Where challenge deepens, skills sharpen, and confidence becomes instinct.

Picture five days in the Appalachian wilderness surrounded by people who came for something real—learning by doing, solving problems as a team, competing in challenges that stretch you just enough, and laughing around campfires at the end of every day. This isn’t a class or a retreat. It’s an experience.

From Monday evening through Saturday afternoon on private land, you’ll immerse yourself in progressive wilderness skill development paired with increasingly complex team challenges. Each morning introduces new techniques and concepts. Each afternoon and evening puts them to work in real time—under pressure, with consequences, and with your team depending on you.

You’ll practice fire-making, advanced shelter systems, navigation without technology, water sourcing and purification, foraging, tracking, primitive tools, and environmental awareness. Then you’ll be asked to execute—sometimes against the clock, sometimes through multi-stage scenarios, sometimes by solving riddles, clues, and decision-making problems that determine your next move.

Your base camp is comfortable and secure. You sleep in your own tent, eat the meals you bring, and return to camp each night. No starvation. No manufactured suffering. The outdated belief that hardship alone creates growth is gone. What creates growth is immersion, challenge, and experience—and that’s exactly what this delivers.

Coming solo? Perfect. Teams form naturally during the opening ceremony on Monday evening. Some arrive alone, others with friends or partners, but everyone quickly finds their people. By the end of the week, you’ll feel like you’ve known each other for years.

This is where skills stop being theory and start becoming instinct.

Your Five-Day Journey

Monday Evening: Arrival, base camp setup, introductions, team formation, opening ceremony and challenge

Tuesday–Thursday: Morning skill instruction, afternoon and evening team challenges, nightly campfire gatherings and strategy talks

Friday: Advanced multi-skill challenges, endurance scenarios, team problem-solving events

Saturday Morning: Championship finale, awards ceremony, celebration breakfast, departure by noon

What You’ll Master

Fire by friction (bow drill and hand drill)

Advanced shelter construction

Land navigation and orienteering without GPS

Water sourcing, filtering, and purification

Wild edibles and medicinal plants of Appalachia

Tracking and observation skills

Primitive tool-making and cordage

Emergency signaling and situational awareness

Operating as a team under pressure

What You’ll Experience

15+ progressive team challenges

Multi-stage competitions combining speed, strategy, and execution

Problem-solving scenarios that require clear thinking under stress

Optional night navigation challenges (legendary for a reason)

Tournament-style scoring with daily leaderboard updates

Campfire conversations where real connection is built

Exclusive access to pristine private wilderness

A completely new relationship with the outdoors

Skills you’ll use—and teach—for the rest of your life

Stories from a week you’ll never forget

Friendships with people who get it

What’s Included

Five days of expert instruction

All tools, equipment, and materials for challenges

Exclusive access to private Appalachian land

Safety oversight and emergency protocols

Evening campfire programs and demonstrations

Championship awards and certificates

Digital highlights of your experience

What to Bring

Camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad)

Five days of food (meal planning guide provided)

Water bottles and hydration system

Layered clothing and rain gear

Headlamp with extra batteries

Camp chair and comfort items

Personal first aid kit and medications

Notebook and pen

An open mind and willingness to be challenged

Make no mistake—these are real-world Appalachian wilderness skills. By the end of five days, you will be proficient. But it won’t feel like a grind. It will feel like the week of a lifetime—filled with laughter, challenge, earned confidence, skills you’ll carry forever, and stories you’ll tell for the rest of your life.