Volunteers and Sierra Club staff gathered at Mulberry Gap earlier this month for several days of outdoor leadership training.
On Thursday, May 30, the Sierra Club Military Outdoors and Georgia Chapter gathered at Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Get-a-way for our 2019 Outings Leader Training. It was the first SCMO leadership training course in the Southeast since 2017 and the first time we partnered with the Georgia Chapter to bring Local Outings' collective knowledge into the fold.
Several guests joined me, Georgia Chapter Deputy Director Jessica Morehead and Outings Leaders Max Brown and Laura Ochs for a weekend of outdoor leadership training.
The host venue, Mulberry Gap, was rustic yet modern. We were served some tasty down-home meals for our three days at the campground. We even had a bluegrass band named Opossum and the Bear, and folks got to play a washtub bass and washboard as the local musicians serenaded us on our final evening.
The group enjoyed the bluegrass stylings of Opossum and the Bear on its final evening in Mulberry Gap.
Guests learned about the Military Outdoors and Local Outings programs offered through the Sierra Club. We also discussed the Georgia Chapter’s conservation campaigns. During our equity training, we had a deep dive discussion on Sierra Club history and why outdoors for all is a human right. We also talked about how outing leaders can be the vanguard of the conservation movement and fight against climate change as well as ways to ensure all people are welcomed in the outdoors no matter race, age or ability.
We applied lessons learned during the leader workshops on the Emery Creek Trail, which included many water crossings and a pit stop at a beautiful waterfall. So folks got a chance to bear witness to some of Georgia's natural scenery. The group shared best practices during trail training scenarios and offered trainers great insight with their wisdom on how to handle emergencies and conflict on the trail. Everyone brought their expertise to the trail that day. We even had a daughter of a veteran and his wife join us on the trail. The teenager challenged herself to a tough water crossing with a smile on her face.
The group applied lessons learned during the leader workshops on the Emery Creek Trail, which included many water crossings and a pit stop at a beautiful waterfall.
We want to give a special thanks to the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and our two volunteer Outings Leaders, Max Brown and Laura Ochs. Without them, this training couldn't have been successful.
Many veteran and outside groups such as Team Red, White, and Blue, Minority Veterans of America and GirlTrek were all represented. Folks found great value in practical exercises on the trial and building community with each other, veterans and civilians alike. On Sunday, June 2, when people departed for home, it was no longer a group of strangers who left the trail, but friends who would be back on the trail leading and learning from each other for years to come.
— Lornett Vestal, Southeastern Campaign Representative, Military Outdoors
Participants enjoyed host venue Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Get-a-way.