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AMS is located near the Blue Ridge
Parkway in the beautiful South Toe River valley at the foot of the
Black Mountains. The 105-acre campus consists mainly of woods and
meadows and is largely surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. A
typical day includes a lot of walking and biking, whether between
boarding homes and campus or during free time. There is a pond on
school property where students can swim, canoe and ice skate.
While work on the land and long walks in the woods are a part of our
daily living, there are three extended outdoor trips per academic year
that prove to be some of the most memorable experiences for AMS
students and staff alike. An average group size for trips is six to
nine students and two or three staff.
In preparation for these trips we
provide instruction in backpacking, safety, and minimal
packing. Before leaving on the first trip, students learn to
set up tarps and tents; tie knots; build fires; to plan, pack and store
food; and to build and safely extinguish fires. They also learn skills
needed for equipment upkeep and inventory, survival skills, the
importance of ethical leave-no-trace wilderness exploration and
camping. Once we hit the trails, students learn experientially about
back country meal preparation, map reading, topography and group
dynamics and bonding in the outdoors.
We begin our outdoor experiences during orientation week, before
classes begin, by going on a three-day hiking trip to explore our
immediate surroundings. Early October provides an opportunity for us to
go on a six-day backpacking trip and we end our year with eight-day
trips of varying kinds. Past trips have included hiking, biking,
canoeing and caving.
