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Camp Adventuress

Overview

Adventuress, n.: A woman who seeks outdoor excitement, fantastic friendships, and an empowering set of new skills.

Are you ready to let out your inner Adventuress? Come to Camp Adventuress at Mountain Shepherd for all of the above and more! After 5 full days in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains with fellow Adventuresses, you will head home feeling empowered, excited, and eager for more outdoor adventures.

Camp Adventuress is a grown-up summer camp session for adult women of all ages. Activities and excursions include wilderness survival instruction, hiking and backpacking, camping, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, mountain biking, yoga, caving, and outdoor rock-climbing. Camp Adventuress is the perfect place to discover or renew your love for outdoor recreation, and is always a women-only, no-judgement zone. Try something new and don’t be afraid to try again with supportive staff and fellow Adventuresses cheering you on! After everyday of adventure comes another girls’ night with your new camp friends – chat over dinner, share stories around a campfire, relax with a yoga session, or embark on a stargazing night hike. We’ll cheers to all women in nature exploring as Camp Adventuress is an extraordinary, exciting getaway that will boost your confidence in the outdoors and introduce you to new activities and unique women.

What to Expect

Every adventure is suitable for beginners – we’ll show you the ropes – and still exciting for avid Adventuresses! We recommend that you come to Camp feeling relatively fit and ready for day-after-day of outdoor activity. Have no fear, we’ve got all the gear! Mountain Shepherd and our partners are fully stocked with women’s-specific outdoor gear for all of our adventures. You only need to bring clothing, footwear, and other necessary personal items (as suggested on our Camp Adventuress packing list), plus an open mind and your sense of adventure.

Be adventurous at Camp Adventuress!

Students can choose to overnight in a tent, hammock, or grab a bunk in the lodge. Loaner gear such as tents, hammocks, and sleeping bags are available, so this is a great opportunity to try something new or test out your own sleep system.

Adventure Highlights

  •       5 days/4 nights
  •       Survival training
  •       Backpacking and Hiking
  •       Adventure prep 
  •       Stand Up Paddleboarding
  •       Caving
  •       Rock Climbing
  •       Yoga
  •       All meals included
  •       Memories to last a lifetime
  •       Small group (10 maximum)
  •       Hands-on experience
Who chooses this adventure?

Outdoor experience levels do not matter. We have students with no experience, to occasional weekend hikers, to warriors of the wilderness. You will leave prepared to help yourself and others while on any adventure, with knowledge and confidence that may benefit you in daily frontcountry life in surprising ways.

Our fantastic instructors will show you the ropes, and your fellow Adventuresses will always be supportive! We do recommend that you be accustomed to exercising and you should be comfortable in outdoor climate conditions, but if all of our adventure activities are new to you, then you’ll be the ultimate Adventuress!

What's Included?

Gear

Have your own? Bring it! Don’t have your own, or want to try something new before you buy it? Use ours!

Meals

Start each day with a hearty, homemade breakfast, and choose from a range of options for a packed lunch to enjoy while on your adventures. Back at the lodge, enjoy a homemade dinner with dessert around the campfire (from classic s’mores to Mountain Shepherd’s famous dutch oven peach cobbler).

Overnight Accommodations

We camp during backpacking excursions, and while at Mountain Shepherd, there is always the option to sleep in a tent or hammock near the lodge instead of in one of our cozy bunkrooms. Choose your own adventure!

Travel Arrangements

Your adventure begins and ends at the Mountain Shepherd Lodge in Catawba, VA.

Day 1 (Monday): Plan to arrive promptly in Catawba by 9:30 am EST on Monday. If you prefer to arrive the evening before, you can stay at the lodge. $50 includes a bunk and breakfast. $25 for each additional person in your group. Group, semi-private and private rooms are available. Contact us for reservations. Payment due before you leave.

Day 5 (Friday): We’ll wrap up the adventure around lunchtime. Plan to depart after 1 pm. The nearest airport is Roanoke (ROA), which is approximately a 30 minute drive time.

Transportation will be provided to off-property adventures, and personal vehicles will stay safely parked at Mountain Shepherd Adventure School.

Activity Level

Easy to Moderate

Every adventure is suitable for beginners – we’ll show you the ropes – and still exciting for avid Adventuresses! We recommend that you come to Camp feeling relatively fit and ready for day-after-day of outdoor activity.

What to Pack
  • Camp Clothing and Footwear:
    • 3 pairs of comfortable, outdoor-appropriate shorts (not too short, not too tight)
    • 5 short-sleeved t-shirts (non-cotton, quick-dry fabric is ideal for outdoors)
    • 1-2 long-sleeved t-shirts
    • 1-2 pairs of jeans or long pants (not yoga pants, leggings, or sweatpants)
    • 1 sweatshirt, light sweater, or fleece jacket
    • 7 pairs of underwear (5 days + extra)
    • 2-3 sports bras
    • 7 pairs of socks (5 days + extra)
    • 2 sets of pajamas – 1 lightweight set, 1 warmer set
    • Rain jacket with taped seams – “Waterproof ”
    • 1 pair of comfortable, broken-in, closed-toe shoes (in addition to river shoes)
    • No sandals or flip flops; lace-up athletic sneakers or hiking boots are preferred over shoes like Vans, Keds, Converse, Toms, and other slip-ons.
  • Personal toiletries and medications.
  • Water bottles/hydration bladders (32 oz is ideal)
  • Flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries
  • For Water-Based Activities:
    • 1-2 pairs of quick-dry shorts or board-shorts (not too short, not too tight)
    • 1-2 lightweight, quick-dry shirts for sun protection
    • 1-2 swimsuits (one-piece or two-piece, comfortable, “function over fashion”)
    • Sun hat or baseball cap, sunglasses
    • 1 pair of old sneakers or closed-toe sandals (KEEN brand-style) *in addition to pair above
    • 1 lightweight towel – microfiber or quick-dry camp towels are great!
  • For Caving:
    • Old pair of jeans or heavy duty pants (yoga pants, leggings or sweat pants are not good substitutes)
    • Old Sweatshirt
    • Old tennis shoes

RESERVE YOUR SPOT

$995.00

NOTE: Once you purchase your course, you should automatically receive our registration form in your email. If you don’t see it right away, please check your junk folder.