WNC Fly Fishing – The Future is Downstream

Woody Platt fishes the East Fork of the French Broad River - Photo by Joanna Brown
MADE BY MOUNTAINS STORY

WNC FLY FISHING "THE FUTURE IS DOWNSTREAM"

The breadth and variety of fishing opportunities present in WNC make it one of the best places to learn to fish. There’s a lot of water and it’s really accessible. We also have a huge number of fly shops and guides, a concentration of industry that doesn’t exist in the rest of the country.

Western North Carolina celebrates a unique and tight knit fly fishing community with an immense impact as an outdoor recreational economic driver. As the popularity of recreational fishing in these waterways grows, more guide and gear companies are born in the region, and generations of families and more diverse communities become involved, we must work together in conservation efforts to ensure clean headwaters and healthy fish populations, particularly our native Brook Trout species, which are an indicator for all other river life. Written story by Graham Averill. Video Directed and Edited by Robb Leahy.

Play Video

on the river

jessica-whitmire-1
Jessica Whitmire at Headwaters Outfitters - Photo by Joanna Brown

Jessica Whitmire can’t imagine life without the French Broad River. The WNC native grew up on its banks, in the heart of Transylvania County. She learned to cast for trout into its eddies, paddled its rapids, took her first driving lessons on the backroads along those banks. Today, Whitmire is the Director of Operations for Headwaters Outfitters, a fly fishing guide service and shop that her parents co-founded when she was just 7 years old, largely out of their love for the French Broad.

“My mom was the person that made you pick up trash while on an adventure,” Whitmire says. “There isn’t a paddling trip I can remember where she didn’t end up with a big bag of trash she collected.”

The French Broad, and the endless miles of feeder streams that tumble off the mountains surrounding it, have been the canvas for Whitmire’s life, both as a child and as an adult. And, Whitmire is not an outlier in this respect. The mountains of Western North Carolina are pieced together by thousands of miles of streams and rivers just like the French Broad River, that serve as the connective tissues between individuals, cultures and communities.

Sav Sankaran Fishes the East Fork of the French Broad
Photo by Joanna Brown

finding identity

The trout that thrive in those streams haven’t just fed our bodies, they’ve helped craft our identities. from time immemorial when the Cherokee fished Brook Trout before Europeans arrived, all the way to today. Just consider Sav Sankaran, a first-generation American and son of immigrant parents, who found his sense of place in part through fishing the waters of Western North Carolina.

“Issues of identity and sense of place are central to my story,” Sankaran says. “I found my American identity in the pursuit of trout. My sense of ‘home’ was forged knee deep in Appalachia’s trout streams.”

Sankaran guided and advised local fly fishing trips for years out of Orvis’ Asheville shop, and now his role has grown to a national and global stage, serving as the Inclusion and Engagement Business Partner at The Orvis Company. He works tirelessly to introduce more people to the joys of casting for the very fish that helped him find his place in the world.

“I have a tattoo of a brook trout on my arm as a way to claim my identity,” Sankaran says. “I was made by the wildness of this place. And trout have always been at the center of Southern Appalachian culture.”

A $1.38 Billion STATE ECONOMY

BKT_Yeomans (2)
Appalachian Brook Trout - Photo by Pete Yeomans

Today, those trout aren’t just central to local culture, they’re central to our local economy. According to a newly published economic impact report by the NC Wildlife Commission, the trout fishing industry contributes $1.38 billion to the state’s economy. That money comes from anglers buying licenses and gear, visitors eating at local restaurants, hiring guides and staying in hotel rooms…the list goes on.

Locals like Sankaran and Whitmire are working hard to make sure people of all genders and races feel comfortable casting a line in our streams. Through Pisgah Area Women’s Fly Fishing, Whitmire works to create safe spaces for women to be introduced to fly fishing. Through Orvis’ outreach and education initiatives and as a Board Member of the Minority Outdoor Alliance, Sankaran actively encourages more people of color to try their first roll cast. And he thinks Western North Carolina is the ideal place to introduce new people of all backgrounds to the joys of fly fishing.

“The breadth and variety of fishing opportunities present in WNC make it one of the best places to learn to fish. There’s a lot of water and it’s really accessible. We also have a huge number of fly shops and guides, a concentration of industry that doesn’t exist in the rest of the country. And in WNC, the sport sits squarely at the intersection of accessibility and affordability. We have a wealth of cold-water resources, ample public access, and it can be done with minimal investment on the part of the angler.”
SAV SANKARAN
inclusion and Engagement Business Partner - The Orvis Company
Catching a Native Brook Trout
Photo Courtesy of Jay Hawthorne; Land o' Sky Trout Unlimited

WNC'S WATERS

On WNC’s waters, you can hike five miles into the backcountry to fish without seeing another person all day, or you can stop at a roadside hole and cast a line for 20 minutes with your buddies on the way home from work. The quality of the streams in this area are unmatched. Take Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which sits within a day’s drive of some of the largest cities in America, but still offers pristine mountain fishing.

“There are few places in the world that you can still catch native trout, in their native habitat that is relatively unimpaired,” says Matt Kulp, Fishery biologist for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Kulp is talking specifically about Southern Appalachian Brook Trout, the only trout species native to Western North Carolina. They’re small, feisty, and prone to cold water at high elevations. Unlike the lumbering rainbow trout, “Brookies” are hard to catch and even harder to protect. The threats are numerous, from acid rain to invasive species to steep-slope development, but keeping this native fish alive and well is more important now than ever, because the health of brook trout is connected to the health of the human population.

Conservation flows downstream

jessica-whitmire-2
Jessica Whitmire teaches her son, Waylon, how to cast a line outside of Headwaters Outfitters on the East Fork of the French Broad - Photo by Joanna Brown

“Trout conservation flows downstream,” says Jake Rash, the Coldwater Research Coordinator for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. “If we’ve helped conserve native Brook Trout, we’ve helped the top of the watershed be in a better place, which means that water starts flowing downstream to the animals, people, and communities that depend on it in much better condition than it would be otherwise.”

Brook Trout conservation is a collaborative effort. Everyone has to buy in, from the legislators passing the laws to non-profits, like Trout Unlimited, that work to implement conservation strategies on the ground, to the kids learning about the fish on their school field trip. Just ask Woody Platt. The professional bluegrass musician worked to restore the small trout stream on his family farm in Transylvania County, and knew he would need a lot of help.

“Everyone piled on,” Platt says of his conservation project. “It was wonderful to see all these agencies work together and focus on doing one job collectively.”

community in these mountains

woody-platt-wnc-flyfishing2
Woody Platt fishes the East Fork of the French Broad River - Photo by Joanna Brown

Trout Unlimited spearheads a lot of the conservation efforts that impact our rivers, but they know they can’t do it alone.  “We have an ambitious conservation mission,” says Beverly Smith, VP for volunteer operations for TU, “and we know if we thought we were just gonna do this by ourselves, we would be ineffective and we wouldn’t get it done.”

Local anglers know we need to see more of that sort of collaboration moving forward, which is one of the reasons efforts to diversify the sport are so important. Yes, everyone should know what it feels like to catch that first trout on a fly, and everyone should feel at home in the streams of Western North Carolina. But a more diverse angling population means a larger pool of conservations protecting those trout and their streams.

“When someone falls in love with water and trout, they’re more likely gonna fall in love with protecting that,” Platt says.

Sankaran agrees, and thinks that urge to protect is inevitable. “There’s an allure to Appalachia. It’s rooted in the mountains’ inherent ancientness. The settings you find yourself in when chasing trout in the mountains allow you to connect to that feeling. These mountains have gravitas.”

A MADE X MTNS production by videographer, Robb Leahy. Additional Footage by John Dupre and Joel Sandovos. Additional media provided by Trout Unlimited, Matt Kulp, David Wise, Rigged and Ready, Storyblocks, and Ian & Charity Rutter. Interviewers are Amy Allison and Joanna Brown.

