Activities & Events
Wilderness School Class Options
Wilderness School | Class Options | Schedule & Rates
This is your program. Listed below are some of the classes you can choose from to tailor your experience for the needs of your group. If you are interested in a course of study not listed here please feel free to contact us with your idea. Some of the classes below can be customized. For example, many classes (including “Tree Trek,” “Fire,” and “Tracking”) lend themselves to being taught in whole or in part while on “A Walk in the Woods.”
A Walk in the Woods
Sometimes there is no substitute for time spent in the wilderness. We will hike one of Montreat’s many trails, exploring its ecosystems, flora, and fauna first hand. This activity is an all-day event (counts as two sessions) with the students eating lunch on the trail (provided). While the Montreat Wilderness staff is willing to offer this program rain or shine, some groups may want to have a back up selection in case of inclement weather.
Primitive Living Skills
Classes under this area of study provide students with a glimpse of what life in Appalachia would have been like for the people living here 200 years ago. These courses will also include the science, history, and lore behind these techniques.
Tracking: Students will explore the world of tracks and the animals that make them.
• Learn new observation techniques.
• Discover the different ways in which animals walk.
• Explore the importance of tracking then and now.
Fire: We will explore one of mankind’s earliest discoveries, a source of heat, power, and wonder even today.
• Learn about the chemical process known as combustion.
• Discover traditional and alternate methods of fire starting.
• Explore the importance of fire both anthropologically and ecologically.
• Overnight groups can arrange to cook their dinner over the campfire.
Survival: Do you have what it takes to survive in the wilderness?
• Learn the perils of the wilderness and how to avoid them.
• Discover what to do if you become lost.
• Explore different ways to get what you need in the wilderness.
Pioneering: Students will build a tower using only timber and ropes.
• Learn about knots and lashings.
• Discover construction without nails.
• Explore the possibilities using only rope and simple machines.
Orienteering: Students will navigate through our orienteering course using only a map and compass.
• Learn your way around a compass.
• Discover techniques for navigation without a compass.
• Explore Montreat with compass in hand.
Environmental Education
These classes are designed to fulfill some of the North Carolina Education Standards (depending on grade level) as well as give the students some hands on experience with natural sciences and current environmental concerns.
Tree Trek: Wander beneath stately trees.
• Learn to identify trees by leaves and bark.
• Discover the different types of trees.
• Explore the grounds using trees to solve puzzles.
Predators: Are you predator or prey?
• Learn about omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores.
• Discover the importance that predators play in ecosystems.
• Explore what habitat destruction does to predators such as wolves and cougars.
Camouflage & Adaptation: Become part of your surroundings.
• Learn about adaptations and how they help animals survive.
• Discover different ways animals camouflage themselves.
• Explore camouflage on a personal level.
Nocturnal Life: What happens in the woods when the sun goes down?
• Learn about nocturnal, diurnal, and crepuscular animals.
• Discover some of the nighttime denizens of Montreat.
• Explore the world by moonlight.
Stream Stroll: Where does our water come from? (Seasonal class dependent on weather.)
• Learn about watersheds and how they work.
• Discover what indicator species say about our water quality.
• Explore Flat Creek by looking for macro invertebrates.
Leadership Skills:
These activities can be offered as a whole session, interspersed in small doses (depending on your other programming choices), or omitted entirely. They are designed to teach the students communication, teamwork, problem solving, and trust among other things. There are a wide variety of exercises that might be used depending on a group’s size and needs.
Download the Montreat Wilderness School planning guide for more information!. You may also download the registration and liability waiver forms individually.
Wilderness School | Class Options | Schedule & Rates