Sunday, July 13, 2025-August 1, 2025 (meets at Eagle’s Nest Camp)
For participants completing grades 8th through 11th grade in Spring 2025
Cost: $5,505
Embark on an opportunity to expand your understanding of Appalachia’s beautiful and storied landscape. From Eagle’s Nest Camp’s home base in Western North Carolina, you’ll launch deep into the Smokies, onto the Appalachian Trail, through the dense mountains of Eastern Tennessee, and onto the waters of the historic French Broad River. Along the way, you will learn crafts with members of the indigenous communities who call this land home, climb the third highest peak east of the Mississippi, assist AT thru-hikers on their own personal journeys, meet with local forest and trail conservationists, and learn how to paddle in splashy whitewater. It will be an excursion interweaving regional history, culture, and ecology through the lens of a self-sufficient small group traveling as one and sharing in a profound new experience together.
Trips Goals and Highlights
- Spend weeks exploring the biodiverse ecosystems of Western North Carolina.
- Actively engage with and learn from indigenous peoples and culture of Western North Carolina
- Learn about the ecology and conservation practices that make the Appalachians globally unique
- Sharpen leadership skills and form long lasting bonds through traveling as a group
- Develop competence in backpacking, paddling, rock climbing, campcraft, navigation, backcountry cooking and more!
- Embody Eagle’s Nest’s seven character strengths for campers and staff.
ApEx Itinerary
- July 14-15: Arrive at Camp and prepare for the trip. Welcome! This first and second day will be full of nerves and excitement: you will arrive on opening day along with the rest of camp, take part in similar communal activities as a Hante group while also busily organizing your gear and food, and you will wrap up your preparation in the comfort of the Sun Lodge, the original accommodations of Hante Adventures.
- July 16: Day in Cherokee, NC to learn the history and craftsmanship of indigenous peoples. Before setting out as a group, you will stop to visit the capital of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, who are the original keepers of the land you will be traveling on. This intentional time spent learning within the community aims to develop an understanding about the importance of land history, as well as an appreciation for where you are and for those who came before you.
- July 17-20: Trekking through the Great Smoky Mountains and onto the Appalachian Trail. The journey begins! From camping at Deep Creek the previous night, the group will begin their trek, challenged yet awed by your resilience to gain elevation toward the Appalachian Trail. The group will work together to navigate creeky, wet, and leafy terrain up into the mountains. Evenings will be spent camping under the stars, preparing delicious food, debriefing the day’s adventures, practicing leadership skills, and enjoying time together.
- July 21-22: Day hike to Kuwohi (ᎫᏬᎯ) and provide “trail magic” for AT thru-hikers. Situating yourself near an established shelter along the Appalachian Trail, you will spend these two days taking some time to rest, meeting others and helping people with their journeys, and staying fresh by hiking up to Kuwohi (ᎫᏬᎯ), the second highest point east of the Mississippi River.
- July 23: Shuttle north up the AT to Martha Sundquist State Park (TN) for an ecology lesson from local foresters. In need of resupplying gear and food, a driver from Camp will come to move your group further north on the trail to camp at Martha Sundquist State Park in Tennessee, where you will camp and meet with a Tennessee State Forest Ranger. This lesson will help to round out your regional historical knowledge, this time from an ecological perspective.
- July 24- 27: Trekking along the AT from Martha Sundquist State Park TN to Hot Springs, NC. Back on the trail! This time, you will be joining the many thru-hikers on the famed Appalachian Trail, further bonding your group and building your inner strength. There will be many beautiful sights to see over these four days as the trek culminates at the popular riverside trail-town of Hot Springs.
- July 28: Day in Hot Springs, NC with a local Appalachian Trail crew. Further boosting your connections to the places you are traveling, you will spend this day with a local Appalachian Trail Crew to help maintain the recreational opportunities for others, all the while learning about past and current conservation practices.
- July 29-31: A day of climbing before two days of paddling the French Broad. Conveniently located in both friendly mountains and forgiving rivers, you will spend the last three days developing new skills with your close group. This provides a pleasant change of traveling pace than what you are used to and is accomplished through two different physical activities that help form trust, bonds, and communication. If all goes according to plan, you will be off the river and back at Eagle’s Nest in time to join the festivities of Final Banquet.
- August 1-2: Return to Camp, de-issue gear and debrief the trip, and depart on Closing Day. You will spend one more full day engaged with both the Camp closing activities and your own group’s wrap up of the three week long experience, learning from what you all have done and what you can take with you into the future. On August 2nd, you will return home, ready to spread your newfound knowledge to the greater world!
ApEx Equipment List: Hante ApEx Packing List
To apply for a Hante Adventure:
All Hante participants and their parents must complete a Questionnaire before being considered for acceptance. (*) Select Hantes have an application deadline of November 15th and are not eligible for the Early Bird Discount. Rolling admittance pending availability after November 15th for (*)Hantes.
“I just want to say ‘thank you’ for what you and Eagle’s Nest give to Evan. The letter we received from Evan was amazing. You simply can not imagine how great it feels to hear him tell me how he has grown emotionally and then list specific skills that have strengthened him physically. He said he feels so proud of himself and what he has accomplished. He described how he found each of his Hante instructors helpful to him in different ways. I wanted to say how grateful I am to the Eagle’s Nest staff for the gift you are to Evan.”
REGISTER TODAY!
All Added Adventure, Hante Adventures, and Junior Counselor participants and their parents or guardians must complete all questionnaires before being considered for the program. Questionnaires are available with registration on CampDoc.
Questions about your application or having trouble getting started? Please email us at register@enf.org or call us at 336-761-1040.