Seniors the Strength of Greenie Backpackers
Camping and hiking through the western North Carolina mountains in late-January requires as much toughness as know-how.
Christ School's Backpackers are more than ready for whatever the great outdoors throws at them.
Seniors Christian Blanks '19 and Pierce Parker '19 have taken eighth-grader Chapin Mohney '23 under their wing as the boys prepare for the Shining Rock Wilderness later this month. The trio will be joined January 26 and 27 for a 15-mile overnight hike by two faculty members, Marcel Duhaime and Matt Perse.
"We're very fortunate to have two seniors in the Outdoor Program who have done this for three years," Duhaime said. "Christian and Pierce have been great instructors for Chapin. By now, they've bought a lot of their own equipment and they've really gotten into it. The questions they ask are the same questions I'd ask my buddies (about the outdoors)."
Every day after school, the Outdoor Program offers the Backpackers the chance to either learn something new or perfect techniques such as wilderness navigation, first-aid, trip-planning, or cooking with an outdoor stove. The boys have made their own walking sticks and trained with 24-pound packs strapped across their backs. And even though campfires are prohibited in the Shining Rock Wilderness, the Greenies know how to build one in different settings.
The Shining Rock Wilderness is about 40 miles away from Christ School in Canton, N.C. It is North Carolina's largest wilderness area and covers 18,000 acres with three peaks that exceed 6,000 feet. Shining Rock is a mountain that gets its name from the large white quartzite rock outcropping near its summit.
Last year, the Backpackers covered 23.5 miles of the Art Loeb Trail in two days. There were nine different river crossings along the way for a group that included Christian and Pierce.
