Morganton TAASC

November 18th and 19th, 2023

The fourth annual 24 Hour Crusher went off without a hitch. Repeating the route from the first crusher, 6 students and Whisper hiked from Hughes Gap to 19E on the Appalachian Trail. This section travels along the Tennessee and North Carolina border over Roan Mountain, Big Hump, and Little Hump. They began at 11:00am and cruzed to the summit of Big Hump Mountain by 9:30pm taking only brief rests and cooking dinner at the Over Mountain shelter. 

While grey clouds, cold mist, and fog had followed the crew all day, the sky finally cleared for a phenomenal view of the night sky on the summit. Trying to escape the wind and find water, the crew continued on to Doll Flats. Here everyone donned their fortresses and slept for almost 7 hours! A full night's sleep on a crusher is unheard of. Starting at 6:3oam the next morning the crew trekked down a winding steep path back to the bus, crushing 27ish miles in 21 hours. 

Still the adventure wasn't over yet! Mike and the Cheuvronts were waiting to escort the crushers on four wheelers to a buffet breakfast of bacon, eggs, donuts, pancakes, and orange juice. Big thanks to the Cheuvronts for hosting! Completing this wild adventure is a huge accomplishment and this crew made it seem like a Sunday Stroll! 

Check all of the photos here

October 6th and 8th, 2023

As always the Stone Mountain trip was a hit! There were 16 students and 3 parents. We spent the weekend car camping at Sandy Creek Campground which made for playful evenings. Thanks to Maria, we even got to try banana boats over the campfire. Saturday was the headliner; everyone completed the 1000' rappel and all of the older were able to get some multi pitch climbing in. Shout out to all of the Salamanders and Frogs for braving the rappel as well as to Elise and Emilio for their first multipitch climbs. On Sunday, we hiked from the campsite seeing each of the waterfalls, the homestead, and the grand view of the south side.

Check out our photos here

September 28th, 2023

Last Thursday was our first ever "Special Meeting." With twenty people including 17 students, we met up with Foothills Conservancy at their new Oakhill Park off of Highway 126. Over the two hours we were there, our team roughed in a 1/8 mile stretch of brand new trail. Thanks for everyone's hard work in this service project.

Make sure to put the Grand Opening of this awesome park on your calendars. Saturday October 14th is the big day with plenty of family friendly programming!

Check out our photos here

July 10th to August 1st, 2023

This year's summer expedition was a great success. With nine students and one parent, we travelled from Johnsons Crossing on the Teslin river to Dawson City, Yukon in sixteen days. Over the 470 miles, we only crossed under one bridge in Carmax, Yukon where we said goodbye to Mike and Nina after seven days and got a few treats. While travelling through the Canadian Wilderness, we saw bear, moose, beavers, and plenty of eagles. We stopped in at sites like Fort Selkirk, Hootalinqua, and the Evalyn which provided us with some history of the land and people.We look forward to many more!

Check out our photos here

June 3rd and 4th, 2023

Earlier this month the Tadpoles ended their spring season with an adventure filled camping trip in the Back Irish Creek area. Four Tadpoles and two dads joined Whisper on the winding fern covered trail two miles to camp. After setting up tents, the crew marched up stream crawling under laurels and slipping in mud to look for "crawdads", salamanders, macroinvertebrates, and other fun creatures. More highlights included marshmallows on a LNT fire, camp games, and catching fireflies. 

Check out the Photos Here

May 6th to 7th, 2023

Just as the weekend before, we brushed off the dust on our single blade paddles and canoe skills, but this time for two days. Students made easy work of our 4 mile paddle to Lake James State Park where we camped for the night with a long lunch break on Shell island. The evening was full of play, cooking, and even a fire. The next morning students worked hard to beat the afternoon thunderstorms. Thanks for another great trip y'all!

Check out the Photos Here

April 10th to 14th, 2023

This year's annual Appalachian Trail trip was a success! Five students and a parent utilized spring break to immerse themselves in nature, refine campcraft skills, and accept the challenge of hiking 50 miles. 

Whisper and the group trekked from Laurel Fork in Hampton, TN to Damascus, VA along a beautiful ridge line flooded with wild flowers. The trail overlooked Watauga lake and occasionally gave way to majestic meadows before taking them down into the little town of Damascus for treats. 

