Our Team

Our lead guides are the backbone of every trip. Each one is certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR), trained to assess and manage medical situations far from the nearest road, and many hold additional certifications in swiftwater rescue for our Nantahala River days. They know how to read weather rolling over a ridgeline, pace a group through a long climb, and turn a tired afternoon into a memorable one.

Just as important, they know youth. Our lead guides are patient teachers and steady role models who celebrate the camper who is scared of heights and still crosses the ridge. They set the tone for the whole trip: high on adventure, uncompromising on safety.

Behind every trip that runs smoothly is a trip director keeping the whole operation on track. Our trip directors handle logistics that families never have to think about: permits for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, campsite and shelter planning, food and resupply, transportation to trailheads, and the communication that keeps parents informed from drop-off to pickup.

They are also the point of contact when something unexpected happens, from a change in weather to a last-minute question from home. Organized, calm, and detail-obsessed, our trip directors make sure guides can focus entirely on the campers in front of them.

Not every meaningful moment happens on the trail. Our camp staff keep base camp running: preparing hearty meals that fuel long hiking days, maintaining and checking gear between trips, and creating the welcoming atmosphere that helps a nervous first-time camper feel at home within hours.

Many of our camp staff are trained in first aid and food safety, and all of them share the same heart for youth that defines the rest of the team. They are the friendly faces at breakfast, the encouragers at the end of a hard day, and an essential part of why campers leave asking when they can come back.

Created to Climb began with a simple conviction from our founder, [Founder name]: that youth become their best selves when they are challenged in the outdoors and surrounded by people who believe in them. After years spent hiking the Appalachian Trail and guiding young people through the southern Appalachians, [Founder name] set out to build a program where safety and adventure were held together, not traded off.

That vision still guides everything we do. From the certified guides we hire to the small groups we insist on, every decision traces back to one goal: sending youth home more confident, more connected, and more capable than when they arrived. To learn more about the heart behind the company, read our story and mission.