P.O. Box 742  

Waynesville, NC 28786  

(828) 734-0355  

mary@wtrail.com  

A backpacking and adventure ministry.  

These family-oriented weekend hikes take place each May and September/October.  They are a great time for spiritual reflection and enjoying beautiful scenery in good company.  This fall, our focus will be on the theme of "pilgrimage" - using the physical journey to take us on a spiritual journey.

Each event begins with an evening at our Property in Troutdale, VA.  Participants arrive between 6 and 8pm to fellowship, prepare for the weekend's activities, and worship together.  For our overnight hiking events, everyone wakes up early Friday or Saturday morning and heads for the trail around 8:30am to spend the rest of the weekend walking through the woods and camping out.  Our day event participants have breakfast together at the Property on Saturday before heading out to day hike or bike the Virginia Creeper.  On Sunday morning our overnight hikers return between 8 and 10:30am.  We have an informal chapel service around 11am before everyone heads for home around noon.  To view a more detailed schedule, click here. 

All events are dependent upon registration; in the case of cancellation due to low registration, your fees will be fully refunded.

Leadership for our Spring and Fall Events is provided by our Servant Leaders.  These are experienced hikers ages 19 and older who have completed our Servant Leadership Course, or who have served as Summer Staff.  They are trained to handle the medical, practical, and spiritual demands of leading a hiking group.

There are two ways to register:

1. Print, complete, and send in the registration form along with your payment. 

2. Pay online, and once we receive notification of your payment we will contact you for more information. 

After September 10th, it's recommended to check availability with Mary Brown before registering. 

Important Resources for Fall 2008:

• Overnight Hiker's Packing List, which includes both what to bring and what not to bring

• Day Event Participant's Packing List, slightly edited for our day hikers and bikers

• Informed Consent Form, the medical waiver that must be completed by each participant.  Participants under the age of 18 must have this form signed by a parent or guardian.  Other medical waivers cannot substitute for ours.  When we receive your registration, we will send you one of these in triplicate.  PLEASE NOTE:  If you choose to print one via this link, you must make 2 additional copies after you complete it, for a total of 3 completed copies.  This link is provided primarily for those registering too late to be mailed a triplicate form.

• Fall 2008 Important Information, an accurately-named printable sheet with answers to common questions.

• Directions to the Wilderness Trail Property.  DON'T FORGET that the "Property" is located in Troutdale, VA, whereas the "Office" is located in Waynesville, NC.  If you travel to Waynesville, you'll find a happy little mountain town but no Wilderness Trail Fall Events. 

If these events peak your interest but don't exactly fit your needs, you might want to consider a Catered Event.  For groups of 10+ we are happy to offer catered backpacking, day event, or retreat experiences.  These can take place over a weekend or during the week.  Our Property is open for use from late April to early November.  Typically catered events may be scheduled only when Wilderness Trail events are not taking place.  For more information email mary@wtrail.com. 

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