Explorer Chicks of Chattanooga

Machu Freaking Picchu

Activate messy bun mode because you’re gonna be movin’ through Peru with whitewater rafting, cycling, and hiking followed by 2 back to back days visiting Machu freaking Picchu magic. CHILLS!

Acclimatizing isn’t code for watching Frasier reruns in the hotel. During our first couple days, we’ll explore ancient ruins, landmarks, and museums of Cusco and the Sacred Valley on private tours. We’ll feast our eyes on Cusco Cathedral, the Inca Museum, Pisac, Awanacancha, and Sacsayhuaman. And we’ll be treated to all the hot goss on Incan Culture thanks to our private guide. Along the way, we’ll have a few sneaky surprises and special moments that will leave you moved by the spirituality and kindness of the Quechua culture.

Your multisport journey begins on Day 3 of your trip. You’ll bike that booty to Maras and Moray. Oh, AND whitewater raft down one of the most scenic portions of the Urubamba River. Um, AND hike up to a lesser-known archeological site. After, you’ll wander down to Ollantaytambo where you’ll fill your belly with a traditional Quechan lunch. Same old weekday, right?

And then MACHU PICCHU – Not once, But TWICE! It’s just too spectacular for one short bus tour. You and your fellow Explorer Chicks are going to Machu Picchu twice AND in style via the Vistadome Train. During your first visit, you’ll get to know the history of the citadel with a 2-hour guided tour that’s light on hiking. The next day, you’ll hike Huayna Picchu, the mountain that sits right behind the citadel. You’ll have extra time to explore the ancient site and soak up all the juicy history thanks to our local guides. Yes, there will be Machu Picchu Glamour Shots.

Optional Rainbow Mountain Extension: Hike deep into the spectacular painted hills, known as Vinicunca. The Red Valley will blow you away with striking collisions of green and red. Press on through the altitude and muster every ounce of grit you’ve got to reach Rainbow Mountain (think: Little Foot when he reaches the Sun Valley). You’ll be rewarded with an insane summit surrounded by glaciated peaks, wild desert landscapes, herds of alpaca, and WILD WOMEN!

### Benvenuti In Italia

This is the trip to Italy that you’ve always dreamed of – the Dolomites, wine, epic sunrises, lakes, and food. Call the craggy Italian Alps sirens home as you explore jaw-dropping trails and impossibly cute mountain villages on this 8-day women’s hiking adventure in northern Italy.

We’ll meet in Venice before heading out for views of stunning glaciers, dramatic spires, and towering vistas complete with secret WWI tunnels. Our debut hike to Tre Cime di Lavaredo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (aka photogenic panty-dropper) where we’ll stay in a luxurious mountain “hut” and eat our body weight in alpine cooking.

You’ll learn how to traverse via-ferrata style as we sling our powerful bodies across vertical rock walls to climb Monte Paterno. From there, we’ll shuttle to the iconic trailheads of Cinque Torri and Puez-Odle Nature Park, where we’ll spend the night sleeping in an authentic family-run hut high up in the mountains where even Starbucks can’t reach.

Also, no, you don’t have to hulk your beefy Samsonite up the mountains. Throughout your adventure, you only have to sherpa your daypack. We’ll shuttle your main luggage from hut to hotel since you’ll have your hands full moonlighting for National Geographic.
We’ll have down time in villages that can only be described as bucolic AF––including Cortina d’Ampezzo, Corvara, Ortisei, and the stunning South Tyrol wine region which we’ll explore by e-bike. Amidst all the hiking, including an epic sunrise climb, we’ll build in time for slow mornings and plenty of relaxing. There’ll be wine tastings, an alpine spa visit, a hands-on Italian cooking class, and epic sailing on Lake Garda. Did you just become the most interesting woman on the school board? Yes, you did!

Details

Find your bold on this Wilderness Survival Training & Hiking in Virginia weekend workshop for women only! Slay the most iconic summits on the Appalachian Trail—Dragon’s Tooth, Tinker Cliffs, McAfee Knob (known as Virginia’s Triple Crown)—as you earn your survival skills badge in Catawba, Virginia. Between hikes, learn basic hands-on wilderness survival training skills from emergency bug-hunting to fire-building in the rain.

HIKING IN VIRGINIA

First, kick off your adventure on Thursday with arriving to our lodge in the woods in the late afternoon. Your feet won’t be settled for long! Throughout the weekend, you’ll be completing the follow hikes, which all add up to the Triple Crown!

