A great start to October! Horse Helpers, Climbing x2, Trail Building, and Bigger or Better

Horse Helpers 10/1/14

Ten students did about 20 hours of service out at Horse Helpers in Zionville, NC. According to junior Hattie Cox, they helped move rocks from the pastures and got to pet the horses and feed them apples. Horse Helpers is an awesome non-profit that takes in horses that have been abandoned in the high country and help them return to health. Students had a great time getting to pet the horses and helping out around the organization.

Holloway Climbing 10/2/14

"We spent an awesome Thursday afternoon climbing at Holloway," said freshman Alayna Arnholt of the climbing trip.  "We bonded by telling stories on the drive. When we arrived we went through belay school before splitting into groups and climbing. People alternated between climbing, belaying, and back-up belaying." The seven students on the trip had a great time hanging out, climbing, and challenging themselves on the rock. "The most memorable thing about the trip was getting advice from people on the ground when I was climbing," said Alayna. She also accomplished her ambitious goal of climbing backwards!

Hound Ears Climbing Competition 10/4/14

The morning of October 4th was a chilly one as climbers from all over flocked to Boone for the Hound Ears Climbing Competition. Mountain Alliance brought bus drivers, climbers, and food servers to the event. Mountain Alliance raised money through our drivers and selling delicious chili made by Tina Houston. Our staff and student climbers got to try our hand at the renowned and protected Hound Ears bouldering site. The climbs were tough, but we enjoyed ourselves and got to see some amazing climbers!

Trail Building 10/7/14

This was the first of two trips over to Boone United Methodist Church this semester. We've been helping them build the Boone United Trail which is an in-town trail that works its way up the backside of Howard's Knob. Even though the weather wasn't the best, we still had a few brave students that showed up and turned out to have great trail building weather. Thanks to every one that came!

Bigger or Better 10/9/14

This year's Bigger or Better was a huge success! Students started with small items like paperclips, stickers, and lanyards and went around downtown Boone trying to trade them for something bigger or better than what they had. The group came back with everything from records to t-shirts to water bottles! They had a great time!