar Rock again and successfully rappel down. They told us how much they truly enjoyed it and though they were a little unsure before. I was able to take several good action shots of Wills during this section and the shots were able to capture his true aggressiveness on the rock. I have seen each and everyone one of these kids come out of their comfort zone and then manage to build another one within each other. The teamwork that has been growing and becoming stronger is absolutely amazing. I am proud of each and every one of these kids and although my writings are short I am positive that they will all have plenty to say about this experience with rock climbing.

June 25

On the road to Mt. Mitchell We packed up and headed out from the fish hatchery to face the infamous Mt. Mitchell. Our kids were excited to get out in the wilderness again. The weather seemed to hang over our heads and tease us by leaving us wondering when we were going to get swamped with some very heavy rain. It was sooner than we thought. Each member of our team seemed to be extremely happy with himself because it seemed that backpacking seemed easier than our first trip. Dylan, Travis, Henry, and Jessie all had huge grins on their faces because they felt much stronger than their earlier trip in Pisgah. Now it seemed light and walking with it did not slow them down one bit. We made it to camp in great time and we were all able to set up our tents in this beautiful meadow that had an amazing view. Our tents were bomber and we all laid our rain covers out to dry while we kept a close eye on the weather. While Katie set up dinner, I took a few people to go hang the bear bag. Anderson and Travis came with me to set up the bear bag and we all had many laughs because it took us a while to cast that perfect throw into the trees. Eventually we made it and were able to enjoy a fabulous dinner. We cleaned up dinner and got ready for Moon-up. As the first words were said, down came the rain. This wasn’t just a soft drizzle, we had big fat droplets of rain and this meant that everyone needed to get in their tents. Eventually we went to sleep and told the leaders of the day to wake us up in the morning.

June 26

Our leaders of the day did not have to wake us up because the rain managed to do that on decided to try and wait for a while to see if the rain would clear up so we would be able to attempt our summit. We realized the rain was not letting up, it was only getting worse. We later found out this was the same storm that went from Texas to Maine, it just happened to be on top of us right now! Katie and I took down the bear bag and gathered all of the group gear and made the decision that we needed to get off the mountain. Before the kids got out of their tents we let them know of the situation and when we told them to start breaking down the tents, everyone got out and broke down camp the fastest that we have ever done it. Once the camp was broken down we walked as fast as we could to get out of the meadow before the storm got worse. Rose, Daniel and Elaina kept a strong pace that everyone was able to keep because of our situation. Jack was one of the leaders of the day and he placed himself at the back of the group and helped Katie keep an eye on everyone to make sure that they were okay from behind. Henry, Jessie and Dylan were very brave as we had to cross some big creeks and they were able to do it without second guessing themselves. Reid was able to use his positive energy and hilarious sense of humor to keep the group’s mentality off of our serious situation. Every time I looked back to check in with Katie on our status, the group was doing fine and Wills kept looking at me and laughing. I’m not sure why he laughed, but it made me laugh too. We kept our strong pace and we made it down our 4 mile trail in no time. Clothes and bodies were soaked, but our spirits were high when we gazed our eyes onto the glorious U-haul that meant we were getting out of the rain. Another pleasant surprise was that Brad Kossover from the Moondance office was there to make sure we were okay. Brad said that he had never seen such a wet group of kids with huge smiling faces. Morgan came up to Katie and I and told us that hiking out of the rain was AWESOME!! As the kids unloaded their packs and got into the van, Brad surprised the group by taking us all out to eat pizza. The kids enjoyed the hot food, and at this time we were able to watch the weather and realize how happy we were to all be safely off the mountain. At moon-up tonight, several kids had said that the Mt. Mitchell experience was the turning point in the trip because of how we all came together and worked as a team when we all needed each other the most. It was a great experience for us all.

June 27

As we woke up the first morning we ate breakfast and told the kids what it was that we had to do. We cleaned the van and all the group gear and it took us less time than we anticipated so we did have two free days after all. We took the kids to a few watering holes and we all went swimming. We stayed at our campsite at High Country and it had plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained. We cooked out on the grill and Nathan, Daniel and Dylan all led the group in several games of Mafia and we all got the most out of our two whole days of rest. The last night we all got psyched up for the Ocoee River and could not wait to enjoy our long day of rafting.


June 29

Today we rafted and conquered the Ocoee River. We met up with our rafting guides from High Country. Morgan was the most excited that I have ever seen, he was the most pumped up about rafting and everyone knew it. This was the activity that most of the kids were super excited about and for good reason. Rose and Elaina were both a little nervous and scared about the rafting experience, but they soon came to realize that it was the most fun they had ever had. Dylan, Jack and Jessie grinned from ear to ear about white water rafting and they never stopped smiling throughout the class III and IV rapids. The rafting was both relaxing and exciting because we didn’t have to do much, but we had tons of fun. The water was cold and the guides were hilarious. We were split up into three different rafts but we all stayed together. After we completed the amazing Ocoee River, we made it back to High Country and were able to check out our pictures that they had taken of us. I guess this would be the time to remind the kids that they should check out High Country’s website to look for their pictures and see if they want to buy them.

This group of individuals are just simply amazing and I am so pleased to watch them all grow and mature and do everything together. These kids are so close that it is nearly impossible for a single person to feel left out.