The small group afforded each student an opportunity to be leader of the day. Students leaders were in charge of navigation, group management, and leading a team building activity. Everyone did a wonderful job guiding their peers and adding a little fun to the trip with human pyramids, ramp tasting sessions, morning yoga, and reflection circles. We are very proud of the leaders they are becoming.

Students who have attended the AT trip for three years have now completed a continuous 150 mile stretch (give or take a few) of the famous Appalachian trail. Way to go crew! We hope to see you all there next year. 

Check out the Photos Here

March 17th to 19th, 2023

What's not to love about the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival? We blasted out of Morganton at 4:00pm in our bus, the sugar cube, making it just in time to ravage Ingles for dinner and sneak into the auditorium balcony for the first night of the Banff Mountain Film Festival at Brevard College. Following two hours of action-packed inspiring outdoor films everyone trudged uphill to set up camp via headlamp light at the Wijy Cemetery!

Saturday morning, the group meandered up to Wijy's Wall for our wet rock plan of rappelling and anchor building clinics. Saturday evening was full of ice cream cones and MORE films. 

Sunday, we hunted down some dry rock at Fate Osteen for a full day of climbing and exploring before heading back to Morganton. 

A big shout out goes to Ryan and Brevard College for reserving tickets and seats for our program! See you all there next year! 

Check out the Photos Here

January 14th, 2023

it is always such a crapshoot weather or knot (pun intended) we will have quality winter weather to enjoy for these planned Winter Mountaineering trips, but we sure lucked out a few weeks ago. With a coat of fresh snow, winds whipping over 30 miles per hour, and temperatures in the single digits, we had six students successfully summit Calloway Peak via the Profile Trail. To reach the summit students travelled 8 miles round trip gaining over 2,300 vertical feet in this wild

weather. Way to go gang!

Check out the Photos Here

December 11th, 2022

A few weeks ago, we snuck in a fun Caving trip with olders. With very few visitors in its history, we had the privilege of exploring Bull Cave in Bluff City, Tennessee. The cave has elements of verticality and of course mud and rocks! This made the trip great training for those planning on going to Ellison's Cave next week. A big thanks goes out to Mike and Reneae who own the cave.

Check out all the photos here

December 3rd and 4th, 2022

This weekend we had two wonderful day hikes with students. Saturday, Older students tackled Celo Knob which is a big summit in the Black Mountain Range. Sitting at 6,327', students hiked over 3,000' vertical feet over 3 miles to attain the summit of Celo. They battled scattered showers, wind, and variable temperatures with great attitudes.

 

Sunday, the Frogs and Salamanders ventured up Little Hump Mountain near Roan Mountain, TN. Starting at Roaring Creek Road, students pushed 1,300' and a mile and a half up the tractor road before getting to the alpine zone where we were greeted with a breeze and colder temps. After a lunch in the rock outcropping, we made it to the summit with smiles all around.

Check out all the photos here

November 11th to 13th, 2022

Big elevation changes, bushwacking adventures, and wild wind storms were the highlights of last weekend's backpacking trip. Our crew of nine spent the first night down by the river at Leadmine and the second on the beautiful rocky outcroppings of Rock Jock. These challenges were no match for our super dialled olders group as we explored the west side of the Linville Gorge. 

Check out all the photos here

October 22nd, 2022

Local land protector, Wild South, works non-stop to maintain our southeast Wilderness Areas and National Forests. Last weekend both Morganton and Lake Norman TAASC jumped in and helped mark a project off their to-do list. 

Our team of 25 collected a full truck bed of trash from the Wiseman's View Overlook and off hwy 105 from Wiseman's to Conley. Many interesting finds, beautiful views, and great weather kept the group happy and trash hunting all day. 

As always, it's a pleasure to give back to the areas we utilize however we can. Way to go team!  
Check out all the photos here

October 7th, 2022

With four students, we snuck down into the Amphitheater for a great day of climbing. One group of three climbed Good Heavens while the other group of three climbed The Mummy. The autumn colors were starting to show and the air was crisp. It was a fun day for all!
Check out all the photos here

September 3rd, 2022

Saturday's hike was a great way to kick off the fall semester! With nineteen students and parents we meandered down the short but steep trail to Yellow Fork Falls. Upon our arrival, we were surprised to see the swimming hole drained! The water must have found a lower elevation outlet leaving the swimming hole a fraction of its former glory!

