Mountaineering Instructors

Camp Merrie-Woode has a long-standing tradition of adventure activities as part of the Mountaineering Program. Mountaineering activities include rock climbing, high and low ropes challenge courses, caving, hiking, multi-day backpacking, and orienteering. Instruction in these areas focuses on skill building and proficiency, instilling a respect for the natural environment, and having fun! The pre-requisites for participation in the Mountaineering Program vary with the activity.

Campers sign up for these activities on a daily, first come first serve basis.

Merrie-Woode’s Earthworks program incorporates environmental awareness and an appreciation for our natural setting in the North Carolina mountains. The program provides campers the opportunity to experience the natural world while learning camping skills such as fire building and outdoor cooking. Campers learn Leave No Trace Principles and how to apply them on trips they take with our Mountaineering program. Visiting instructors come to Merrie-Woode to teach about various animals including birds of prey, reptiles, and llamas.

Access to amazing natural resources is something that truly sets Camp Merrie-Woode apart. In camp sits a 700 foot-tall granite faced mountain, known as ‘Old Bald,’ where rock climbing opportunity abounds. There are over a dozen established single and multi-pitch routes available to campers at a wide range of skill level and ability. In addition to the natural rock features, CMW has an indoor climbing facility where much of the beginner instruction and rainy day climbing activities take place.

Campers of all ages can learn skills in climbing, rappelling, belaying, and other technical areas while also developing an appreciation for the outdoors and minimizing the impact on natural resources.

Camp Merrie-Woode has both a high and low ropes challenge course to offer its campers. The Low Ropes Course is a very popular activity for all ages that helps build teamwork and communication skills. The High Ropes Course has a minimum age of 13 years old. Campers can test themselves against challenge events such as the Burma Bridge, the Postman’s Walk, and the ever-popular Zip-line!

Caving is the perfect excuse to go play in the mud and has been very popular since its addition to the Mountaineering program about 10 years ago. Very few activities have such a genuine feel of exploration as finding your way through a limestone cavern carved out by an underground river. Camp Merrie-Woode utilizes a cave near Elizabethton, Tennessee, known as Worley’s Cave.

Campers get to see firsthand the formation of underground stalagmites and stalactites, as well as other formations such as the Organ, the Ship’s Prow, and the Railroad Passage.

There are few better places to go bounding down the trail than in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Camp Merrie-Woode campers have the opportunity to sign up for both day hikes and multi-day backpacking trips. Age requirements and pre-requisites for these activities vary with the length of the trip and difficulty of the terrain. Popular local hikes include Whiteside and Chimney Top Mountain, while longer trips are taken to sections of the Smoky Mountains, Appalachian Trail, Linville Gorge, and other parts of Pisgah National Forrest.

Campers can learn skills in backcountry cooking, navigation, and shelter building. Hiking and backpacking trips range from 1 to 5 days in length.