Adventure Trips

Providing enjoyable, challenging, and affordable programs

Campus Recreation

Outdoor Adventure (OA) offers a variety of fun outdoor trips. We are committed to providing enjoyable, challenging, and affordable programs that provide students with positive outdoor experiences that teach skills and knowledge to safely enjoy the outdoors. Our goal through these programs is to develop positive attitudes and actions that foster an environmental ethic by connecting to nature, and to one another.

BOLT

BOLT 2024

Buccaneer Outdoor Leadership Training

The Fall 2024 Cohort is FULL! Check back for Spring Cohort Registration

  • Description

    Looking to go deeper into camp craft, leadership, and outdoor activities such as backpacking, paddling, and climbing? Do you want to become a Trip Leader for Outdoor Adventure? Buccaneer Outdoor Leadership Training is for you! Join Outdoor Adventure for an experience like no other! BOLT consists of four adventure trips that teach an array of outdoor hard skills and leadership, group dynamics, and the option of greatly reduced cost for a Wilderness First Aid Certification. The program fee includes all tripping gear, transportation, food, and leaders for all four outdoor trips and preparatory and reflection meetings throughout the semester. You will also receive exclusive BOLT swag and celebration upon completion.

    Expereince Level - No Expereince

    Fitness Level - 1 to 4- Easy Active to Strenuous (Trips progress in difficulty as program progresses)

    Physical Fitness: (Highly suggested minimums)
    • Ability to carry a minimum of 35lbs for an extended distance
    • Ability to run a mile in under 15 min
    • Bending, crouching, lifting with a load

  • Trip Details

    Trip Dates:


    • Labor Day Weekend – Base Camping/Rafting (Hot Springs, NC)
    • Fall Break – Backpack (Location TBD)
    • Veterans Day – Backpack-in/Climbing (Stone Depot/Linville Gorge/Other?)
    • After Semester Trip Dec 15-18 (Location and Trip designed by group)

    Meeting Dates:


    • Aug 28 (Intro)
    • August 30 (Pack-out)
    • September 11 (Debrief)
    • October 2 (Planning), October 9 (Planning/Packout), 11 (Optional)
    • October 23 (Debrief)
    • October 30 (Planning), November 6 (Planning/Pack-out), November 8 (Optional)
    • November 13 (Debrief)
    • December 4 (Planning), 11 (Planning Pack-Out), 13 (Optional)
  • Cost and Perks

    Cost:

    • $250 early-bird Deadline: May 15, 2024
    • $275 until May 31
    • $300 until June 15

    $100 Deposit due at registration and full payment due by July 30

    Cost includes all tripping gear, transportation, food, and leaders for all four outdoor trips and preparatory and reflection meetings throughout the semester.

    Perks:

    • Branded Hat
    • Branded Shirt
    • Camp Bowl
    • Outdoor Adventure Trip Discounts
    • Pro Deal Access
    • Wilderness First Aid Cost Reduction (WFA required for OA Trip Leaders and full reimbursement available)

     

Fall Outdoor Adventure Trips

To register for any trips please do so through the Campus Recreation Portal or visit the Outdoor Adventure Center during regular hours.

Backpack

Backpacking Mount Rogers

Date: August 31-September 2, 2024 – Saturday-Monday
Location: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
Cost: $30
Time: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Registration Opens: Monday, August 19
Registration Closes: Thursday, August 29 (12:00pm)
Required Meeting: Friday, August 30
  • Details

    Begin the Fall Semester in style backpacking with OA through Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia! This trip is for everyone looking to get out in nature and create lifelong friends, all while being led by experienced OA Trip Leaders! Included in your trip fee is all backpacking gear (minus personal items), transportation, food, and leaders.

     

    Experience Level: No Experience to Some Experience 

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 – Moderate to Vigorous

 

raft

Rafting on the French Broad River

Date: September 7, 2024 – Saturday (Backup Day - Sunday September 8)
Location: French Broad section 9, Marshall NC
Cost: $20
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Registration Opens: Monday, August 26
Registration Closes: Wednesday, September 4
  • Details

    Dates:

    January 30, 2024 – Tuesday

    February 6, 2024 – Tuesday

    February 20, 2024 – Tuesday

    Discover the breath-taking beauty of the French Broad River in the Pisgah National Forest of Western North Carolina. Warm water, thrilling rapids, and rock jumping all led by experienced OA guides. Section 9 is a class III-IV river that is about 4 miles long.