Despite the low water, everyone had a blast exploring and playing in the new swimming hole! Students discovered a fun rock slide and respectfully viewed salamanders, frogs, and snakes. Thanks for an awesome first trip everyone; we are excited to see what this semester holds!

Check out all the photos here

May 21st and 22nd,2022

This past weekend was a fun two day paddling trip on two different rivers. Saturday, we stayed local paddling the Catawba River from the Bridgewater Dam below Lake James to the Hwy 18 River access over 15 miles. This section provides some simple class II rapids to practice and hone in skills for the first half while the second half is a fun flatwater section with ample swimming opportunities!

After a fun night of movies, pizza, and cake at the Leadership Center, we were up and at 'em on Sunday ready to paddle section III of the Tuckasegee River. Students' hard work honing in paddle strokes, body movement, and teamwork paid off here. Traveling through the 5 mile section, students descended class III water with ease. Good work everyone!

Check out all the photos here

May 7th and 8th,2022

Preparation for this trip began during the Thursday meeting with raft building! Both the youngers and olders were given limited materials and little direction to fabricate.  Using lashing skills and gratuitous amounts of duct tape, they created some funky rafts! 

Upon arriving at the lake, we did a brief paddle and stroke talk before beginning the raft race! With three youngers on their craft and two olders on theirs, it was a fun event with plenty of sabotage! Following the race, we packed up the boats and departed across Lake James battling some heavy winds. With winds too strong to finish our journey, we stopped at a beach for a few hours. There was plenty of free play along with LNT fire building during our siesta.

That evening was spent at Lake James State Park's Long Arm boat in camp sites. Cold temps and heavy night time rain left many student with hard lessons come the morning, but everyone adapted well to the difficult conditions. 

A big shoutout goes to our older students for their mentorship to the younger on this trip. Youngers, you guys absolutely crushed it despite your limited experience and tricky conditions! 

Check out all the photos here

March 26th and 27th, 2022

The last weekend in March held back-to-back rappelling adventures for all of our TAASC groups. 

Saturday the Tadpoles ventured to a new crag off of 181 learning the art of bush-whacking as they went. For most students this was their first time rappelling outdoors and strong winds with chilly temps made the experience even more extreme. If the girls were not actively rappelling on one of the three overhanging options, they were warming up with hot coco in the legendary Kiva tipi tent. 

Sunday the Youngers and Olders made the three mile trek to the Attic Window on Table Rock. However, met with wind gusts of 40mph, they were forced to take shelter in a large rock alcove to reevaluate their goal of the 200ft rappel. The clever group opted for a few shorter rappels just above and finished the day with a hike to the summit (and hot cocoa of course). 

Check out all the Tadpole photos here

Check out all the Younger Photos Here

February 12th and 13th, 2022

What a rowdy weekend! We had three groups of Morganton TAASC students go into the cave. Saturday, Whisper took the Tadpoles while Jacob and Mike took the Youngers; the day was full of new experiences and challenges for all!

Saturday, we went back with the Olders completing the full "boyscout loop" -- over 5 miles in the cave. Trip leaders Meadow and Liam practiced route finding and line choice through the cave. With stoke for caving high, we have continued Thursday night lessons themed around vertical cave ascension!

Check out all the photos here

January 15th and 16th, 2022

Last weekend, we had to cancel our weekend backpacking trip due to the incoming winter weather. But, that very storm gave us the unique opportunity to get students out for an Introductory Mountaineering Trip. Saturday, we all met at the TAASC Leadership Center to double check everyone's systems before heading up the mountain. That evening, we set up base camp on top of Gingercake Rock. The next morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland! A quick ice axe lesson and a snowy hike finished out our trip.

Check out all the photos here

October 10th, 2021

A few weekends ago was an olders only day hike in Grandfather Mountain State Park. With a whopping fifteen students, two parents, Whisper, and Jacob, we split into two groups. Starting at 221 and the Asusti Trail, each group travelled about 4.5 miles to the top of Calloway. One group of students training for the upcoming 24 Hour Crusher continued past Calloway and back down for a total of about 15 miles for the day. A big thanks to our olders group who continues to push their limits with smiles on their faces!