Special thanks to: Trout Unlimited – Land O’ Sky, Trout Unlimited – Pisgah, Orvis, Fish Cherokee, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Headwaters Outfitters, Rigged and Ready, Outdoor Business Alliance of WNC, Brown Folks Fishing, Minority Outdoor Alliance.

McHone Performance Training

MADE BY MOUNTAINS MINI STORY

Steven McHone

In these mountains, I have played in soil, been cut by brush, cried on ridges, and found comfort in rhododendron tunnels and streams. These mountains taught me to walk, run, ride, swim, climb, love and grow as a person. Now my family and I share adventures in these mountains making a lifetime of memories.

Steven McHone — CoFounder of McHone Performance Training

Steven McHone and his family found their calling conditioning WNC’s outdoor athletes for a lifetime of outdoor recreation at

McHone Performance Training

Husband to Cofounder, Shona McHone, and father of two youngins, Micah and Gabriel,
Steven McHone is the Cofounder of McHone Performance Training
in Asheville, NC. McHone Performance Training (MPT) provides Sport Performance Training for WNC’s outdoor athletes, including: cyclists, runners, climbers, paddlers, adventurers, weekend warriors, ultra endurance runners, ultra cyclists and enduro racers.


Steven McHone is an Asheville native who, for the last decade, has dedicated himself to helping his mountain community to stay fit for adventuring in Western North Carolina. As a certified personal trainer, nationally accredited yoga instructor, and a licensed massage therapist Steven, uses his unique skill set to help increase individuals athletic performance with their adventures in mind. His own adventures have led him to bike across the country from West Coast to East Coast and North to South, run the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon, and compete as a bodybuilder and physique competitor.

“Being born and raised in WNC, I have always called Asheville home. After living in a city for 4 years while attending college at University of North Carolina – Greensboro, I found myself returning to WNC most weekends to backpack, mountain bike, trail run and swim in waterfalls,” said McHone. “In 2011, the call of the mountains brought me back home permanently.”

“I believe that a time spent outdoors is a life well spent! When opening McHone Performance Training, I hoped to help my community to keep adventuring in WNC’s Outdoors for a lifetime.”

On Building Community as a Small Outdoor Business in WNC

McHone Performance Training is a grassroots gym built by outdoor enthusiasts for outdoor enthusiasts, delivering a unique style of training specifically designed for individuals with active outdoor lifestyles. New Squat PR’s are always nice, but feeling stronger and more confident while ripping down your favorite trails is what MPT is all about. The challenge is to get folks to dedicate time off the mountain to strength training, so that they can keep playing for a lifetime.

Team MPT loves being a part of the local mountain sports community by volunteering on the trails, volunteering at races and events, and also competing in many local races.

I’m inspired by my fellow adventurers. It is an honor to be surrounded by so many inspiring mountain athletes. I connect with individuals who dare to dream big.

Steven McHone

Looking Ahead

Photo Courtesy of Steven McHone

Steven currently enjoys his daily movement practice, backpacking, distance running and mountain biking as much as possible. All of his adventures in Pisgah National Forest have led Steven to refine various movements using his extensive knowledge of sports medicine, massage, yoga, performance training and corrective exercise. These experiences inform his coaching methodology for the classes offered at MPT.

“I’m stoked to see so many new faces in the Outdoors and I’m looking forward to seeing
how WNC grows together. An organization I’m excited about these days is Catalyst Sports, who specialize in bringing adventure sports to people with physical disabilities.”

Steven’s wife and MPT co-owner Shona McHone lives by the motto: “move, connect and explore.” She is an avid outdoor adventurer pursuing the world from the seat of her bike. She is passionate about fitness that leads to unmarked trails and paths, unleashing new possibilities within the body and spirit. She is motivated pursuing the ‘why’ in your fitness journey helping people to move in new and dynamic ways that lead to their most courageous self.

Together, Steven and Shona are building community through their business while providing a safe and efficient program to lead athletes through their optimal fitness goals to find success in athletic events and adventures. Inspired by the Western North Carolina Mountains, the McHones turn movement into medicine, and help clients on their path to success in achieving long term results.


Learn more about McHone Performance Training at mchoneperformancetraining.com.

Rockgeist Bikepack USA

Made By Mountains Story

Rockgeist Bikepack USA

Asheville has been a key part of our success. It’s the mountains, the trails, the riding, but more importantly, the people here. Western North Carolina has such a great biking culture, and a rich history in textiles. Those are all the elements I needed to lean on to start and grow the business the right way.

– Greg Hardy, PhD., Owner

Rockgeist Bikepack USA makes quality waterproof and custom bikepacking bags, sewn in its workshop just north of Downtown Asheville, NC along the French Broad River. Greg Hardy, a medical research engineer with a PhD, founded Rockgeist in 2014 because he loved the simple act of riding bikes and camping. The company has grown as the niche of bikepacking has grown, and Rockgeist now has customers from all over the globe. Here, Hardy, and a few of Rockgeist’s loyal employees, discuss the nuances of small business, local bike culture, and their love of these mountains.


Expanding the boundaries of your bicycle travel

Rockgeist Bikepack USA

Rockgeist’s goal is to help you become more self-sufficient on your bike through gear defined by innovation, advanced materials, and made-in-USA craftsmanship. From its 2014 beginnings, Rockgeist has risen to acclaim in the rapidly growing bikepacking sport, making their mark with their “photo fit” custom build technique that tailors specific fitting gear for cyclists worldwide.

On Finding Western North Carolina and Founding Rockgeist

I first came to North Carolina to Durham for grad school. I kept driving out west to Asheville, and the Brevard area for the biking scene. That’s when I saw the mountains, got exposed to the towns out here. After grad school I made the transition to move to Asheville instead of driving here every weekend.

Originally, I was doing this part time after work in my apartment. We had 300 yards of fabric in the kitchen and machines in the living room. I like the autonomy of running a business and having the freedom of what we’re trying to build from the ground up. I also wanted to find a way to contribute to the bikepacking scene. Through gear and materials, it was the best way for me to be involved with the community and help encourage other people to get out and try bikepacking for the first time and have the type of experience that drew me into the sport.

The workshop opened in 2017, and I knew I needed to hire someone to grow the business. My first employee was one of my first customers, Eric. He came in one day and saw what was going on and offered to help. Hiring that first person was probably the biggest step.

On Collaboration and Innovation

Sewing Rockgeist bike bag
Sewing gear at Rockgeist’s Workshop

Collaboration with all of the small and larger businesses in Western North Carolina is a huge benefit to being located here. There are a lot of more mature companies in textile and manufacturing that I’ve definitely leaned on and gotten great guidance from. When Rockgeist was young, I enrolled in the Waypoint Accelerator Program. We were working through the process of running a business and growing, finding customers, working on a website…all of the things you have to do to get out in the world. I had no experience running a business before, but with the Waypoint Accelerator Program, I was in a group of nine other small business owners trying to figure this thing out. We had some commonalities, but we were coming from different perspectives and were able to lean on each other and find ways to solve problems in different ways.

When we first started, the thing that really put us on the map in the bikepacking scene was our PhotoFit process for custom frame bags. Rockgeist specializes in custom frame bags for the bike, different ways to carry gear on the bike. One of the core elements of that is a custom frame bag. Before we started, that process involved customers tracing cardboard cutouts of their frames and mailing them to bag makers. We created a process called PhotoFit, where bikers can take a strategic photo of their bike, and we can take that photo and add the customization and features that the customer wants. That process has expanded our customer base to a global level.

Collaboration with all of the small and larger businesses in Western North Carolina is a huge benefit to being located here. There are a lot of more mature companies in textile and manufacturing that I’ve definitely leaned on and received great guidance.

