Great Smokey Mountain Beginners Backpacking
April 26, 2024
April 28, 2024
Spring is a wonderful time to experience the more serene Smoky Mountains, as the land starts to awaken before the busy summer tourist season arrives.
It is an extraordinary experience and one you won’t forget any time soon! By immersing yourself in the trees and among the wildflowers, you are allowing yourself to fully appreciate the wonders of this world-class landscape.
Wildflowers are the most iconic part of spring in the Smoky Mountains. As temperatures rise and the snow melts, hundreds of wildflowers begin to bloom, and wildlife emerges from winter resting places. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to over 1,500 types of flowering plants, more than any other national park in the country!
We will enjoy hiking amongst the wildflowers, exploring woods, connecting with nature, making new friends, learning the park’s history, and rediscovering ourselves.
Let’s get outside and celebrate our strength and sisterhood! We live to empower women. To open their wild hearts by slowing down and connecting to the wilderness, honoring their bodies, supporting each other, and listening to nature’s whispers.
To disconnect from the world. To prove to ourselves that if we don’t post about it on social media, it still tastes and looks just as good, maybe even better. The park is bold enough to nudge us back to the uninhabited ways. A place where you can be free again. Leaving you with a fresh perspective on the life you thought you knew so well, a healthy reminder to stop taking it for granted.
Women's backpacking trips are the perfect adventure for women of every age, fitness level, and personality! During the trip, women learn how to plan a backpacking trip, learn what equipment they’ll need, how to select a base camp, nutrition, campsite cooking, map reading, and outdoor ethics. This trip is designed to empower women and help them connect with nature by teaching them the skills they need to feel confident in the outdoors and life. If you've been wanting to try backpacking, stop waiting and sign up now.
Trips are “expedition style”, which means everyone works together to carry the gear, cook meals, and perform camp chores. But don’t worry, even if you have never been camping before we will teach you everything you need to know!
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RECOVER your wild heart and mind ~ RESTORE your connection to nature ~ RECONNECT to your soul
Your guide will take care of all of the details regarding planning, packing, what to expect and what gear to bring through a pre-trip zoom call.
ITINERARY (full, detailed itinerary sent upon registration)
Day 1
Meet at the campsite at the campground. Get expert tips as we work together to set up camp. Learn how to build a fire to cook on and enjoy our first meal together. S’Mores bar and wine pairing to finish the evening as we fall asleep under a blanket of stars.
Day 2
Hot beverages & breakfast. We'll divvy up food and gear, circle up, set intentions, and set out on our journey into the wilderness. Hike. Guided hike of exploration of the area. Set up camp. The afternoon is open to wild exploration and paying special attention to cultivating intimacy with nature. After dinner, we’ll practice group activity & story time. Nightcap.
Day 3
Hot beverages & breakfast. Pack up and hike back. Lunch will be enjoyed along the way. We will have a final gratitude circle, and say our goodbyes as we step into a new appreciation of life-affirming nature, path, and self!
Maximum enrollment 10 people
Meet your leader
Heather Zigler is an experienced International Tour Guide who has led women to far away regions on the planet including; Belize, Patagonia, New Zealand and Antarctica. An outdoor guide, backpacker, nature-based mentor, and storytelling goddess. She is a facilitator for those seeking a different truth and a greater meaning.
Sharing her deeply personal experience of how she overcame obstacles to accomplish her dreams. She is here to humbly use, and share, her passion for bold adventure and the wisdom she has gained through worldly experiences and reflection. Her mission is to open minds to new discoveries and inspire others to live their truest, most authentic lives.
Heather creates a strong, compassionate, loving environment that facilitates deep healing and sacred connection to the wilderness. Every woman can open up, be real and reimagine herself while finding a new community of friends.