June 30

We checked in with our guides at the NOC and as we approached the ropes course area, it was just amazing and enormous. The structures were so high and there were several obstacles that we had to overcome. The guides started us off with a few icebreakers and some games to have the kids loosen up for the day’s challenges ahead of them. The ropes course was built in a square and there were two options for completing course. There was the 40 ft challenge that was a mental challenge because of how tall it was, and then there was the 20ft challenge that was more physical and intense. The group was split pretty evenly and everyone was able to finish what they had started. Hayes joined us for a section of the day where he was able to climb up on top of a platform and take some great pictures of the kids throughout their challenges. Reid was able to complete his obstacle and yet he still entertained everyone below him with his loud and insanely funny humor. I was able to see Daniel and Nathan both carefully rethink certain strategies that they had to use in order finish the task at hand. Nathan slipped on one of his and what started out as scary for him turned in to a huge laugh for not only him but everyone else once we realized that he was okay. To finish the challenge, we had to swing off a platform that was 40 ft in the air. This was the highlight of the day as everyone was able to do this once in the beginning and then towards the end of the day we were all allowed to go on it again if we liked. I think that everyone went on the swing more than once, and each time someone stepped off the edge there was a loud scream that let everyone know that it is always so much fun no matter how many times it is done. Jack seemed a little concerned at the top of the ledge; I could see his nerves taking a toll on him. Once Jack took that final move off the ledge his face lit up and he just smiled at everyone as we smiled back up at him. What a great day it was, and all the guides came to Katie and I afterwards and complemented us on how polite and well behaved our kids were. They were all very impressed with their abilities as were the both of us. It never ceases to amaze me how much potential this group of go-getters has.

Tonight we had Iron chef and it was a chance for Katie and I to sit back and enjoy the entertainment of everyone cooking what they thought would be the best meal possible. The competition was close, and it was a tie in the end. It was a toss up between team 1’s marvelous sausage, chicken, cheese and rice “thing”. Not sure what to call it, but it look fantastic and it tasted great as well. They even added some spice to it by putting an M and a D in the middle for Moondance. Team 2 stayed strong with their breakfast sandwiches, and tuna salad on bagels. After Katie and I were given many different dishes to taste, we were both completely stuffed and it made us very tired. But being the last night with everyone, we stayed up talking with the group and brought up several memories that we will cherish forever. In tonight’s moon-up, several people in the group agreed that our challenge on Mt. Mitchell was the highlight of the trip because it was the defining moment where everyone realized that we were a team and that no matter what we are faced with, we are going to get through it and have a great time.


July 1

This morning we broke down camp and completed some last minute paperwork. The group had a mixture of feelings as today was the last day of activities, but they were still looking forward to them as well. We finished the paperwork and had some time left to play around so we went to the play area on the campground and played basketball, tetherball, volleyball and all sorts of games. The attitude of this group is outstanding, no matter what they are faced with they make the best of it. I can’t think of anything that can stop these now confident, experienced individuals.

Prior to getting on the river, we were all issued wet suits to keep us warm. Several of the kids were confused as it was hot outside and here we all were wearing these tight black suits that made us even hotter. Later we learned that the Nantahala River is a constant 51 degrees year round, and as we did get in our duckies and that first big rapid got us wet, we were all thankful for the suits we had. All smiles are how you would describe our group, it was cold, it was fast, and everyone was smiling, nothing could stop it. We were all a little leary of the falls at the end of the river, and some said that have our group would fall out. For those who said that I am pleased to tell you that nobody fell out, but plenty of other people outside of our group did. As the duckie trip slowly came to an end, we walked up to the TV screens and all checked out our pictures going over the falls. We could only look briefly, and the guides also told us that we could order them online. We managed to get our gear off quickly and head back into the van. We headed back to Davidson River campground where we had our first night and proceeded to get ready for our banquet. We enjoyed a pleasant evening of laughs and serious talks over the gourmet pizza at Pizza hut.

Another nice moment was when we were approached by an elderly couple that told us how very well behaved our group of kids were. Shortly after our banquet we made it back to camp for our final moon-up and it was a sad time. We all shared stories and talked about what we are going to remember the most from our trip. It was great for Katie and me to see how much these kids truly enjoyed themselves and each other. After moon-up we had to say good bye to Anderson and Daniel. They were picked up and it was sad because it was then that the kids realized that the trip was coming to an end. We said our goodbyes and then had to go to sleep because tomorrow was going to be a long day.

July 2

We broke down camp quietly and headed out to the BILO where we said goodbye to Elaina, Henry, Wills, and Morgan. The group was once again getting smaller and we still had to keep moving. Upon our arrival 4 hours later to Atlanta we then said goodbye to Reid and Jessie. This taking our group down to five people we made our final journey to the airport. The flights were spread out over the course of 4 hours and we took advantage of the time we had. As the last plane flew away, it came to my attention that my trip was over and that hopefully Katie and I had done enough to impact these kids the way that our leaders and Moondance trips did on us. It was a learning experience for the both of us, and this is something that I will never forget.

We would like to thank all the parents for giving us the opportunity to work with such special individuals and that they should be very proud of them all. I hope to see that they come back again and enjoy themselves for another summer, until then, thank you all very much, you are all an amazing group of people and I am proud to be apart of the powerful group we became.


Sincerely,
Willy Sebring & Katie Tennille