GREG HARDY

On Growing Through a Pandemic

Sewing bike gear at Rockgeist Bikepack USA
Emmy sews gear at the Rockgeist workshop

Dealing with the supply issues in the last few years has been a headache, but fortunately we’ve been able to rely on other companies in the Outdoor Gear Builders of WNC with those supply issues. Whether it be buckles, zippers…all that stuff that we took for granted four or five years ago, it’s a headache now. Having fellow companies to lean on in a network to navigate us through today’s challenges has been key.

The Outdoor Gear Builders is a group made up of a lot of different companies with different perspectives. We’re fortunate enough to connect with all of these owners of other businesses. In our early years, we definitely relied on OGB, because we only had two or three people here. We leaned on that collaborative aspect as other businesses in the area had equipment or systems we could leverage to help develop our products.

As a small business we’re reliant on other companies to help us solve challenges. Sometimes it’s sharing the work load, contracting work out that doesn’t make sense for us to do but still needs to be done. It opens up our time to spend on our specific product, where we don’t have to do some areas of work that we’re not set up to do. Having that relationship where you can talk face-to-face with local people, accelerates that collaboration and allows us to get a lot out of these relationships.

On Encouraging Bikepacking

The growth of bikepacking has definitely surged, and I hope it has become more accessible. One of the things we’re doing to encourage that is our rental gear program. If you don’t have the experience and want to talk to someone face to face about the right gear to put to put on your bike, we’re here for you. And you don’t have to purchase, a $600 kit to get out. You can take some of our gear, rent it for super cheap, and it’s enough to get out on some of our local routes for a few days.

Fabric Alignment Specialist Greg Clemmer
Fabric Alignment Specialist, Greg Clemmer

“Western North Carolina is a good bikepacking destination because the infrastructure is there. There are good gravel roads and good places to camp, so it’s fairly easy to tie things together and do whatever kind of trip you want to do.”

Greg ClemmerFabric Alignment Specialist,

On Being Made by These Mountain Communities

Rockgeist Wholesale Specialist Jen Weeks talks to a customer


The mountains of Western North Carolina are our livelihood. They’re the pulse of our business. They’re what motivates us. They’re how we pay our bills.

Pisgah National Forest is special. It’s such a beautiful place. Sleeping under the canopies of the trees of Pisgah is magic. I like to go to Big Ivy, which some people call Coleman Boundary, which is out of the way, but I do a lot of townie rides too, finding as much gravel as I can to connect to a beer or to a sandwich, to see all the places Asheville has to offer.

Jen Weeks – Wholesale Specialist

Anytime you’re camping off of your bike, it’s a win. If you’re a hiker, and haven’t thought about bikepacking, this might be a great opportunity to get out and try something new.

Customer Service Specialist - Tim Bateman
Customer Service Specialist – Tim Bateman

“A local group that’s doing awesome things is Asheville On Bikes. They’re working hard on expanding trail networks and greenways to connect the communities in our region. The Hellbender Trail is a good example, which will connect Brevard and Hendersonville and potentially up to Marshall. They’re also working on creating unpaved trails, which is a quicker way to connect a community without bringing in paving and construction. It’s a faster way to connect communities by bikes.”

Tim BatemanCustomer Service Specialist,

These mountains are what inspires us to contribute to the community, and help people get out and experience the outdoors in maybe a new and different way with bikepacking. They hold tremendous networks of trails that can link different forests together, and you might find yourself in a new area you’ve never explored before.

Thanks to the Rockgeist Team for their time, hospitality, and sharing their story with us. Thanks to story writer, Graham Averill, and to videographer, Robb Leahy.

Content Creators Camp

MADE BY MOUNTAINS MINI STORY

Content Creators Camp with The Appalachian Adventure Company

There is more interest in hiking and backpacking and outdoor adventure than ever, and a new generation of stories waiting to be told. And, without doubt, the better those stories are told, the more people will be in alignment with The AAC’s mission to share the stoke of adventure while protecting the planet – a mission I’m fully behind. Together, we decided to launch Content Creators Camp (CCC) with support from MADE X MTNS and Eagle’s Nest Outfitters, to help equip new and aspiring content creators with skills and vision, forged in the mountains.

By Shannon Davis — Former Editor-in-Chief of Backpacker and Climbing Magazines; Adventure writer; Content Strategy and Marketing.

The Appalachian Adventure Company paired up with Former Backpacker and Climbing Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Shannon Davis, to host the first

Content Creators Camp

The Appalachian Adventure Company’s Content Creators Camp hosted a masterclass-level experience in outdoor content creation July 8-11, 2022, with an overnight backpacking trip on the Mountains to Sea Trail followed by a two night stay at the rustic Cabins at Sandy Mush Bald. Participants had the opportunity to hone their skills around creating outdoor product photography and telling an authentic story.


I don’t know why I wore those knee-high gaiters. It was hot and humid near the North Carolina/Georgia line, and the well trodden trail was dry. Sunscreen or DEET would have been better protection than swampy Gore-Tex. But hey — I was on the first real backpacking trip that I researched and planned myself, and we were all just trying to look like the folks in the pictures we’d seen in magazines like “Backpacker.” On my second “big” backpacking trip, we started late from the trailhead at Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia, hiked into the dark, promptly got lost, futzed with our seemingly impossible tent and stove by headlamp, and slept only intermittently. We thought the wild ponies who came to graze nearby were bears of course….grizzlies, probably.

Every trip you take, no matter how many times you’ve left the frontcountry behind, has opportunities for mistakes and growth and awe. Those experiences and the landscape surrounding them become part of you and part of your story. My story grew from those first two bumbling outings in the Appalachian Wilderness, all the way across the nation to guiding on Mt. Rainier, a Teton Grand Traverse, summiting Denali and more. Experiences in the wilderness, both the embarrassing and epic, make your story.

Creating Camp

Earlier this year, I was talking with my friend Steven Reinhold, founder of The Appalachian Adventure Company, about this: There is more interest in hiking and backpacking and outdoor adventure than ever, and a new generation of stories waiting to be told. And without doubt, the better those stories are told the more people will be in alignment with The AAC’s mission to share the stoke of adventure while protecting the planet – a mission I’m fully behind. Together, we decided to launch Content Creators Camp (CCC) — with support from MADE X MTNS and Eagle’s Nest Outfitters — to help equip new and aspiring content creators with skills and vision, forged in the mountains.

I’ve been in outdoor media a long time, most recently serving as Editor-in-Chief of Backpacker, and, with “content” bombarding us all day, every day, and from every angle, I know we need more of that good experiential stuff, shaped by the mountains. Those stories and images are the ones that make you need to go pack your pack and hit the trail. So we ideated CCC and planned its inaugural offering in the misty, dreamscape hills outside of one of America’s coolest and “outdoorsiest” towns: Asheville, North Carolina. Our participants ranged from guidebook authors, to social media managers, to climbing club founders. Everyone brought an open and energetic mindset to learning adventure photography and writing skills while on a killer little backpacking trip. All of us walked away buzzing with new skills, and new stories.

“At its heart, what I believe outdoor content needs to do is inspire people to get outside more, remove barriers to entry, and empower folks to do it better, more comfortably, and more often. To have more fun out there. This is the stuff that makes your life better.” — Shannon Davis

Becoming Storytellers



At its heart, what I believe outdoor content needs to do is inspire people to get outside more, remove barriers to entry, and empower folks to do it better, more comfortably, and more often. To have more fun out there. This is the stuff that makes your life better. To me, this makes content creation a service. If you’re a content creator who wants to share outdoor stoke, you’re in the service industry just like a mountain guide, and should strive to connect with people in relatable, useful, and human ways to light a little fire inside. We gather tinder and fuel, and light a match together. That’s what a content creator should strive to achieve through their storytelling.

