Black Mountain Recreation & Parks (BMRP) is partnering with local organizations to present its annual Cabin Fever Defeater Series throughout January and early February. The program features five hikes, two indoor rock climbing sessions, three riverbank clean-ups and two trail-building sessions.
Royal Gorge. Photo courtesy of Black Mountain Recreation & Parks
“This series helps keep people active during a time of year when it is easy to stay inside and be less active,” says Clint Bowman, recreation coordinator for the Town of Black Mountain. “Getting outside and participating in recreation year-round is crucial to an individual’s overall mental and physical well-being. Additionally, our riverbank cleanups and trail-building programs are community-centered and serve as a way for us to give back and to preserve the natural resources we all love in this area.”
YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly will partner with BMRP to offer the rock climbing sessions, and G5 Trail Collective will help coordinate trail-building sessions. “Volunteer trail work enables the community to come together to work towards the common good, something we don’t seem to have enough of in our modern world,” says Mike Blumenfeld, volunteer coordinator for G5.
All hikes and riverbank clean-ups will take place in Black Mountain or within a short drive from town, and, along with the trail-building sessions, are free. Rock climbing sessions, good for beginning climbers as well as those more experienced, are $12 per person and include harnesses, helmets and two hours of climbing. The series welcomes participants of all ages and skill levels.
If programs are full, interested participants are encouraged to add their names to the waitlist. For more information and to register for individual programs, visit bmrp.recdesk.com/community/program or call 828.669.2052.
