Date: Thursday May 3- Friday May 4

Location: The Appalachian Trail in the Highlands of Roan

Cost: FREE for all participants and meals will be provided

Join us for a Leave No Trace (LNT) Trainer Course in the Roan Highlands!

This course is great for trip leaders, Scout leaders, camp staff,  college students, school teachers, and outdoor enthusiasts. This specific course, facilitated by two LNT Master Educators, will train participants in LNT outdoor ethics and provide them with the tools needed to educate others about responsible recreation.  The course material will be taught through verbal lectures and experiential education which will allow participants to practice the LNT principles in a backcountry setting. By the conclusion of this course, participants will have learned valuable skills that will enable them to facilitate their own LNT Awareness Workshop or outreach event. Due to the educational nature of this course dogs will not be allowed.

The course will follow 16 hour experiential education model as a backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail in the Roan Highlands of North Carolina. Participants should expect to hike approximately 5 miles per day carrying a pack weighing up to 45 lbs. A more specific route will be shared with the participants closer to the course date.

A packing list will be emailed to participants by 3/15.  Tents and personal camping gear will not be provided.

Participants are strongly encouraged to also attend a LNT outreach event after the Trainer Course.  This event will provide course attendees the opportunity to practice their new skills by educating the general public and thru hikers about LNT on the Appalachian Trail.  This outreach event will take place in the afternoon on Friday May 11.

General Schedule:

On day 1, participants will be introduced to the 7 LNT principles of outdoor ethics and the history of LNT Inc. while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Basic skills such as knot tying, camp cooking, and general backpacking techniques will also be taught on day 1. In the evening, participants will work with a partner to prepare a LNT lesson plan for the following day.

On day 2 we will continue to hike on the Appalachian Trail. On down time, participants will act as the instructors and teach their LNT lesson to the group.

Thank you for your interest!