Check out all the photos here

September 26th, 2021

Last Sunday's Trail work day with the CCC, Carolina Climbers Coalition, was fantastic. We had an amazing turnout with 26 people! All these hands made it easy to bench cut in the remaining trail and try more technical skills like building rock and log steps. When students were not digging their hearts out, there were vine swings to play on, boulder caves to explore, and many crawling critters to examine. We are grateful we could serve the Burnsville climbing community while exposing students to the joys of trail work and the CCC. 

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The CCC has been around since 1995 securing, buying, preserving, and protecting our climbing areas in North Carolina and across the southeast.  If you want to learn more about the CCC or become a member click here.

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Check out all the photos here

Sep 3rd-6th, 2021

The Summersville Lake Trip was a grand way to officially start the fall semester. From Grabner -- an inflatable whitewater canoe -- wars, deep water soloing, to sport climbing, everyone had a blast on Saturday. With a bit of weather moving in on us for our Sunday plans, we changed gears; one group went on a hike out to Longs View which overlooks the New River Gorge while the lead climbers headed over to the overhang protected Rico Suave Buttress to climb a few quality trad routes. Following the hike and climbs, we all regrouped to walk under the New River Gorge Bridge; a big shoutout goes to Mike's friend Benji for hooking us up with the tour!

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Check out all the photos here

June 16th-June 26th, 2021

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The eleven day Canoe Trip was an absolute success. We had ten students, Whisper, Mike, and Jacob. Starting on the Wateree River in Camden, SC and finishing in Jamestown, SC on the Santee River, we crushed out 170 miles. TAASC has completed this section of river five times before in 1998, 2002, 2010, 2012, and 2017.  

 

Overall the weather held out for us with only two afternoon t-storms and one rainy day. Three nights we battled four to five foot swells on the river moving camp back and even moving out! The headwinds on Lake Marion provided some spice, but only made those beautiful sandy beach campsites even sweeter. 

 

We are spending the next week at Folly Beach, SC in celebration of everyone's successful expedition!

 

Check out all the photos Here

March 20th & 21st, 2021

 

Two weekends ago, we caught a great spell of weather to play in the Wilson's Creek Wilderness Area. We started on Saturday morning with quite the adventure ahead of us. After a creek crossing, meandering up to the infamous sinkhole and setting up basecamp, we began our day hike with both Olders and Youngers. Following the old Holly Springs Trail, we made our way up to the maze of trails on Brown Mountain where we navigated our way to the bear rocks! A quick bushwacking experience lead back to basecamp -- dinner and a warm sleeping bag. The youngers left that evening while the Olders practiced leave no trace fires and refining their camp craft in preparation for the Appalachian Trail Trip next month!

Check out all the photos here

January 1st & 31st, 2021

 

Two weekends ago, we had the opportunity to play in a bit of snow with some new pieces of gear. The original two day backpacking trip was cancelled but, the A team showed up bright and early on Sunday despite the cold rain in Morganton. Following dry fitting crampons, we headed up to the eastern slopes of Grandfather on 221.

 

Before starting the journey up the Daniel Boone Scout Trail via the Asusti and Tanawha Trails, we learned about our new gear including crampons, treking poles, snowshoes, and ice axes. We learned how and why we use these tools. The crew fired right up trail until about midday when the sun came out; the radiant heat quickly began to melt the snow in the conifers. For the rest of the day, we pushed through cold rain like conditions all the way to the summit of Calloway peak!

 

The adventure didn't stop at the summit; there was still over 4 miles of steep and slushy terrain to move over as the sunset. Powered by headlamps, pretzels, and cheese sticks, the A team made it off the mountain in one piece with great attitudes. Thanks for making that day a great one crew!

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Check out all the photos here

November 4th and 5th, 2023

Last weekend was a frenzied of day trips with a trip for everyone. Saturday, Whisper with Tadpoles and a few Frog mentors ventured out to Blackfork to rappel. Over the day, The girls Rappelled 4,000' with special mention to Lily for contributing a 1000'! While the girls rappelled, Jake and the Olders journeyed to Grandmother Mountain where they spent the day testing their skills on stout high country boulders.

On Sunday, We rallied a big group of Salamanders, Frogs, and Olders to climb and belay at Pirates Wall. With 6 ropes hanging, everyone was able to climb their hearts out while enjoying the beautiful fall weather. 