Why? Depending on the nature of your goals and platform, you have various key performance indicators (KPI’s) and revenue to work toward, of course. But, beyond the metrics, we do it because we believe in the power of the outdoors to change lives. Outdoor experiences make stress go down and smiles go up. Friendships deepen, and your cardio gets a kick in the pants. We also do it because folks who get outside grow to care more about the land and to learn more about its history and best means for conserving it. We care more about nutrition and how best to fuel an adventure. We care about how our gear is made. This stuff that happens in the backcountry all translates to myriad frontcountry purchasing and ballot-box decisions that can change the world.

Looking Ahead

How do you pull off that grandiose stuff? Well, you can come along on next year’s CCC and get immersed in ideas with which to fill your bag of tricks. Also, you can do one simple thing: go have real experiences in the wilderness. Go and make mistakes, and learn how not to make them next time. Learn for yourself just when you’ll need to rock gaiters, and when you won’t. Go and have successes, and learn how to have more. Become a subject matter expert. Go and find out how you are made by these mountains.


The first Content Creators Camp crew from left to right; Danielle Johnson, Avery Hayden, Rose Goodbread, Jessie Johnson, Shannon Davis, Lee Trebotich and Steven Reinhold

The Appalachian Adventure Company was founded to share the stoke of adventure while protecting and preserving our planet. Founder Steven Reinhold, a native of Waynesville, NC who now resides in Sylva, NC, is an avid explorer and adventure philanthropist who has pursued his passions around the globe. He created the #trashtag cleanup effort, has represented Big City Mountaineers’ Summit for Someone Program and served as Backpacker Magazine’s Brand Ambassador. Steven founded The Appalachian Adventure Company in 2014 after climbing several of America’s most iconic peaks with the industry’s leading guide services. On those original expeditions he realized that mountain guides are the coolest people on the planet and that he found his best self while climbing mountains. The AAC was founded to share the stoke of adventure with everyone! Find out more at TheAACSite.com

Shannon Davis is a former Editor-in-Chief of Backpacker and Climbing. His family tree hails back to the mountains of WNC. He now lives in Lyons, Colorado on the banks of the North Saint Vrain Creek with his son, doggo, and a few chickens.



Adventure Nerds & Hellbender Paddleboards

MADE BY MOUNTAINS MINI STORY

Adventure Nerds & Hellbender Paddleboards Collaboration

Through Waypoint Accelerator, I met an incredible group of outdoor industry professionals. The team at Hellbender Paddleboards was the first outdoor brand to take a chance on Adventure Nerds. I pitched them the idea of a guidebook collaboration, and they loved it. Our goal was to celebrate a great paddling destination in Western North Carolina that was accessible for most people and show how Hellbender Paddleboards could be used for an overnight adventure.

By Nate Trappe — Founder of Adventure Nerds

Two start-ups meet at the Waypoint Accelerator program in Asheville, NC, and launch

Lake James Paddling Adventure Guide Notes

Outdoor adventure publishing company Adventure Nerds and Asheville-based inflatable paddleboard manufacturer Hellbender Paddleboards recently announced a new guidebook for paddling adventures in North Carolina. Lake James Paddling Adventure Guide Notes is a 31-page interactive guidebook that contains hyper-specific information about planning an overnight paddling adventure and the natural and cultural history of Lake James. The book features dynamic photographs of Hellbender paddleboards in action and celebrates a collaboration of two brands, celebrating the amazing paddling opportunities in North Carolina and reaching new audiences with the tools to get outside more.


The trick to starting anything new is finding a way for optimism to outweigh uncertainty. When I walked into the conference room for the first session of the Waypoint Accelerator program I was filled with uncertainty. I still am. One of the joys of being an entrepreneur is seeing uncertainty as an opportunity to create something new.

I met the team from Hellbender Paddleboards in November 2021. We sat in the conference room and introduced ourselves and our dreams for our fledgling companies. It’s odd to lack confidence and feel optimistic at the same time. But there we were, taking a big step on our startup adventure. The Waypoint Accelerator program created a structure and a support system to build our confidence and stoke our optimism. The outdoor community of Western North Carolina has been amazingly supportive, and something special happens when a bunch of other people believe in your idea with you.

That’s why I was excited to be a part of Waypoint. I wanted to make connections with others and discover people in the outdoor industry that might see the potential of Adventure Nerds. I founded Adventures Nerds to increase access to adventure and create new opportunities for the outdoor community. Before Waypoint, I quietly published my first Guide Notes, a digital guidebook for multi-day adventures. It was the first step in my plan to create the worst business model ever – a low-cost, highly-produced, hyper-specific item that only appeals to a small demographic. However, the person buying Guide Notes and planning an adventure is also the ideal customer for other outdoor brands. All that was left to do was to figure out how to grow a three-sided marketplace for writers, customers, and outdoor brands that only works with scale.

Taking a Chance

Through Waypoint, I met an incredible group of outdoor industry professionals. The team at Hellbender was the first outdoor brand to take a chance on Adventure Nerds. I pitched them the idea of a guidebook collaboration, and they loved it. Our goal was to celebrate a great paddling destination in Western North Carolina that was accessible for most people and show how Hellbender Paddleboards could be used for an overnight adventure. Then, Adventure Nerds borrowed a couple of Hellbender paddleboards and went on an adventure. The result was an interactive, digital guidebook that featured Hellbender Paddleboards in photographs throughout the book.

“Unless you’ve done it or have a friend who’s done it, it is time-consuming to find, research, and plan an overnight adventure. This guidebook is the result of our common passion for paddling in Western North Carolina and a desire to help more people get on the water. Lake James was the ideal location for a beginner-level overnight paddling adventure that demonstrated the stability and durability of Hellbender paddleboards.” — Nate Trappe

Supporting Future Growth

We recently published the book and are excited to use it as a proof-of-concept example to connect with other outdoor brands to create more guidebook collaborations. We are building a library of mini guidebooks for outdoor adventures and we believe there is an enormous opportunity to create a mutually beneficial network of outdoor brands, outdoor creatives, and customers that share a common love for adventure. The Adventure Nerds and Hellbender Paddleboards guidebook collaboration was an important first step in launching a business model that will support our growth.

We are a small company, and the future is uncertain, but we have over 20 guidebooks in production for 2022, and we are thinking big. I know we will continue to meet more people that believe in our mission of increasing access to adventure. It won’t be easy, creating something new never is, but it all starts with finding a few people to take a chance on an idea and keep the optimism alive. A big thanks to the teams at Waypoint and Hellbender Paddleboards for taking a chance on this wild idea with us. Who’s next?


Adventure Nerds is a global network and marketplace for hyper-specific guidebooks about multi-day outdoor adventures. We make it easy to find and plan new adventures. Adventure Nerds is on a mission to increase access to adventure. We believe in elevating the value of adventure, inspiring action, and supporting a diverse and inclusive outdoor community. Since 2022, Adventure Nerds has hired an ever-expanding roster of local and global outdoor writers to create mini guidebooks about multi-day backpacking, bikepacking, canyoneering, paddling, skiing, and surfing adventures. Contact Adventures Nerds to discuss a guidebook collaboration that features your brand on an adventure near you. You can purchase your copy of “Lake James Paddling Adventure Guide Notes” today at AdventureNerds.com.

Hellbender Paddleboards’ mission is to create a better paddleboard for the rivers and lakes of Western North Carolina. Our paddleboards are built for adventure, designed for stability and durability, and come with an excellent warranty. Hellbender paddleboards come in multiple sizes with innovative features and a focus on sustainability. Learn more at HellbenderPaddleboards.com.

The Waypoint Accelerator program is designed to help early-stage outdoor businesses and entrepreneurs map out and reach the next waypoints in their growth journeys. This program, the first of its kind in the East, is recruiting for its 4th cohort, after helping nearly 30 past participants grow their revenues, expand their teams, accomplish huge projects, and realize big dreams. Through a collaborative network of peers and mentors, in-depth training and coaching, access to growth capital, and dedicated time set aside to focus on the future of the business, Waypoint provides companies with the support, knowledge, clear vision, and resources needed to thrive. More information and program application at WaypointAccelerator.com.

