SOLO Wildreness Training AT The NOC & A Little Camping Too

This weekend I sort of took time off from hiking. Well, not totally as there was hiking involved, but I spent Saturday and Sunday at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Wesser, North Carolina for a two-day wilderness survival course. One of my oldest friends, Glen, set this a month or so ago, he thought both of us needed some more wilderness training. So, on Friday we headed over to North Carolina for three days in the bush. We got off to a late start because Glen had to work early in the morning due to the Brexit business. We got a late morning start but before heading to the Nantahala Gorge we took a detour to Asheville and a visit to REI. After that some lunch at the second Neo Burrito location (more to come) which is across from REI.

On one side REI...

...the other Neo.

From there it was on to where we would camp for the weekend, the Lost Mine Campground, just up the road from NOC. This little campground is locate off Silver Mine Creek Road, which cuts through the middle of the 100 acre facility. It is mostly a tent campground (there are two spots for RV's under 21 feet), but it does have playground, with basketball and volleyball courts, and a recreation room with a pool table. It also has a laundry room to wash clothes and bathrooms with showers, which while rustic were not all bad. While some camp sites were closer together ours was a little more spread out.. Besides the creek that run by the site it was pretty quiet and that went for the whole campground as quiet time began at 10 pm. That means if you are a party animal this place isn't for you. I would say that the majority of the campers here were kayakers, except for the baptist church group from Mississippi.

Lost Mine Campground...

Check-in & rec room...

...inside...

...playground...

...wash house... 

...tent sites...

...& our tent site.

Glen's tent...

...& mine.

Ready.

Our wilderness course was on the campus of NOC. I say that because the main NOC location is more than a outfitters store it has a general store, two restaurants, rafting, kayaking, zip lining and employs over 800 in the summer. It is like an outdoor amusement park, oh and the Appalachian Trail (AT) cuts right through the middle of the NOC. Besides all of this they also offer outdoor classes like the one we are attending.

Nantahala River Gorge...

...& NOC...

...outfitters

...general store...

...& more.

Rafting (they got stuck)...

Kayaking...

...so good here they hosted World's...

...a water rescue training...

...zip lines.

The northbound AT comes out of the wood...

...George Noble plaque...

...white blaze as the trail...

...crosses the bridge, railroad track...

...& continues north.

Ours was at the SOLO Southeast facility and our instructors were Doug and Randy. Randy was the more practical instructor he was ex-military while Doug was the more enthusiastic one, but both were excellent teachers. The first skill we learned was fire building. Besides learning what are the best kinds of items to have in fire building (number one is a lighter) we also were shown how better to build a fire, including what to use as tender. The coolest part was when we got to learn to use a bow drill. You know people on all kinds of shows have demonstrate it, but it never looked easy. We learned how to make a bow and what wood makes the best spindle, hearth board and what you can use for a bearing block. I got smoke on my attempt and Glen did a little bit better as he got an ember. Doug said we both had really good form and could master this at some point.

SOLO campus.

Doug (left) & Randy (right).

Wood Booger figuring out a bow drill.

Glen showing how it is done.

Fire (with magnesium striker).

We then broke for lunch and Glen and I went to eat at Wesser BBQ & Brew (you know the drill more later which is one of the two restaurant at the outpost. The second half of day one started with a hike up a steep trail to the area where we learned about shelter building. Our task was to build a debris shelter. I have seen this built many times on TV and had seen ones that had been built at Sawnee Mountain, however this was the first one I had taken part in constructing. The first thing needed is a ridge pole which we propped against a tree it is what the stick will rest on and then you put on the leaves. I even decided to crawl inside and it wasn't half bad. I must say I wouldn't stay in it unless I had too.

On the way to the trail we stopped a hornets nest.

Trail up...

..."widowmaker" on the trail.

Debris shelter at Sawnee Mountain.

Our ridge pole

Glen examines the shelter frame.

Putting on the leaves.

Our Debris Shelter...

...Wood Booger in it.

Then Doug crafted a water filter with bamboo, charcoal and sand. The water looked good from it and Doug even took a sip, but the rest of us passed. That was all of the instruction for day one after we were done Glen had an ice cream while I indulged in a Dale's Pale Ale.

Doug's filter/

After catching a shower we decided instead of a dehydrated meal like night one, we had dinner at the River's End Restaurant at the NOC. After this we returned to the campsite and put our fire skills to work and built a fire. While we got one built on night one we did a better job on night two. The campfire was definitively the best part of camping. I will say that I did sleep better on the second night than when we arrived. On the first night I started with the rain fly because there was a chance of the wet stuff and slept in my sleeping bag liner because it was hot and humid in the tent. I ended up peeling back the rain fly to expose the mesh on the door. Let just say I didn't sleep too well. So, on night two, since there wasn't a cloud in the sky I decided to risk it and took off the rain fly and slept in my sleeping bag. It was a much better night's rest.

Where we are eating.

Wood Booger & the AT.

First night fire...

...& second.

First night with fly...

...second without...

...& it is better that way.

On last look before we break camp.

After breaking down camp we returned to the NOC for our final day of training. We started out with improving our use of a map and a compass. I first learned that I had a little more knowledge than I thought but I also picked up some helpful information. Randy then went over a crash course on backcountry first-aid. SOLO offers a two day course just on this subject, but I did learn some useful information. Next we leaned to make cordage with Kudzu. Then we worked on how better to identify edible plants.

Randy helping with map skills.

Common Plaintain.

Yes, you can eat a Day Lily.

Working on cordage.

After lunch we went to the NOC's bamboo forest, yes the outpost has one. We were collecting some of this amazing tree to cook some food. Doug cut the bamboo and stuffed it with rice, tomato and wild plantain and put it in an open fire. It cooked and was very good. After we ate we went over all the things we learned and any questions we had. I will say say I learned quite a bit over the two days and my instructors Doug and Randy were excellent.

After lunch I took a hike.

NOC's bamboo forest.

Doug cutting bamboo.

It is the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad...

...has a Nantahala car.

Rice cooking in bamboo.

Rice is done...

...& with the two-day course.

Overall, it was an a great weekend I learned a lot and it was cool hanging out with Glen and meeting some new people. Oh, and I know that I will have to return to the NOC for some hiking because it is a really cool place.