Our last post for the summer recap series is the Outdoor 101 adventure! The teens spent the first half of the week at Camp Mackall (the Special Forces training school that is part of Fort Bragg). The teens enjoyed spending time with the SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) school instructors, learning survival skills including fire making, water purification, building shelters, and land navigation. Additionally, they participated in the Nasty Nick obstacle course (part of the Army Special Forces selection course) before heading west to the mountains.
When we arrived in Franklin, NC, the teens had the opportunity to go whitewater rafting at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, taking turns navigating their rafts through the river rapids. They also learned some basic first aid and became CPR certified.
The rest of the week was filled with a hike to watch the sunrise on top of a fire tower, paddling out to and camping on an island in Lake Nantahala, and team challenges to locate, rescue, and treat a “downed hiker”.
This summer was full of fun, learning new skills, and growing the GSTA Family, and we are so grateful to our supporters for making this possible!