Leah Wong Ashburn

Made By Mountains Story

Leah Wong Ashburn

The craft beer industry thrives in WNC because the mixture of natural beauty and quality of life ties so beautifully into the region’s love of great food and drink.

Leah Wong Ashburn is the CEO of Highland Brewing, Asheville’s first legal brewery since prohibition. Her father, Oscar Wong, founded the company in 1994 in the basement of Barley’s Taproom. They’ve since grown to occupy a large brewing facility nestled on more than 40 acres of land—their own mini outdoor paradise. From the beginning, they’ve been inspired by and committed to protecting the region’s amazing natural resources.

Leah Wong Ashburn is the CEO of

Highland Brewing Company


On Choosing WNC

My parents fell in love with Asheville on their first visit: the mountains, the people, and the culture really spoke to them. The history of creative makers runs so deep in our area that I think Highland Brewing was born by these inspiring surroundings. Craft beer is really all about innovation and creativity.

The craft beer industry thrives in WNC because the mixture of natural beauty and quality of life ties so beautifully into the region’s love of great food and drink. As a part of a recent meeting, we took our entire sales team for a hike to Craggy Pinnacle on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We really wanted to do something outside so that our reps from across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee could really understand why we’re here in Western North Carolina, and what is so amazing about it.

It was wonderful to see their delight at the wildlife and the 360-degree views from Craggy Pinnacle. But for us, this is just everyday life. I have two incredible mountain views just on my ten-minute commute to work everyday! That experience allowed our staff to live a little chapter in our story and helped them to better understand our culture—and even our branding and packaging.

On Difficult Decisions

Leah and Oscar
Oscar and Leah / Highland Brewing Company

In 2018 we made the decision to update our brand. It was terrifying. Here I was making changes to my dad’s 20-year-old company. But our beer portfolio had evolved, and we wanted our brand to reflect that. We were able to work with a designer who had grown up in Black Mountain. He was not only familiar with our area; he knew exactly where we started and what we’d become. Referring to our original brand, he said, “You guys are not Scottish. You are pioneers!” That was really the key.

Our logo now revolves around a simplified compass to capture that pioneering spirit. When I saw it, I said, “This is right.” I knew it was a reinvigorated brand rooted in the same place, but our identifying characteristic was moving forward. That really spoke to our staff. They were like, “Let’s keep creating. Let’s keep innovating. Let’s keep forging a path.” Our branding now reflects the brand that we are today and will be tomorrow.

We’ve also designed our packaging to reflect WNC’s beautiful natural resources. All of our year-round beers feature mountains on the packaging, and our seasonal beers are tied to something of regional significance, be it mountains, flora, or fauna. I think that beer and the outdoors complement each other beautifully. Enjoying a great beer and exploring the outdoors are both celebratory experiences. They give you a feeling of connection.

I think being a woman-led company has made women more comfortable applying to work here. 40 percent of our staff and nearly 50 percent of our management are women. That percentage of women in management is rare in general, but in craft beer, it’s almost non-existent.

On Being Immigrant-Owned And Woman-Led

It’s great to stand out. When Highland was founded in 1994, we stood out because we were the only brewery. We’re now part of a huge community, but we still stand out because of our diversity. I think being a woman-led company has made women more comfortable applying to work here. 40 percent of our staff and nearly 50 percent of our management are women. That percentage of women in management is rare in general, but in craft beer, it’s almost non-existent.

On Beer And The Outdoors

My earliest memories of coming to Asheville are of visiting my parents when they owned a place that they called “The Farm.” When I pulled up and opened my car door, the air was different. I couldn’t help but take a huge deep breath of this mountain air. That is so special, and it’s easy to lose.

People often make the decision to move to Western North Carolina before they’ve even decided what to do for work. It’s our outdoors that draw them.

People often make the decision to move to Western North Carolina before they’ve even decided what to do for work. It’s our outdoors that draw them. I think that says a lot about what this area has to offer. There people care a lot about our natural resources – and they also care about protecting those resources.

We’ve always operated with a long-term view, and conserving our 40-acre property is a big part of that approach. We recently hired a full time land management professional. With his help, we’re working to control invasive species and develop trails that complement the land—not destroy it. We’re also creating opportunities to go outside, be it to play volleyball or disc golf, or to walk trails. That’s important because when you bring people to the outdoors, they care more about it.

On Being Made By Mountains

Cheers with Highland Brewery Cans
Cheers to 27 Years / Highland Brewing Company

Getting outdoors in WNC is my mental health, centering, recovery, and inspiration. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Bent Creek by myself and run. There’s just something so refreshing about that experience: the quiet, the fresh air, and being around others who are enjoying the same things.

I feel like I’m a better person living here. I give credit to the people who live here and the culture of this place, but that’s all based on the natural beauty that we have. You can’t have one without the other. I’ve felt inspired to dive into who Highland is, what we stand for, and what we can become because of our surroundings.

David Billstrom

David Billstrom Headshot

Made By Mountains Story

David Billstrom

When it came time for Kitsbow to relocate, we were seeking accessible housing, improved quality of life, and for the location to be a recruiting tool, rather than an impediment. In that sense, choosing WNC took no convincing at all.

Kitsbow Cycling Apparel makes premium, stylish bike gear designed by real riders. At the helm is David Billstrom, an equal-parts manufacturing theory buff, cycling enthusiast, and community-minded entrepreneur. Aiming to amp up Kitsbow’s domestic production, in 2019 Billstrom relocated the company from Petaluma, California, to Western North Carolina, setting up shop in Old Fort.

David Billstrom is the founder and CEO of

Kitsbow

Kitsbow’s adoption of one-piece-flow production signals a small but significant revival of manufacturing jobs in the old textile town. And that’s just one way Billstrom is encouraging community-building in Old Fort. Just last year, Kitsbow opened the doors to The Old Fort Ride House, a trail-side outpost, cycle shop, and coffeehouse that serves as base camp for visiting riders and locals alike.

On Choosing WNC

My wife is from here. She grew up on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Southwest Virginia, just over the border near Floyd. I’d spent years learning about Appalachia and about the workforce here. In fact, we had ridden through Old Fort on our bikes on one of our first dates. Where Kitsbow is located today, I’ve ridden down the street on my bike easily 250 times or more.

When it came time for Kitsbow to relocate, we were seeking accessible housing, improved quality of life, and for the location to be a recruiting tool, rather than an impediment. In that sense, choosing WNC took no convincing at all. I presented a plan to the board and the majority investors and they basically all said, “What took you so long?”

On Finding Goldilocks

Sewing Kitsbow Label on Icon Line
Sewing Kitsbow Label on Icon Shirt / Kitsbow

Old Fort is Goldilocks. Perfectly positioned. The best of all worlds. We’re right on the western edge of the state’s 150-year textile and furniture building history. We have thousands and thousands of potential employees in driving distance. We’re a 12-minute commute from Black Mountain. Another five to Swannanoa. We have employees who live 25 minutes away in West Asheville. They’re young, hip, and alive—not old fogies like me! They get to live in one of the most desirable locations in one of the most desirable cities, and we’re a short reverse commute from it.

Even more key is that we are part of the Pisgah National Forest. I can’t emphasize that enough. Bicycle brands like to be based in beautiful locations when they can, but most can’t. They don’t have a workforce at their doorstep that stems from a 150-year production legacy like we do. On top of that, we’ve got access to gravel, singletrack, and road and people ride at lunch, because they can. That’s an incredible thing for the brand.

In the old days, Kitsbow had three people sewing in the back room making about 12 of our 75 styles. The rest was outsource. I saw that and I said, “Tell me some more about these people making stuff in the back room.” Because I knew there had to be a better way.

