OUTDOOR NC GUIDES
Whether you’re paddling through a pristine estuary, ripping through epic singletrack, or soaking in the views from a peak while rock climbing, our Outdoor NC guides empower you to elevate your adventure while minimizing your environmental impact. Discover more about our guides, each equipped with specialized training in the seven Leave No Trace Principles, ensuring your journey through NC is not just memorable, but meaningful.
What is the Outdoor NC Guide program?
The Outdoor NC Guide program is a one-of-a kind initiative developed by Outdoor NC in cooperation with Leave No Trace, unites guides from across NC for annual training. This training empowers guides to infuse stewardship messages into their experiences, enhancing outdoor adventures and deepening the understanding of the vital importance of preserving our cherished natural spaces for future generations. Our program equips them with essential tools and training, enabling impactful connections to NC’s breathtaking landscapes and inspiring others to embrace the Outdoor NC movement.
Meet the guides
Here, you’ll find a listing of all our Outdoor NC guides who have participated in the guide summit. They offer a wide variety of unique guided experiences and share insights on how you can be a good steward while enjoying your favorite outdoor activities.
Explore more information about each guide below, and follow our social channels on instagram and facebook to learn more from them.
David Stelling
Discipline: Fly Fishing
Dave Stelling operates High Country Guide Service, a fly-fishing experience located in Boone, Western North Carolina. Dave knows the importance of protecting the rivers and streams and sharing those values with the people he guides.
Dave says, “As a catch and release outfitter we always leave what we find and return our fish back to their homes – Always respecting the wildlife we encounter and teaching proper catch and release techniques to our clients.”
Those values led him to become an Outdoor NC guide – from planning ahead with thoughtful itineraries to cleaning up streams along the way, he helps guests truly connect with nature on his more than 20 individual programs.
Danielle Ennis
Discipline: Paddling
Danielle is the Head Paddling Guide and Instructor at Headwaters Outfitters – a family-owned paddle sport and fly fishing outfitter that’s operated in Rosman, North Carolina for 32 years.
Danielle loves to see her guests ride the wave of excitement on their river adventure toward a deeper connection to the outdoors. The experiences she provides are on the French Broad River – considered the world’s third oldest river. Danielle says, “giving back to the watershed and local communities has always been a main part of our mission.” To that end, each year in May, Headwaters Outfitters hosts the “Annual Upper French Broad River Clean Up Day.” They provide canoes for dozens of volunteers, who scour the river for trash – collecting 4,000 pounds last year alone! Danielle is excited to share more insights with fellow paddlers on how they can practice stewardship on the river today and in the future.
Forrest Stavish
Discipline: Rock Climbing
Forrest and his wife Elizabeth own and operate the Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School in Western North Carolina. As the leading climbing guide service in the southeast, Fox Mountain instructs beginners to advanced climbers from ages 6 and up. While Fox Mountain is based in Western North Carolina, they also run trips in other areas, including the North Carolina Piedmont.
“Before I was a guide, I was a climber, a backpacker, a mountain biker, and a lover of the outdoors,” Forrest says. “I was fortunate to have been introduced to the outdoors at an early age and taught the importance of stewardship and Leave No Trace.”
That upbringing has led him to become an Outdoor NC Guide – Forrest places an emphasis on ensuring his clients stay on designated trails, stow their gear on durable surfaces, leave what they find and pack out their trash. He also encourages people interested in climbing to get involved with local stewardship organizations such as the Carolina Climbers Coalition, which organizes events throughout the year.
Nick Freeman
Discipline: Fly Fishing
Nick Freeman is the owner of Rivers & Ridges a fly fishing guide service that operates in Western North Carolina and the Piedmont. Along with his wife, Sarah, he provides guided fly fishing excursions for beginners and experienced anglers alike. Most of the experiences he offers are focused in the northwestern foothills of North Carolina, mainly Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes counties.
Nick says, “I grew up loving the outdoors and naturally became hooked when I began fly fishing. Like any other outdoor activity, in fly fishing it is especially important to be respectful to others. Especially on public streams, there are often going to be other people enjoying a day of fishing. It’s easy to be considerate to other anglers by providing them with enough space to fish, opting for the next fishing spot downstream if one is taken, engaging with one another respectfully, and sharing the stream so that everyone can enjoy their day on the water.”
As an Outdoor NC Guide Nick reinforces the importance of keeping our rivers and streams clean so future generations can enjoy the same amazing experiences he offers on the water well into the future.
Lee “natty” Trebotich
Discipline: Outdoor Cooking/Hiking
Natty isn’t just a seasoned biologist. He’s also the owner and primary chef at Food For Adventures, a family-centered company based in Asheville that specializes in outdoor culinary services and educational programming.
Whether he’s offering “private adventure chef” with expedition cooking services or leading classes on foraging and medicinal plants, Natty says his No. 1 priority is to “respect nature.” Following the Outdoor NC Leave No Trace principles, he says, helps him do that while ensuring that “we can experience nature in its true form and pass on this knowledge to others to safeguard it for future generations.”
“One principle that holds great importance for us and receives significant emphasis is ‘proper waste disposal’ (or, trashing your trash). Being a chef, outdoor enthusiast and biologist I understand the importance of showing respect for the environment.”
During guided experiences with his team, Natty advocates for active participation in the Outdoor NC Leave No Trace principles, like picking up trash and packing in/packing out, “we find that setting a physical example is the most effective way to encourage others to join in.”
Interested in becoming an Outdoor NC Guide?
Are you a guide interested in foster meaningful connection? Are you passionate about stewardship? Do you want to inspire others to join the movement to preserve our beloved outdoor spaces? If that sounds like you, we’d love to invite you to join the movement as an Outdoor NC Guide.
