What's up Next...

After 19 years of requests, we are offering our first women only (and girls, too!) class. Long ago, I started teaching at Hood College in Frederick, MD when it was a single sex school... when the school became co-ed, I soon realized that learning occurs very differently when outdoor-oriented adventure classes include males. Often, women will choose to opt out, not because of lack of interest, but because of the way males behave in those environments...
So for all you women and girls out there, this class is for YOU!
Introduction to Outdoor Survival. Learn how to be comfortable in the woods and mountains... confident in your ability to navigate, acquire water, get warm, build a shelter, signal for help, and especially, build a fire, when everything is wet, including your matches...
After preparing a minimalist survival kit, We'll head to the untracked mountainsides.. It is NOT like on TV! It's better!
The class is scheduled for Saturday, April 7, and we've opened up a few more spots..join us!

COME OUT AND LEARN AND PLAY! NO EXCUSES!

THIS is the time to sharpen your skills in climbing or fire building or map and compass for the true warm weather season! Scroll down to see the specific dates on Google calendar.. (our calendar is being updated DAILY. Have patience and check back often!)

On the weekend of March 3 and 4, we're please to be offering our annual Wilderness First Aid weekend. We have been proud to partner with both the Trail House and SOLO to provide the region's best wilderness first aid training for the past 12 years... and this year will be no exception. If this is training you have always wanted, or needed, or if your skills (and card) have expired call us today (the Trail House - 301.694.8448) The price when registering thru the Trail House is still $195... the same as it was 5 years ago! (as of 17 Feb there are only a few spots left!)

Knots and Anchor Construction classes - learn the techniques that will allow you to climb, safely and guide-free! Our first weekend clinics start in March!!!

Also, sign up now for Adventure Rock Climbing and Rappelling- (Maybe the best adventure we offer outside of summer!) These trips go thru the winter into April... every day by reservation.

Basic Fieldcraft for First Reponders- During the cooler seasons, we train first responders in mountain rescue skills. We are first responders. . and we also teach Fieldcraft from backpacking to navigation to survival..Wilderness Skills. This class is a logical extension of what we do.. and incredibly valuable for any and all first responders who may find themselves working in an outdoor setting. Classes are scheduled monthly, and can be offered by request. (Contact the office for details)
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Destination Trips- available every day by reservation... stunning waterfalls and amazing ice formations! See why Southern Living says we're the best!!!

Intro to Outdoor Survival / Map and Compass- Land Navigation.. classes designed for individual preparedness in the mountains.. by request or see schedule

Ice Breaker Canoe trips...breathtaking! (this winter, no ice! offered by request)

Of course, ANY day you have free, there are great guided adventures to be had! Call us!!!

Our staff is always available to assist you on any and all of your Blue Ridge adventures and adventure planning.. for more information on any of our activities, see our website, call us (tf) 866.455.8672 or e-mail us at: adventure@teamlinkinc.com

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If you're thinking about a weekend program for your family or group, you need to let us know sooner rather than later..midweek dates are usually much more available.. however a 2-week advance registration is still recommended. Check the calendar at the bottom of the page for a complete listing of "open registration" opportunities. Spring, Summer and even Fall 2012 registrations are already well underway!

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We are proud to have been selected by Southern Living as The Best in the South for our summer cascading, canyoneering and waterfall programs! See the link here!
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This is a very interesting read..

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"Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." (J.R.R. Tolkien)

The way home...

My father dropped out of high school, at age 17, to join the Navy so he could fight the war in the Pacific... as a young signalman, on board a 100ft long amphibious landing craft he saw some of the most intense battles in history... and never once spoke of them.. Yes, he spoke of typhoons with massive waves, the beauty of the mountains of the Philippines and of the antics that only an 18 yr old with a "they-were-expendable" attitude can have on liberty...
But of war.. he never spoke.
Eventually, he went to college and moved into the Blue Ridge mountains, a place of immense, yet simple beauty. And that is where he and my mother established our home.

Had I ever considered to thank him on Veterans Day, as seems to be the fashion today, I'm pretty sure it would have made him uncomfortable.. It's just what he and the other members of the Greatest Generation did... they sacrificed their youth, willingly and gladly even, for nothing less than world freedom... How can you EVER thank someone enough for that???

My brothers and I (and our brother-in-law) are all veterans... in fact, between the four of us, we spent more than 68 years in either an active or active/reserve status...

For me, going in the Navy didn't take a whole lot of thought.. it's just what I did. I was an English major with dim job prospects (lifeguarding /coaching swimming in the summer and teaching skiing in the winter.. the dirt bag life.)
Besides, I had all the time in the world. "A four year commitment?? that's nothing!"


In the Navy, I worked with some of the most amazing people I have ever known... from all backgrounds, and am intensely proud to have them as friends..
Though there are years and miles between where we make our homes, there remains a closeness that that is not easily described nor understood...it is very similar to what my birth brothers and I have - a bond born of experiences, shared.

Everyone has their reasons for joining: sense of duty, honor, tradition, legacy. For others it's a ticket out... a chance to "see the world" ... a job. For me, it's just what I did. Not a lot of thought applied. I'm not sure why. But surely, no thanks were expected... none are needed. I was the one thankful.

It never occurred to me to thank my Dad for his service... and you know, it never occurred to me that anyone should ever thank me for mine... and I'm sure all of my brothers feel pretty much the same... In fact, when someone thanks me on Veterans Day, I almost have to ask, "for what?"

My generation was shoe-horned between the ends of both Viet Nam and the Cold War and the beginnings of the Global War on Terror -a period of recovery in which we were trying to find our way, and our national identity, again. It was a time of diverse military actions from Desert One, Lebanon and Grenada thru the Persian Gulf, Operation Desert Storm, Somalia, the Balkans...

For the past ten years we've been a country solidly at war - no more short term crises. Today's generation of veterans are so like my Dad's generation... there are no maybes when you sign... and young people still choose to join...

So, today, at 11.11am (on 11-11-11) I ran 11 miles across the mountains. Veterans Day, Armistice Day....a day to put down arms... I ran because I don't like the feeling of being thanked for doing something that I gained so much from... I ran to honor my brothers, all of them. I ran to honor my father, and his brothers.

I ran all the way home.

.. and I ran mostly, just to keep the faith with those who are still on their journey ..... home.

Come with us and let's go climbing!

There are so many discount coupon offers out there.. we decided to cut out the middle man and offer our own..

Last month we tested the waters of offering a really nice deal..We only offered it on Facebook to those who "like us" on FB.. Well it's been a huge success!
We've decided to take it off the pages of Facebook and extend the offer through 15 December!

So here's the deal.. if you have "liked us" on our Shenandoah Mountain Guides Facebook page you qualify! If you have not "liked us".. do so, and you qualify!
Then you and 3 of your friends can score a day of guided group rock climbing for only $50 each! (normally more than $100 each!)... AND, it'll be just you and your friends!
(not with my neighbor Bob's Aunt Hester from Phoenix who just happened to be in town and was looking for something to do..)

E-mail us (andy@shenandoahmountainguides.org) to set up your day and finish your registration! Isn't that easy?

High value information...
If you have a special day in mind... I'd encourage you to sign up quickly as the good days are going to go very fast. This is an unbelievable deal that can only happen once every .. heck we've NEVER offered anything like this .. in all of our 20 years!