On Keeping Manufacturing Local

The business model of almost every apparel brand in the US is to make some stuff somewhere else. Some 98 percent of all the clothes sold in America are made outside of America. When you compare that to 35 years ago, when 80 percent of the clothes purchased in America were made in America, it’s been a radical slide. In the old days, Kitsbow had three people sewing in the back room making about 12 of our 75 styles. The rest was outsourced. I saw that and I said, “Tell me some more about these people making stuff in the back room.” Because I knew there had to be a better way.

There are so many implications to manufacturing overseas. You lose control of your cash because of the substantial money you have to put down upfront. There’s also insane environmental waste. When you finally get the clothes in your hands, you need to sell them as fast as freaking possible because you need your cash back. If it doesn’t sell for three weeks, you mark it down. When it gets marked down the third time, it goes to the landfill. Researchers believe between 30 and 40 percent of all the consumer apparel in the world, still in the original packaging, is burned or buried. On top of all that, you’re unable to offer repairs on your goods. And, of course, there are the profound labor issues.

So we made the switch from traditional batch manufacturing to one-piece-flow, a type of lean manufacturing. It means we’re going to make your shirt just before you want to buy it. (Or, right now, we’re making it after you buy it—because we can’t make stuff fast enough.) The business model is well-proven. In fact, it’s how your iPhone is made. It’s flexible, and it’s the way of the future.

On Reminding Yourself You’re New In Town

We remind ourselves to remain humble every single day. Because we ‘ve been in business for nine years, we know that we can always make it better; we have to keep improving things. And we’re doing the same thing with Old Fort. We’ve been promoting Old Fort to our global constituency for a year and a half now. We’ve got the power and confidence of a four-person marketing department with deep experience in social media. We’re promoting it not just as a place, but as a brand.

We don’t want to love Old Fort to death, and we don’t want to make it a place where only rich people can afford to live. We want it to be real.

At the same time, we have to do that with humility. Because it’s like, who the hell are we?

We know we just got here. Our marketing team didn’t grow up here. Every time we put our weight behind an initiative, we have to do it with humility. We have to look at the local leaders. This is their town; we’ve adopted it—but we can’t control it. If we try to control it, it’s going to turn into something like South Lake Tahoe, which was overdeveloped in the ’70s with a lack of appreciation by outsiders for the people who live there. Or Breckenridge, Colorado, which has been loved to death and where a bartender can’t afford to live within the city limits. We don’t want to love Old Fort to death, and we don’t want to make it a place where only rich people can afford to live. We want it to be real..

On Building Community

Group of Kitsbow Riders / Kitsbow

A wonderful synergistic circumstance unfolded in the last year. Kitsbow supported the G5 Trail Collective—a nonprofit formed to build trails in a five-county region that includes McDowell—with a small financial contribution and by providing clothes and food to those who work on the trails. Immediately after we moved to Old Fort, we were invited to participate in community meetings led by People on the Move for Old Fort, a black-led community non-profit. This group, led by Lavita Logan and Stephanie Swepson-Twitty, is working on basic improvements that need to be made here, and in our larger community after more than a hundred years of gerrymandering and systemic racism. That in turn led to a focus on trail development by People on the Move for Old Fort, and involving Kitsbow and other community partners.

Lavita and Stephanie saw the trail development as both an economic opportunity and an opportunity to restore access to the woods that they had years ago and don’t now. So the black community ends up being the largest cash donor to the trails. That donation meant they had a voice in the trail development, which has led to more new beginner trails and not just new steep trails, which is important. If you talk to anyone with any experience running ski resorts, they’ll tell you they need a lot more green and blue than they need double black diamonds. We were starting to make the same mistake here. Now, we’re going to have beginner trails because People on the Move Old Fort was involved in the planning and discussions..

From that, the G5 Trail collective got national visibility because of the Black-led investment in the trails, which, in turn, led to a conversation with McDowell Technical Community College about how the college could help. We realized that the forest service pays people to leave WNC and drive to the coast to get the certification to run a chainsaw and work on trails, because that’s the only place you can get it in North Carolina. Within less than six months, we had a Golden Leaf Grant for $800,000 to create a satellite campus in downtown Old Fort at McDowell Community College to teach trail skills. They’ve already had the first class. It’s incredible how that all wove together, and it goes to show the power of community in this place.

Earl B. Hunter, Jr.

Earl B. Hunter, Jr. / Provided

Made By Mountains Story

Earl B. Hunter, Jr.

The Western North Carolina outdoor community has a real opportunity to do something extraordinary. To be on the frontend of amazing change, not just conversation.

Who, really, gets to safely escape into the outdoors? For Earl B. Hunter Jr., Founder of Black Folks Camp Too, the COVID-19 pandemic only amplified this question, and others he’d posed for years, like why are over 95% of national park visitors white? Why is the outdoor industry leaving money on the table, ignoring Black experience-seekers, gear-wearers, and trail-finders as prospective customers? Launched from his homebase of Brevard, North Carolina, just months before our worlds went haywire, Hunter’s company aimed to draw attention to a great cultural divide that stirred a fear of the outdoors in the hearts of generations upon generations of Black Americans.

Earl B. Hunter, Jr. is the founder and president of

Black Folks Camp Too

Hunter suggests that though the issue might seem overwhelming, the solution is actually very simple. Listen and seek to understand these real and pervasive issues. Find a Black friend. Invite them outside. Invite them again. Keep inviting them, until we are able to lessen and eradicate the fear that’s long prevented millions of Americans from enjoying their public lands, national parks, and even neighborhood sidewalks.

Pisgah National Forest alone has over 250 waterfalls, but I only really started to experience them last year. I found myself actually chasing waterfalls—on top of mountains, in valleys—in search of these amazing, breathtaking things, knowing I’ll never see that same flowing water, ever again.

If I hadn’t moved to this area, I wouldn’t have been able to watch that cold water flowing, or feel the wind snapping, or see those glowing stars. I never would have known the sense of accomplishment that comes after climbing Black Balsam Knob or Devil’s Courthouse. Looking over the city below, you’re actually able to see what you conquered. This area has allowed me to experience things I never thought I would. I’ve been all around the world, but here at home, it’s clean, it’s beautiful, it’s special.

Pisgah Forest / Black Folks Camp Too

Why Black Folks Camp Too

Black folks have not experienced America the way that I envision us to experience it. They haven’t seen some of the most beautiful areas of the country. They don’t really come into the outdoors, because they either don’t have an invitation and they don’t know what’s here, or they do know what’s here, and they’re afraid of it.

I’d say that 90% of Black folks haven’t taken in those natural waterfalls, or followed a stream, or listened to the sounds. Even if it’s just sitting on a bench, hearing the birds chirping. They haven’t watched the sun set and woke up outside the next morning to the sunrise. They haven’t really felt like they’re part of the natural world, because they fear it.

The problem is, that fear, it’s so deeply-rooted. It’s passed down through generations, because so many of those stereotypes and stories about what happens in the woods are real. So many Black folks have died without experiencing this beauty, this nature, this calm. This is their land. They pay for it all their lives. They own 640 million acres of public land, and are entitled to go. They just never see it, and neither have their children, and their children’s-children, all because of the things they’ve been told.

This fear, it impacts lives—lives that could be enhanced by the outdoors. But what I have seen and what I believe, is that once more Black folks are invited, and get out here, they’ll feel the excitement and understand the draw.

On Raising Kids Outdoors

Pisgah Forest / Black Folks Camp Too

My son and I took a camping trip out west, and I continue to see its impacts on him as he matures. There’s going to be places we saw and things we did that will stay with him forever. And I’ll remember hearing him say, “Wow!” with miles and miles of mountains in the distance, and camping at the base of Mount Rushmore, and thinking I’m seeing buffalo out there, but my son telling me, “No, Dad, those are bison.” He needed me, I needed him. We weren’t going to leave one another. I felt a sense of closeness to him at every step of the way. We were at 49 campgrounds, and sometimes the only Black folk there, but I told my son, “The experience you’re having right now? Every kid should have this experience.”

