Outdoor Team Building

On Wednesday, June 24, our Kenan cohort spent an absolutely incredible day outdoors team building and enjoying the beauty of nature. A group of us woke up early and went for a sunrise mountain hike on the grounds of NCCAT in Cullowhee. After cleaning up and enjoying a wonderful NCCAT breakfast (all the NCCAT food is great by the way) everyone loaded up and headed over to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Bryson City, NC for a guided 8 mile white water rafting trip down the Nantahala River.

Our stay at NOC was such a cool experience especially since many of us had not been rafting before. By Wednesday morning we were already beginning to come together as a Kenan family and this trip solidified those relationships. My boat was fortunate enough to have NOC’s best river guide Ms. Kristy Dennis (who also happens to be a teacher as well). Our agenda for the day included educational stops and discussions regarding the history and science of the river along with a picnic lunch on the river bank. The NOC staff and facilities were so impressive that I plan on returning with my family and would also love to come back for some team building with my football and baseball coaching staffs.

After our trip down the river, we returned to NCCAT where some of the fellows napped, freshened up and enjoyed a steak dinner. Some other fellows enjoyed nearby attractions such as Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. I decided to join a group of my friends on an informal elk expedition in the Cataloochee Valley. The elk and the valley were a speculator way to end the day. Not many people get the opportunity to observe elk in their natural environment and it was absolutely breathtaking – in addition to the added bonus of the valley sunset.

In summary, our outdoor team building and learning experiences today were very educational and certainly helped forged relationships that were made this week, that I know will last a lifetime.