Check all of the Tadpoles Rappelling photos here

Check out all of the Older Bouldering photos here

Check out all of the Pirates Wall Climbing photos here

October 1st, 2023

Another remarkable trip to Secret Flackimate! Five Tadpoles, three Frogs, and three parents joined us this weekend; Along with snails, snakes, crazy caterpillars, and crickets galore. The girls had a chance to test their climbing skills outdoors and accept new challenges. Very proud of all the TAASC Tadpoles. Big shout out to the Frog mentors Ida, Stella, and Macy for their help belaying! 

Check out our photos here

September 2nd, 2023

Our first trip of the season was a blast. With 24 humans including Tadpoles, Frogs, Salamanders, Olders, and Parents, we started our day gearing up at the Leadership Center and riding the bus out to Upper Creek. After a name game, safety talk, and another team building game, we completed the short 1/4 mile walk to our secret swimming hole. We stayed at the swimming hole for over 3 hours sliding, swimming, and playing. A big thanks to everyone who showed up for our first trip of the season. We are stoked about the fall semester.

Check out our photos here

July 6th, 2023

We got the opportunity to squeeze in one last river trip before our Yukon River trip. With four canoes, three kayaks, and a very skilled group, we headed for the Nantahala River. This section of river is a rather continuous class 2/3+. It takes fine tuned skills to successfully navigate 16’ open canoes down the eight mile section. The run ends with a bang at Nantahala Falls which each of the boats successfully ran!

We are activity heading to Whitehorse, Yukon to embark upon a 16 day and 470 mile river trip down the Yukon River! We have a well oiled group and great stoke. See you all in August.

Check out our photos here

Check out the outfitters photos here

May 6th to 7th, 2023

A couple weekends ago we got the team out on the river for two days. Saturday, we put on the Lower Green down in Saluda, NC with 7 canoes. We were able to learn or refresh those baseline skills like ferrying, and eddying while refining paddle strokes. With plenty of partner swapping, a bit of surfing, and very little swimming, this crew was able to work on their teamwork in those big ol' 16' open boats.

On Sunday, we were able to up the anti on Section 9 of French Broad around Marshal, NC. With refined skills and confidence high, our team absolutely schooled this solid class III section of river. With no swims and all smiles, it was a great day on the water. We are super proud of you guys; paddling the yukon will be a piece of cake for you with these skills.

Check out the Photos Here

April 30th, 2023

A few weeks ago the Tadpoles and Frogs went on a grand rappelling adventure. After visiting Nina's birds and exploring Mike's treehouse we hiked to Reference Rock to take a few laps down the 1oo ft overhanging cliff. Our small but mighty group of seven girls and one mom rappelled over 3,000ft in just a few hours. Great work Tadpoles for trying a new adventure and thank you Frogs for all your mentorship!

Check out the Photos Here

March 25th, 2023

With around 45 volunteers including Morganton, Asheville, and Lake Norman TAASCs, we were able to crank out the entire road in record time. The Table Rock Road cleanup is an annual service project, where we clean out the road drainage including the swails and those basted open basins. This hard work keeps Table Rock Road from washing out during big rain events. Thanks for your dedicated work everyone; see you next year!

Check out the Photos Here

March 3rd to 5th, 2023

With nine Older students, we had an awesome adventure in the Linville Gorge. The group started on Friday at Wolfpit Road venturing up Shortoff in the torrential rain and wind. Upon getting to our planned camp, we found someone there. Without hesitation, the group was able to change gears and head for another campsite. That night, the wind was howling, but the weather broke the next morning and was beautiful for the next two days. Saturday, the group made it through Chimney Gap to the summit of Table Rock for the unique experience of camping on the summit. Sunday the group reaped their rewards on the summit having a slow morning watching the sunrise before making their way down to the Spence Ridge Trail Head. Great work crew!

Check out the Photos Here

December 27th, 2022 to January 1st, 2023

The Georgia trip was a success! With our small crew, we were able to spend two days bouldering at Rocktown on Pigeon Mountain with stellar weather. Following bouldering, we geared up for Ellisons Cave where we spent 24 hours dropping the 125' Warmup pit and exploring the cave. Thanks for an awesome year gang!

Check out all the photos here

December 10th, 2022

Our Tadpoles Service project was a big success! Thanks to Molly's wonderful tour the girls learned a ton of information and left feeling great about the work they accomplished. We also managed to sneak in some fun too! 

For more information on the wonderful work the Industrustrial Commons is doing in our community, check out their website here. 

