Rooted in Adventure, Rooted in Appalachia
At Appalachian Expeditions, we recognize that spending time in nature is critically important to who we are as humans. Appalachian Expeditions exists to create opportunities for people of all ages to get outside—to live and play in intentional communities, made up of both people and nature. Our place-based programs are designed to facilitate connections between participants and their metaphorical backyards; we believe that sustainability starts locally when people develop relationships with the places outside their back door. We use adventure and expeditions as the mechanisms to teach and relay these beliefs to our participants.
At Our Core
Nature Connection
We are an institute whose beliefs are rooted in the concept of Deep Ecology. Meaning, we recognize that humanity is a key component to the natural functioning ecosystem of the planet, but does not have more or less value than any other organisms in the ecosystem. Many of our programs, either explicitly or implicitly, attempt to help participants find their ecological identity in this world. This eco-philosophy (among others) permeates our program beyond just the ideas that we teach; we use it as a model to organize our systems, staff, and schedule.
Community
Simply put, community is comprised of two or more individuals who interact with each other. With a curriculum that focuses on communication, conflict resolution, and leadership, APEX aims to help participants develop skills that will help them move forward as active and engaged community members. We also recognize that communities of communities are nested within communities that make the world go around.
Sustainability
We want to remain solution-focused and minimize our impact both “in camp” and on the Earth. This is a concept to always strive for and never complete. Our programs aims to reduce our impact by planting trees, negating airplane travel by leading trips close to home, composting, and diminishing our wastes by refusing, reducing, reusing, repairing, repurposing, and recycling.
Adventure
We use outdoor adventures as a platform to teach important ideas and skills to our participants. Adventure sports offer complex and dynamic situations that we can use to teach leadership and decision making skills. Spending time outdoors affords us the opportunity to immerse ourselves, examining who we are and where we are in this world. We recognize that adventure means something different to everyone, and we strive to find a fit that is right for each individual.