My daughter has really taken to the outdoors. When she came to me, asking to take a camping trip, I thought she mostly wanted to because her brother and I went. Once we got on the trip, though, I realized that she wanted her own outdoor experience. We drove from Chicago to Hershey, Pennsylvania in search of chocolate, and camped the entire way. With her, I learned something a little bit different than my son.

When young folks are in the outdoors, they become more well-rounded, and they learn what it means to have tranquility.

My son and I took a camping trip out west, and I continue to see its impacts on him as he matures. There’s going to be places we saw and things we did that will stay with him forever. And I’ll remember hearing him say, “wow!”

Why Representation Matters

My first time backpacking, I remember being afraid to go outside of my tent, even though there was a beautiful moon shining on the stream in front of me. It actually took me hours to do a quick in and out. Two hours! My second time backpacking, I cowboy camped and slept right by the fire. I went from one extreme to the next and quickly adapted. There is still some fear I experience, like just two weeks ago, on my first nine-mile trail by myself. I remember feeling very alone at my fifth or sixth mile. But soon, I felt some harmony within, and a real sense of pride as I tried to navigate back to the trailhead. I feel more empowered now, not afraid.

I’m not a formally-trained guide. I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, in the projects, with no woods around. An outdoors lifestyle wasn’t even in my mind. When people see my content, they see me, my family, my friends, and they start to want to try it, too. Black people need to see more Black families in the outdoors, because when they do, it starts to ring bells for a lot of folks—especially in the South. It’s so important for my children and their friends and parents to see this so they’ll want to join in.

If we’re going to introduce Black folks to Western North Carolina, or anywhere in the outdoors, we’ve got to meet people where they are. And that’s particularly true when they’re afraid. You want the reason they ran out of the forest to be because they want to tell people what they accomplished—not because they’re scared. It’s about understanding that we’re all going to have to go through something to get to something. To get to the top of the mountain, we have to build up first.

Why Western North Carolina

I’ve always been a person to take things head-on. It would have been easy for us to have this company in any bigger city, like Atlanta where there are a ton of Black folks. But that would mean taking Black Folks Camp Too into a place I don’t know as well. The company wouldn’t be as far along its path if we weren’t driving it here. I know the great places to go, the places that make me feel welcome, and where I’m meant to feel unwelcome. Our message, that not everyone feels safe outdoors, that’s a new concept to some. If something’s going to be solved, we need to change the narrative.

We want to encourage unity. Black folks don’t need permission to go out and enjoy, but it sure feels good to be invited.

We want to encourage unity. We say to white folk—understand the reasons we’ve not been outdoors, and then open your arms and welcome us. Black folks don’t need permission to go out and enjoy, but it sure feels good to be invited.

We realized our vision during our first year in business, proving that “Black folks camp too” was more than just a phrase. And that “too” was intentional. We weren’t here to divide, but unite. In our second year, we brought meaning to the campfire in our logo. The campfire is the oldest, most dependable form of light and heat. It illuminates us, it brings folks together. We want everyone around our campfire.

This business needed to come to fruition, long before all of last year’s events. And maybe without COVID, without Mr. Floyd being killed, without folks storming the Capital, people might still be walking out of DE&I meetings, feeling sad, like they’re not able to do anything. We were able to turn these situations into something good. The Western North Carolina outdoor community has a real opportunity to do something extraordinary. To be on the frontend of amazing change, not just conversation. Let’s use all these beautiful mountains, streams, and conserved land. Let’s take the time to educate folks and get excited. If we’re not taking advantage of this time to create solidarity, what are we doing?

Jennifer Pharr Davis

Jennifer Pharr Davis / Provided

MADE BY MOUNTAINS STORY

Jennifer Pharr Davis

I’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail three times. The second time I was going for the women’s record, which had really not been established. It was partly a passion project to see what I was capable of.

Jennifer Pharr Davis will be the first to say she owes a lot to the trail. Her legendary treks have encouraged her to push her own boundaries, like when she set the record for the fastest Appalachian Trail hike by a woman in 2008 and returned three years later to break the overall record for women and men. It’s along trails she’s learned to quiet down and connect deeply with the land. Ultimately, trails have taken Pharr Davis on a rich journey of self-discovery—and prompted her to chart her own life path along the way.

Jennifer Pharr Davis is an internationally recognized adventurer, speaker, author and the owner of

Blue Ridge Hiking Company

Inspired and empowered by her experiences on the trail, she decided it would be her mission to help others along a similar journey. She founded Blue Ridge Hiking Company, an inclusivity-minded guide service for day hikes and backpacking trips, in Asheville, North Carolina—not far from her hometown of Hendersonville—to do just that. Fueled by the mantra that the trail is there for everyone at every phase of life, she and her crew connect newcomers and experienced hikers alike to the transformative power of the outdoors. 

Hiking changed my values. It broke a lot of my preconceived notions about who I was, and what my options were in the world. I think we all grow up as a product of our societies. Going on the trail and learning who I was through the lens of nature—and in a community that’s very different—is an experience where you feel vulnerable in a positive way. You have to trust other people, and you learn to communicate with people who are very different from you. I think it’s empowering because it’s extremely challenging. You learn that you can do more and that you have interests and abilities you didn’t recognize beforehand. There’s a hiker’s saying that goes, “The trail gives you what you need.” I’ve experienced that and observed that for so many individuals.

Hiking can be a powerful catalyst for positive things. I decided I wanted to do it more, and help others do it as well. So when it became clear that I wanted to start a hiking company—because helping other people get outdoors was all that I would think about—I knew I wanted to move back to Asheville. I wanted to share with people the mountains I loved growing up. And it’s funny because I didn’t grow up with the outdoors so much. It wasn’t like my family camped together or backpacked together. But even so, growing up here a lot of my early memories are tied to the outdoors. Picking blackberries from a wild blackberry patch and seeing bear fur in the briars. Being on the deck at my childhood home and seeing this weird loopy thing sticking up through the deck and it was a snake! Being young and playing in creeks with my brothers and looking for crawdads. I think these mountains just become a part of who you are.

Equality on the Trail

I’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail three times. The second time I was going for the women’s record, which had really not been established. It was partly a passion project to see what I was capable of. But also very circumstantially, I had my company and I had also gotten married, and didn’t have time to do the whole trail in the traditional way. I didn’t have time to devote six months to the trail. But I thought, “I could do it in two months.” That was the way I could make it happen.
That second hike was supposed to be the last time. I would set the record, and then I was going to settle down even more after that. But what happened was, I realized I didn’t think there should be a “men’s record” and a “women’s record.” I felt like I had limited myself in that sense. Mentally, I had assumed that I would be slower than the guys, because I had grown up playing traditional sports, right? And there are always different categories, and guys are faster and stronger.

A big part of the trail for me has always been breaking out of those societal molds and expectations. So I had this sense of frustration: “Dang it. I did it to myself again. I told myself that I was less-than and limited myself because of perception—and not reality.” It became clear on that second hike that I felt like I could compete with the guys. And so I went home, and I tried to get it out of my head for three years. But it didn’t work. My husband and I knew we wanted a family, and I knew at that point my time and body would no longer be my own in the same way. And so I said, “Okay, one more time!” My husband signed on and we went back for the third hike in 2011. And that’s when we set the overall record on the trail.

“The Trail is there for Everyone”

Things have gotten so much better now. But sixteen years ago when I got started, I felt like all the gear, all the information was heavily geared toward guys. It was harder for me to find quality gear; it was harder for me to find stories of young women who had solo hiked the trail. And I think that has definitely changed, but still today you see that there are individuals and communities who don’t haThings have gotten so much better now. But sixteen years ago when I got started, I felt like all the gear, all the information was heavily geared toward guys. It was harder for me to find quality gear; it was harder for me to find stories of young women who had solo hiked the trail. And I think that has definitely changed, but still today you see that there are individuals and communities who don’t have the same resources when it comes to getting outdoors. Or that hasn’t been part of their culture, upbringing, or experience. But we believe the trail is there for everyone at every phase of life.