 

Check out all the photos here

November 19th and 2oth, 2022

The third annual 24 Hour Crusher did not disappoint. Per usual, we mapped out an ambitious route to accomplish in 24 hours with our A team. This year's route was mapped at 24.3 miles from Harpers Creek Trailhead in the Wilsons Creek area to the Tannawa Trailhead in Fosco off of Holloway Mountain Road. This route went through and over Yellowbuck Mountain, Huntfish Falls, Timber Ridge, Schoolhouse Gap, Beacon Heights, and Shiprock.

Not only did our team complete this rowdy 27 mile adventure in 22.5 hours, they battled 5 degree weather and 40 mile per hour winds. As always, this one was for the books. Thanks for your hard work Crushers!

Check out all the photos here

November 5th 2022

11 Tadpoles and Frogs along with 5 parents led Whisper up to the Little River campsite this weekend, while 4 Salamanders and 1 parent took Jacob down to Steels Creek. Both groups had successful camping trips despite the abundance of "liquid sunshine"! Backpacking is a new skill for many in this age group and backpacking in the rain is a whole additional skill set. We are incredibly impressed with the positive mental attitudes, PMA, shown by all our students as they navigated these new challenges and refined their skills. 

Check out all the photos from the Frogs and Tadpoles trip here

Check out all the photos from the Salamanders trip here

October 15th, 2022

What a beautiful weekend for rappelling! The changing fall leaves were spectacular against the clear blue skies and the temperature was cool with strong winds for a little spice. 

A short but steep hike to Sitting Bear Spire provided the perfect spot for everyone to play games in the leaves and search for wooly worms while waiting for their turn to descend 200ft off the overlook. 12 Frogs and Salamanders, 1 brave dad, and 2 instructors made a whopping 15 rappellers, totalling 3,000ft! 

We are extremely impressed with the bravery, behavior, and comradery of this group and look forward to our next trip together. 
Check out all the photos here

September 25th, 2022

Last Sunday, we had a wonderful trip with five older students and nine total on Table Rock Mountain. Each group of three were able to climb 400' to 500' to the summit of Table Rock! Great work everyone, we are excited about our next climbing trip to Looking Glass Rock in a few weeks. 
Check out all the photos here

June 25th to July 13th,2022

What a trip. We had nine Morganton students and TAASC Dad, Alan Clark, along with Asheville TAASC. Based out of Fresno California, we began our expedition in the Mono Divide area of Sierra National Forest. We backpacked and explored for ten days in the Bear Creek drainage even climbing the 2002 named peak Spirit of America at 12 thousand feet!

Following our time backpacking, everyone got a shower before heading up to Yosemite Valley. We climbed for four days and got the opportunity to check out two of Yosemite's three groves of Giant Sequoias.

Big shoutout to all students for your dedicated training before the trip and stellar expedition behavior; I look forward to more expeditions with you. Emme and Rachel, don't be strangers!

Check out all the photos here

May 13th and 14th,2022

Another successful camping trip for TAASC's Tadpoles this past weekend! Friday night the Tadpoles trekked out into the forest in light rain to find a beautiful mossy spot along Back Irish Creek many carrying packs half their size! Sheltering under a few large tarps, these brave ladies experienced many firsts in camp craft and independence. We worked as a team to pitch tents, cook dinners on gas stoves, and filter water. After a night of bright moonlight and Whippoorwill calls, we broke camp at astonishing speed and headed for a nice sunny field. After many games and enjoying the view, we headed home. These accomplishments are huge no matter the age or size. However, at this rate when they reach the Olders group they will be unstoppable!

Check out all the photos here

April 18th to 22nd, 2022

This spring break held yet another successful Appalachian Trail Trip. With 8 students and TAASC parent, Allan Clark, we ventured 52 miles from the Nolichucky River in Erwin, Tennessee to highway 19E in Roan, Mountain, Tennessee going over many high points including Roan, Unaka, Iron Mountain, and Big Hump! Through cold rain, cold temps, and long climbs, the group powered through this tough one; awesome work gang.

Check out all the photos here

March 18th-20th, 2022

This past weekend was awesome. Blasting out of Morganton at 4:00pm in the sugar cube, our bus, we made it just in time for a quick bite and the start of the Banff Mountain Film Festival at Brevard College. Everyone set up camp at the Wijy Cemetery in headlamps after the films!

