Have you always wanted to spend the night in a tent in the forest of the most visited National Park in the country? Do you want to wake up to the sound of the river and spend the night around the campfire under a blanket of stars? Are you up for the challenge of hiking with everything you need to be comfortable in the woods on your back?

Spend the weekend with four instructors and learn about the great sport of backpacking. This trip is for beginners and will cover all the basics of backpacking equipment and gear, Leave No Trace, map and compass, back-country camping and cooking. The hike focuses on learning rather than on distance (total distance around 5 miles).

Group gear will be provided but you must provide your own backpacking specific backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, boots and personal clothing. Several outdoor stores rent backpacking equipment if needed.

Mandatory Pre-Trip Meeting and Training on Sunday, October 21 from 2-5 p.m. at the Knoxville Service Center.

Prerequisites: must be comfortable sleeping in a tent with night sounds, have day hiked before and carried a pack and can work as a productive team member in a group setting.

Min/Max: 4/8

Tagalongs: No

Program Level: Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors and Adults

Registration Deadline: Thursday, October 18, 2012