Adventure Program’s Impact on the Community
Kai Meyers | February 8, 2024
Adventure Programs Crew at Warren Wilson College (WWC) provides unique, accessible opportunities for students to explore the campus’ surrounding mountains, rivers and trails. Through these experiences, students have an opportunity to build community and a sense of place in the greater area.
Students also gain access to the Adventure Programs Crew outdoor gear library, which includes camping equipment, climbing gear and boats (to be used with permission), all for just a $10 deposit, so students can lead their own adventures!
The impacts of this crew are far-reaching and interdisciplinary. The nature of an outdoor trip is transformative, cultivating community and connection to place in the process.
“It’s such a unique privilege to live in a place where I can get out of my bed and walk to a beautiful view of a secluded forest,” said Liza Thomas, a senior on the Adventure Programs Crew.
This past Sunday, Thomas and Lily Walker, a junior on the Adventure Programs Crew, led students on a 5.5-mile hike through WWC trails, showcasing some of the land WWC is considering selling. “WWC is so connected to our land and location, it… would be a drastically different place without it,” said Walker.
WWC students expressed gratitude that the Adventure Programs Crew provided opportunities to experience the college’s over 15 miles of trails..
“I felt safe and cared for by the outdoor adventure crew and was able to fully experience the hike,” said Ari Hanson, a junior at WWC. By providing people the opportunity to navigate the campus’ trails with experienced leaders, the crew encouraged students to connect with the campus.
Bruce Hills, the Adventure Programs Crew supervisor, reflected on how rewarding it was to give students “a sense of place of where they are in the mountains.” Starting at a campus level and working outward, the Adventure Programs Crew allows students to experience all the natural beauty this part of the country offers.
When people get outside of their comfort zone, they are more open to connection, because these experiences are new for everyone involved. Each group of students is unique, fostering new conversations among peers who would’ve likely never met otherwise.
“It kind of gives me a new perspective on the people at campus,” said Isaac Denizer, a junior on the Adventure Programs Crew. The trips provide an inlet into understanding the wide array of experiences each person brings with them to WWC.
Accessibility and inclusion are core values of the Adventure Programs Crew, “and we definitely have a lot of room for growth,” said Thomas. From a price point perspective, the ACP does a phenomenal job of keeping prices low, particularly for the climbing and boating trips, which are only $0-$10, virtually impossible to find anywhere else. However, consistent with many outdoor spaces, the crew lacks diversity and trips available to different physical ability levels.
Hills said that one-way Adventure Programs Crew would like to broaden their impact is by asking other work crews, affinity groups, and members of the community how they can help. The crew is a resource for WWC and can be utilized outside of just outdoor activities.
“I think that everyone should go on an adventure programs trip before they graduate,” said Thomas, “like, a Wilson bucket list.”
The trip happening this weekend are:
2/10: Hidden Valley Climbing in Virginia
$5 for all gear and food provided
2/11: Queer WWC Hike
FREE! For an afternoon of community and nature
2/11: Ice Skating in South Carolina
$14 for access to the skating rink
For Access to the gear library, swing by Bryson Gym, during open climb hours and talk to a crew member, or you can email or text them.