Give the Gift of Stewardship: Unique Adventures in NC
The holidays are upon us, which means you probably have gift giving on your mind. Choosing the right present for the ones you love can be the most stressful aspect of the season, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if you think outside the wrapped box. Sending your loved one into our state’s wild spaces for an outdoor gift of afternoon adventure in NC could be meaningful. And if that adventure is guided by a professional who is certified in Outdoor NC Leave No Trace Principles, the gift carries the extra value of stewardship, as it ensures the landscape we all love is preserved for others to enjoy.
The Outdoor NC Guide Program
There are hundreds of guides leading trips throughout NC, but the Outdoor NC Guide Program supplies select professionals with education in the seven Outdoor NC Leave No Trace principles. Certified guides are able to elevate their client’s experience by weaving in layers of stewardship to each outdoor adventure, whether they’re climbing rocks or paddling rapids. Clients are not only led on unforgettable experiences like mountain biking and outdoor photography, but they come away from the adventure with a deeper understanding of the landscape they’ve been exploring, as well as how their own actions can help preserve those natural resources for other visitors.
Giving the outdoor gift of a trip with a certified guide, allows you and your loved one to join the growing Outdoor NC Movement to preserve our outdoor spaces for future generations.
CHOOSE A GUIDE
The guides that have earned Outdoor NC certifications span the state, offering everything from canoe trips down the Haw River to fly fishing in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain. Here are three Outdoor NC certified guides offering unique trips in some of North Carolina’s most storied landscapes.
7 Moons MTB
In Cherokee, Laura Blythe and her fellow guides at 7 Moons MTB can show you the best downhill trails at Fire Mountain while detailing the importance of the land to the Cherokee people and making sure everyone preserves the mountain by sticking to the established trails.
Outer Banks Adventures
Operating from Nags Head, certified guide Jamie Moore with Outer Banks Adventures can lead you on a kayak or SUP tour, teaching you the nuances of paddling the personal watercraft while exploring the peaceful waterways on the inland side of the barrier islands. Outer Banks Adventures also leads land-based wildlife tours in Alligator National Wildlife Refuge, getting you in position to see black bears and alligators at a distance that protects you and the wildlife.
Haw River Canoe and Kayak Company
The Haw River meanders slowly for more than 100 miles through the center of North Carolina. Benjamin Clarke with Haw River Canoe and Kayak Company can lead you on a canoe trip through some of the most scenic stretches of the Haw near Saxapahaw while relaying proper river stewardship, like giving other users enough space to enjoy the waterway peacefully.
An Outdoor Gift Rooted in Stewardship
The beauty of choosing an adventure led by a certified Outdoor NC guide is that it helps ensure the landscape you’re exploring remains healthy for other adventurers. For instance, if you give the gift of climbing Looking Glass Rock with Fox Mountain Guides, not only is your husband or wife or brother or sister enjoying the gift of a fantastic ascent up the granite dome, but that person is also giving other users a gift by following Outdoor Leave No Trace Principles like packing out their trash. Good stewardship is the gift that keeps on giving.
Three Outdoor NC Leave No Trace Principles to Follow on your Gifted Adventure in NC and Beyond
It doesn’t matter if you’re paddling along the Outer Banks or hiking on the Mountains To Sea Trail, practicing these easy stewardship principles can be a gift to other users in North Carolina’s wild spaces.
Keep Wildlife Wild
Seeing a feral pony on a barrier island, or an elk in a mountain valley is a true gift. Honor that present by observing the creatures from a safe distance, and storing all food securely, whether you’re camping or just out for a stroll. By keeping human food away from wildlife, you’re helping to preserve the animal’s natural habits and reliance on proper food sources, which can actually help extend the animal’s lifespan.
Be Considerate of Others and Share the Outdoors
Respect other users and their ideas about how to enjoy the outdoors by being considerate when encountering them on the trail. Politely announce your presence and give them enough space to pass safely. Also, be mindful of your noise level, so that everyone can enjoy the gift of nature’s sounds, whether it’s the waves sweeping across the beach or the songs of birds in the trees.
Leave It As You Find It
North Carolina is brimming with some of the most diverse landscapes in the country, and it’s important to leave the wild spaces we love to explore exactly as we find them. When you keep the stones and flowers that you find in their natural place inside our protected lands, it’s like giving tiny presents for others to enjoy after you’ve gone.
You’re invited to join the outdoor nc movement
Join the movement to preserve and protect North Carolina’s beloved outdoor spaces and you’ll be entered to win a ENO double nest hammock and hanging straps! Together we can preserve our beloved outdoor spaces for generations to come. Click to learn more.