After a late night, the group meandered up to Wijy's Wall. As expected, the wall was still wet after days of rain, so we enacted plan B! The olders with alumni Noah Green headed out on a hike towards Looking Glass finding dry rock at Fate Osteen while the youngers and Brevard TAASC stuck around for a fun rappelling clinic with plenty of free play in between. 

Saturday evening was full of ice cream cones and more films. Sunday, we were home by noon. A big shout out goes to Ryan and Brevard College for reserving tickets and seats for our program!

Check out all the photos here

February 4th-6th, 2022

This weekend was our first backpacking trip of 2022. With eight students, we descended into the Linville Gorge under the guidance of Student Leaders Emme and Rachel. Friday night with heavy winds and temperatures around 15F, we camped at the bottom of Conley Cove along the Linville Gorge Trail. Saturday, we meandered along the river to the base of the new Leadmine Trail where we camped for the night. The following morning everyone was up and at 'em early despite the cold temps; the group with full packs fired up the Leadmine Trail and the MST over two miles and 1,400 vertical feet by 11:00am!

Check out all the photos here

December 12th, 2021

Sunday was a fun day hike in the Roan Mountain Highlands. The refined group of 10 started our Journey out at the headwaters of Roaring Creek making our way up the old tractor road. From the end of the tractor road, the group found their way over to the infrequently visited Big Yellow Mountain where we ate lunch and enjoyed the cold and windy but splitter weather. From Yellow Mountain, we meandered back over to Little Hump Mountain where we enjoyed some hot chocolate before heading down. It is short day trips like this which allows us to refine our skills and systems for bigger trips!

Check out all the photos here

October 2nd- 3rd, 2021

We had a killer time climbing at Blackfork with the olders! We had a small but nimble group of eight olders. With easily accessed sport routes, a waterfall, bushwacking, and car camping, everyone had a jam packed two day trip.

Check out all the photos here

Sep 18th-19th, 2021

Last weekend's Climbing and Camping Trip to Old Flackamite was great! With many new students on this trip, there were many firsts from camping, climbing outdoors, cooking a real meal on a camp stove, to dealing with a bit of weather. Everyone hammered down and climbed their hearts out on Saturday until a bit of weather ensued. The olders stepped up to clean routes in the rain and organize the youngers to head out. After a fun night at camp, the group went on a short day hike to Celestial Point.

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Check out all the photos here

August, 2021

In August holding tradition, we hosted the Water Safety Course as well as Kayak Rolling Clinics. These courses and clinics are a great way for everyone to get back in the TAASC groove as well as learn life saving skills and techniques. A big thanks goes out to the Sevensma's and Cioffoletti's for letting us use their homes on Lake James to host these events!

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Check out all the photos here

May 14th -16th, 2021

 

A few weeks ago we had the classic three day and two night Secret Flackamite trip -- Shhhh it's a secret. With many new students and climbers along with a crew of seasoned olders, we were able to crank out pitches! The evenings were filled with silly games and plenty of ramen noodles. Sunday, we even made it up to the Sitting Bear Spire for the Sunrise

 

Check out all the photos here

January 16th, 2021

 

Last Saturday, we ventured into a winter wonderland with a fantastic crew! After an early meeting time, we loaded up and drove out to Roaring Creek just below the Over Mountain Shelter on the Appalachian and Over Mountain Victory Trails. Before we could head out, we got the unique team building opportunity of getting our three vehicle crew unstuck from the snow and ice!!!

 

The team cruised up the steep one mile section of the Overmountain Victory Trail as it began to snow harder. A quick lunch and layering session ensued before braving the alpine zone above the tree line. With temperatures around 10 degrees and the wind whipping up to 20 miles per hour, the team marched to the summit long enough to snap a few photos and head down to seek refuge in the treeline.

 

Winter hikes and winter mountaineering trips are important tests of personal equipment systems and mental fortitude. Everyone had a great attitude and mostly solid systems!

 

 

Check out all of the photos here

March 13th, 2021

 

The Attic Window Rappel was an absolute blast! After the three mile hike up the closed road and the summit trail, students warmed up on Eli's bushwack adventure and a series of 40' rappels. Most everyone made it down the 200' Attic Window Rappel and three of our twelve students had only rappelled once in our gym prior to this trip! A big thanks goes to the olders for their leadership and mentorship to the youngers on this trip!

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Check out all the photos here