     

    Experience Level: No Experience 

    Fitness Level: Level 1-3 - Easy Active to Vigorous

 

lake van

Lake James Island Paddle Camping

Date: September 14-15, 2024 – Saturday-Sunday
Location: Lake James, NC
Cost: $5 + bring $10 cash/venmo for cave entry
Time: 9:00am-6:00pm
Registration Opens: Monday, August 26
Registration Closes: Wednesday, September 11 (5:00pm)
Required Meeting: Thursday, September 12
  • Details

    Outdoor Adventure will be exploring the waters and islands of Lake James in North Carolina. We will spend the night at a remote campsite providing serenity and calm to a hectic beginning of the semester. There is a mandatory Pre-Trip Meeting on the evening of Thursday, September 12. Included in your trip fee is transportation, all paddling gear, camping gear, food, and experienced Outdoor Adventure Leaders.

     

    Experience Level: No Experience

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 – Moderate to Vigorous 

raft

Rafting on the Nolichucky River

Date: September 21, 2024 – Saturday (Backup Day - Sunday September 22)
Location: Nolichucky River, Erwin, TN
Cost: $20
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Registration Opens: Wednesday, September 4
Registration Closes: Wednesday, September 18
  • Details

    Hit the big water in the beautiful Nolichucky Gorge and paddle along with OA down 8 milies of the Nolichucky River!

     

    Experience Level: No Experience 

    Fitness Level: Level 1-3 - Easy Active to Vigorous

waterfall

Margarette Falls Day Hike - Cancelled

Date: September 28, 2024 – Saturday
Location: Margarette Falls, Greenville, TN
Cost: $5
Time: 11:00pm – 4:00pm
Registration Opens: Wednesday, Sept 11
Registration Closes: Wednesday, September 25 (5:00pm)
  • Details

    Cool down in the late summer with OA and hike to Margarette Falls in Greenville, TN. This hike is 3 miles round trip and offers creek crossings, history, and a 60 foot waterfall witha pool to play in.

     

    Experience Level: No Experience 

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 – Moderate to Vigorous

 

bouldering

Grayson Highlands Bouldering Day - Cancelled

 

Date: October 5, 2024 – Saturday
Location: Grayson Highlands Boulder Fields, VA
Cost: $10
Time: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Registration Opens: Wednesday, September 18
Registration Closes: Wednesday, October 2 (5:00pm)
  • Details

    Go crush on some rock! "From the wild ponys and the natural balds, to the wind swept and seemingly endless views, this place is beautiful and memorable. That also holds true to the bouldering that can be found here. the exposed rock is angular, smooth, and as picturesque as a climber could ever ask for." So says Mountain Project! Join OA to find out if this is true!

    OA can provide shoes, chalk, and crash pads.

     

    Experience Level: Some Experience 

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 – Moderate to Vigorous


 

paddlepack

Sand Rock (Cherokee Rock Village) Fall Break Blowout!

Date: October 11-15, 2024 – Friday-Tuesday

Location: Cherokee Rock Village, AL

Cost: $75

Time: 4:00pm (Friday) – 5:00pm (Tuesday)

Registration Opens: Wednesday, September 11

Registration Closes: Wednesday, October 9 (5:00pm)
Required Meeting: October 10
  • Details

    Expand your outdoor climbing skills and hit some real rock with this amazing trip to Cherokee Rock Village in Alabama. Departing Friday evening, you will be base camping feet away from the climbing area for 4 nights with full days of climbing Saturday to Monday and a half day on Tuesday. The park boasts hundreds of sport and top-rope routes on bullet hard sandstone. There are showers and a covered pavilion onsite.

