Morganton’s Adventure Service Corps gets ready to embark on year 30 of adventure and service

Rappelling, climbing, white water paddling, you name it, Morganton’s TAASC program, or The American Adventure Service Corps, has done it when it comes to the great outdoors.

Coming up on almost three decades of service, the outdoor-based nonprofit has taken hundreds of kids on a variety of adventures. From a 10-day mountaineering trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range to a 170-mile canoe trip through South Carolina to reach the Atlantic Ocean, TAASC travels throughout the country and beyond borders for adventure.

But what Morganton Day School student Seren Meek, who has been a TAASC member for seven years, said she enjoys the most about the program are the lifelong skills that she has learned.

The group meets weekly in downtown Morganton to learn a skill to use on their next trip. They usually take one weekend trip and some one-day trips per month. Wrapping up this school year, the group traveled to Worley’s Cave in Tennessee twice, once for a day trip and again for an overnight trip. The group also went on rappelling trips around the Linville Gorge and went on climbing and backpacking trips.

Worley’s Cave is a fan favorite for maintaining the same temperature — 60 degrees — year-round. There’s an underground river offering a hiking trail underground, Interim Program Director Sophie Pippin said.

The expeditions can also be more challenging, said Noah Green, who is an alumnus of the program and a TAASC board member. He pointed out several expeditions in northern Canada, highlighting a four-week trip on the Nahanni River.

“The Nahanni is probably the best river in the world, honestly, and to be able to take a group of kids up here is just crazy that this program has done this and has this wonderful resume of expeditions,” Green said.

As an environmental engineer, Green said he attributes his career success to the TAASC program. “If it wasn’t for this program that gave me this love for the outdoors and appreciation for our environment, I wouldn’t be in my office every day fighting for water quality.” Green is a water and wastewater project engineer at McGill Associates, which helps with everything from planning to construction administration and engineering of water and wastewater projects.

Pippin said the program is set up to teach kids a comprehensive scope of technical skills from an early age and can prepare students for a profession in the outdoor industry.

Not only do students enjoy participating in the activities, but they also learn how to set up the activities. For example, students get to climb, and they also learn how to set up a climb.

“We go through a series of checks and then by the time that they’re graduating, they’re really competent to go out and lead these trips for other programs or just with another friend group,” Pippin said. “Because really what we want is we want kids to leave this program and continue doing these things safely.”

SERVICE ASPECT

TAASC also prioritizes giving back to the community. Founder Mike Fischesser said the group typically helps clean up the road and ditches leading to Table Rock each year, but they couldn’t this year because of Hurricane Helene.

However, the group helped with post-Helene clean-up along the Catawba River and helped Fischesser stain the Everyone’s Beanstalk Playground at Catawba Meadows Park after the storm. The kids also helped freshen up the climbing tower at Falling Creek Camp with a new stain.

TAASC’s track record of storm support dates back to January 1998, when members helped clear debris in the wake of flooding that particularly impacted Avery, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Watauga counties. The group has also helped with disaster relief in Eastern North Carolina after Hurricane Floyd in September 1999.

“That’s something we do always stress, because we want kids to become stewards of their community and obviously our natural resources,” Green said.

The group has also held fundraisers to raise awareness and money for Habitat for Humanity, Hurricane Katrina relief and Nature Conservancy. Such events have included a 400-mile canoe trip, in stages, from the mountains to the sea, a 75,000-foot climb-a-thon, with some members climbing 6,000 feet in one day and more.

WHO CAN JOIN

The Morganton program has 18 students, but TAASC wants to expand, focusing primarily on the 12- to 18-year-old age group. TAASC also has programs in Asheville and Brevard, with Asheville being the largest program with more than 100 students.

The program is open to everyone, regardless of experience. Green noted that Morganton’s program is unique because, unlike those in Asheville and Brevard, most students enter with no outdoor skills.

“We’re open to anyone who wants to learn and we’re going to meet them where they’re at,” Pippin said.