There are several barriers that keep people from going outdoors. One is inexperience, one is gear, one is guilt (a lot of times, for women), one is fear. So many people come to us and say “We’ve never been hiking before.” People are afraid they aren’t in shape and can’t go far. We have the ability to say, “The trail doesn’t care how far you go or fast you go. And as your guides, we certainly do not care either. We’re here to support you and your experience and your connection to the outdoors.” And it’s not about numbers we’re coming away with, like miles per hour or how far we went. Customizing the trips so they suit people’s needs and they have a positive experience with the outdoors is really big for us. Our focus isn’t to push you past your emotional and physical boundaries. Our focus is to give you a positive connection with the outdoors.

There are several barriers that keep people from going outdoors. One is inexperience, one is gear, one is guilt (a lot of times, for women), one is fear. So many people come to us and say “We’ve never been hiking before.” People are afraid they aren’t in shape and can’t go far. We have the ability to say, “The trail doesn’t care how far you go or fast you go. And as your guides, we certainly do not care either. We’re here to support you and your experience and your connection to the outdoors.”

The Allure of the Mountains

The mountains feel like a grandmother or great grandmother to me. They feel very wise, very maternal, very nurturing. I’ve hiked all over—in all 50 states, on 6 continents. And I have seen some jaw-dropping extreme beauty. But it feels more approachable here. And there is also a wealth of knowledge—you’re never going to know all the secrets of the land. The biodiversity is almost overwhelming, how many different plant species or mushrooms or salamanders you can find in these mountains! It becomes this amazing treasure hunt, and every season is different. And they’re so old; that’s part of it. They’re 480 million years old. That’s part of what gives them that feeling of wisdom.

But they’re so full of life, too. That’s the other thing. A lot of places I hike, the environment is more severe. It’s more arid, or it’s colder. Here, we have water. And we take it for granted! There are so many beautiful streams and rivers, and it rains and rains. It’s so lush and verdant. I think it supports life and creativity and is why the mountains also feel very intimate to me. Because so many of the qualities I love are found in the details. You have to go out into it to get to know it. The views are great, but I think Western North Carolina is best experienced inside the forest.

Having traveled pretty extensively, it’s always this wonderful feeling to come back home and think, “There’s no place I’d rather live.” And, quite frankly, I love Asheville. But my favorite thing about living in Asheville is an hour in every direction. It’s just so great to be able to go to Madison County, go to Hot Springs, hit the Appalachian Trail, be able to go to the Smokies, go to Cherokee or Oconaluftee. To go to Linville Gorge, or head down to the Blue Ridge escarpment and see waterfalls. An hour in every direction is just so great. I love that about Western North Carolina.

Tom Dempsey

Brevard is the land of waterfalls / Provided

Made by Mountains Story

Tom Dempsey

We have the industrial base of a place like Ohio and the outdoor recreational base of a place like Colorado.

Tom Dempsey wants to get people outside. In fact, he’s so passionate about the idea, he’s built an entire business around it. Sylvansport, an outdoor gear company based in Brevard, is designed to be a one-stop shop for everything one needs to enjoy the natural world. Just take the signature GO Camping Trailer, a multi-use camper that stores and hauls all the goods—and converts to an elevated tent when you’ve arrived.

Tom Dempsey is the Founder of and Chief Innovation Officer at

SylvanSport

Inspiration for the idea was simple, Dempsey says. “I envisioned this person sitting at work at lunchtime on a Friday. And they’re thinking, ‘Should I get outside this weekend? Should I paddle, bike, camp, hike?’ I wanted a product that made the answer of ‘Yes! Do it! Go!’ come much easier.” 

My first real job out of college was for the Coleman Company, the iconic American outdoor gear company. Everything you needed to enjoy the outdoors was available from them, from lanterns to sleeping bags to camping trailers to snowmobiles. Later, when I was working in the kayak industry, I watched people who were thinking about getting into paddle sports for the first time get really intimidated. I could see how these products all look really technical, while everybody else seemed to know what they were doing. 

So when I had the chance to start Sylvansport, what I wanted to do was start the modern-day version of what the old Coleman Company used to be: A company that facilitates the enjoyment of the outdoors in a variety of ways. A company that’s a one-stop shop for everything you need. I wanted to present it in a way that was accessible and convenient. That it’s not all hard-core gear that only experts can enjoy. This is stuff that makes all your outdoor experiences more enjoyable, more organized, and more convenient.

Tom riding his backyard Pisgah trails / Provided

The Merits of Proximity

We’re so fortunate to be so proximate to the outdoors here. There’s almost not a weekday lunchtime or a weekend that a group of folks here aren’t out doing something. We’re not even a half-mile from the entrance to Pisgah National Forest and all the trails there. We’re on the bike path that leads between Pisgah and downtown Brevard, where you can enter the Bracken Mountain Preserve. Enjoying these places that are right outside our door is part of our company DNA.

That proximity is another thing that makes Western North Carolina so special. So unique. We have the industrial base of a place like Ohio and the outdoor recreational base of a place like Colorado. Most places in this country that have a really rich outdoor attribute don’t have the proximity to manufacturing. It’s very difficult to manufacture outdoor gear in the heart of the places you want to use it.

What Sets Western North Carolina Apart

Everything sort of overlaps here. There are so many layers you can put on top of each other that all work. For example, take just the geologic characteristics of the space. We’re the highest peak east of the rockies. You take the climatological layer, and we’re at this intersection zone between Deep South, the Piedmont, and, in the highest peaks of North Carolina, we have an almost Canadian climatological zone. There’s a cultural overlap of all the different people who called this land home before me. It’s not a homogenous culture. And you have this diversity of thought and background that all seems to be united by aspects of mountain beauty and climate. The same is true of flora and fauna. From bug species to salamanders to mammals. This multi-dimensionality gives you the ability to choose the direction and focus of your thoughts on a daily basis. You can choose every morning when you wake up what you want to do that day.

We’re so fortunate to be so proximate to the outdoors here. There’s almost not a weekday lunchtime or a weekend that a group of folks here aren’t out doing something.

Endless Discovery

What’s my favorite place to be out in nature? Truly, it’s always evolving. As my early favorites become more discovered, as they change, I find a new spot. That’s one of the things I love about here. The seemingly endless opportunity to find new places.

This past summer, I went camping by myself with my bike for three days. I set off one morning on a gravel ride and discovered three or four new places that I had no idea existed. They were these “micro-places.” One was this spot in the middle of the creek with a rock and little grassy bank and the way the sun shone on it in the afternoon, it was beautiful. You could access it from the road, but when you were down there, no one could see you. I thought, “This is a spot that nobody really uses.” And it’s not necessarily a spot I’ll return to time and time again. It was just the discovery of the day. And I know there will be plenty more. So I don’t really have one place, I have many. And as I’m there, I’m highly aware that I wasn’t the first person—and I won’t be the last person—to be at that spot. 

It’s also so fun to be at a spot I’ve been to a thousand times. And you witness a group or family seeing it through their eyes for the first time. You can feel their excitement. It brings me back to not wanting first-time kayakers to feel intimidated. The first time somebody sees a waterfall you may have seen a hundred times, it makes you happy to see them getting the enjoyment out of it that you got the first time you saw it.

I really think what makes this area never grow old or become weary with me is exemplified when you fly overhead. You see what appears to be endless green folds and rocky outcroppings and streams. You know that in an entire lifetime you’ll never be able to find every nook and cranny in them. There’s something so compelling and exciting about having an unlimited supply of places to discover.