     

    Experience Level: Some Experience (ability to belay preferred)

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 – Moderate to Vigorous

 

climb

Breaks Interstate Climbing Trip

Date: October 25-27, 2024 – Friday-Sunday
Location: Breaks Interstate Park, VA
Cost: $30
Time: 4:00pm (Friday) – 5:00pm (Sunday)
Registration Opens: Wednesday, October 2
Registration Closes: Wednesday, October 23 (5:00pm)
Required Meeting: Thursday, October 24
  • Details

    Expand your outdoor climbing skills and ability with this amazing trip to Breaks Interstate Park on the border of Virginia and Kentucky. Departing Friday evening, you will be base camping Friday and Saturday nights with a full day of climbing on Saturday and half day on Sunday. The park boasts over 300 routes on bullet sandstone. All routes can be accessed by walking from the campsite! This is truly a hidden gem of the South East!

     

    Experience Level: Some Experience (ability to belay preferred)

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 – Moderate to Vigorous

 

backpack

Backpacking the Blackstacks

Date: November 8-11, 2024 – Friday-Monday
Location: Blackstack Cliffs, NC/TN
Cost: $35
Time: 4:00pm (Friday) – 5:00pm (Monday)
Registration Opens: Wednesday, October 9
Registration Closes: Wednesday, November 6 (5:00pm)
Required Meeting: Thursday, November 7 (6:00pm)
  • Details

    Travel along the Blackstack cliffs ont he famous Appalichian Trail as you travest the TN/NC border. Spend 3 nights out in the backcountry carrying all you need in your backpack. Cook out over a fire and laugh with new and old friends alike as you get the best view of the starts around! This trip travels mostly ridgeline but still involves some strenous hiking but the payoff is more than worth it!

     

    Experience Level: Some Experience 

    Fitness Level: Level 3-4 –Vigorous to Strenuous 

 

cave

Worley’s Cave Day

Date: November 16, 2024 - Saturday
Location: Worley’s Cave, Bluff City, TN 
Cost: $5 + $10 cash or venmo for cave entry
Time: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Registration Opens: Wednesday, October 30
Registration Closes: Wednesday, November 13 (5:00pm)

  • Details

    Delve under the earth in Worley's Cave beneath Bluff City, TN. Walk, slide, crawl, and wade your way through the full loop of the cave. Get muddy and enjoy lunch in the dark feeling the perfect temperature year-round! $10 CASH/VENMO required for cave entry fee.

     

    Experience Level: No Experience

    Fitness Level: Level 2 - Moderate - Squatting, crawling, and rolling possible

 

waterfall

Frolic with Falls (Long Arm Branch Falls Day Hike)

 

Date: December 7, 2024 - Saturday
Location: Long Arm Branch Falls
Cost: $10
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Registration Opens: Wednesday, November 20
Registration Closes: Wednesday, November 4 (5:00pm)
  • Details

    Find some nature seclusion as you hike the 4.2 mile round trip hike to Long Arm Branch Falls! This trail is considered challenging but beautiful with some stream crossings and a wonderful waterfall at the end. Join OA as we tracerse the TN backwoods and appreciate her natural wonders!

     

    Experience Level: No Experience

    Fitness Level: Level 2-3 - Moderate - Vigorous

 

 

Eligibility for Participation

Off-campus day trips are open to full and part-time, students, staff and faculty as well as adjunct faculty with vaild ETSU ID and active CPA Membership.

Off-campus overnight trips are open to full and part-time students with vaild ETSU ID and active CPA Membership.

All trips are non-refundable 5 days prior to departure date.

 

Experience Levels

No Experience: No prior knowledge necessary! All required skills will be taught by instructors.

Some Experience: Basic skills and understanding needed. Some elements taught by instructors.

Moderate Experience: Fair amount of knowledge and ability to perform skills needed. Few elements taught by instructors.

Significant Experience: Ability to perform most or all skills needed and deep knowledge of activity. Little to no skills taught by isntructors.

Fitness Levels

Level 1: Easy Active: Minor physical ablity needed but movement is incorperated throughout.

Level 2: Moderate: Regular physical movement throughout and possibility of carrying up to 20lb load.

Level 3: Vigorous: Difficult physical movement throughout. Could travel up to five miles per day and possibility of carrying up to 40lb load.

Level 4: Strenuous: Difficult physical movment throughout with bouts of intense activity. Could travel up to 10 miles per day and possilibity of carrying up to 50lb load.