DRAGON’S TOOTH HIKE

Gear up to tick off the first jewel in the crown: Dragon’s Tooth. It’s the shortest of the three hikes, but the most exciting. Scramble up rocks and via ferrata-type ladders to reach the summit and the huge monolith stretching to the sky on the summit. Feel daring? Climb up the monolith for 360 degree views of the valley below and all the bragging rights.

TINKER CLIFFS HIKE

The next morning, embark on your hike with the most elevation gain: Tinker Cliffs. It’s a beautiful hike, taking you across a field where you’ll be able to stare way up to our goal. Trek through the “Green Tunnel” with a gnarly steep section. Then, connect with the Appalachian Trail to reach the summit. Then you get to kick back, break out that sandwich, and bask in the view of the next day’s summit: McAfee Knob.

MCAFEE KNOB HIKE

Saturday evening, we’ll hit a mall walker’s stride as we jump on the trail to catch one of the best sunsets. The hustle up the mountain is totally worth the burning quads as you rest your hiker booty and kick your legs off the edge of the world on McAfee Knob. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail. (And, one of our favorites!)

WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS TRAINING

On Saturday morning, we’ll take a short hike to our outdoor classroom. Here, we’ll spend the day learning and practicing wilderness survival skills. You’ll want to grab a notebook and a pen to scratch down some notes. Throughout the day, learn a variety of knots, how to construct a few types of wilderness shelters, how to start and feed a fire even in the rain, and which bugs are the tastiest for eating! 🦗 Yes, it is completely hands-on. You will be building fires and shelters all with a supportive group of like-minded, fun women.

BACKCOUNTRY PERSONAL SELF PROTECTION

On your final day in wilderness paradise, learn hands on Backcountry Personal Self Protection. During this hands-on course, gain these necessary survival skills:

• break free from a stranger’s hold
• recognize the signs of threatening behavior
• learn to use objects you carry in your day pack as a weapon

You’ll be able to practice in a supportive environment with a “Red-Man Suit” while learning a proper palm strike, finger fan, knee jab, knee strike, and blocking moves. KA-POW!!! We’ll say goodbye Sunday afternoon, after refueling our bodies during one last delicious lunch at our Mountain Lodge.

BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN LODGE IN CATAWBA, VIRGINIA

Each night, rest your head at a beautiful lodge nestled in Catawba, Virginia. It lies at the base of the mountains surrounded by woods without another trace of humanity in sight. Call it home for a few days, with freedom to stretch your legs on the lawn soaking up the sun after hiking, sharing stories around a campfire, or knocking back a few beers in the communal area. And, food! Your dinners and breakfasts will be home-cooked goodness served up on a plate! (Don’t worry! Bugs are optional and not on the menu!)

It’s a wonderfully wild weekend with a small group of women hiking in Virginia along the Appalachian Trail and learning wilderness survival tactics. Over the course of a long weekend you’ll quickly grow close with your posse of Explorer Chicks as you hike the trails and share memories of summits. Join us to experience this small-group women’s only hiking weekend yourself!

OVERVIEW

Are you into endless views? Old-growth forests? Mist bouncing off a 100-foot waterfall hitting your face? Then spend a long weekend with a small group of women hiking the best trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (including parts of the Appalachian Trail).

Channel your inner goat girl as you stroll through iconic scenery and listen to stories of the women who helped shape the Smokies. Take a brief break from the trail living out your pottery fantasies throwing clay on the wheel and sculpting your very own mug. Then kick back like a queen with nightly glamping near Gatlinburg, TN.

BOOTS = HIKING

Get your blues and greens in on three stunning hikes that don’t even look real. The views from Charlies Bunion and Ramsay Cascades are complete madness. Wind your way through pine trees and over classic creek crossings that make you momentarily consider a coonskin hat. (But not really, because animals ♥️)

ROOTS = HER-STORY

Did you know a woman was the first settler to move to the Smoky Mountains? You didn’t? That’s because Martha Jane Huskey Ogle’s husband called dibs on the fame. Learn about the deliciously woman-heavy history of a wilderness that man tried real hard to claim as his own. Your Explorer Chick guide will drop all the juicy gossip, connecting you to the goosebumpy sisterhood who walked before you.
Deep dive into Appalachian crafts straddling a wheel and molding a coffee mug with your very own hands. Local artists will guide you through the entire pottery process and only help when needed. After 10 weeks of drying, firing, and glazing, your mug will show up at your doorstep. Surprise! Relive the SHE-nanigans of your Smokies trip.

YOU FEELING MAX COMFY WHILE GLAMPING

Put your feet up in total Insta-worthy digs at our adorable glamping site minutes from Gatlinburg. You will sleep in a tent that has been tastefully decorated and luxuriously appointed with WiFi and temperature control – with meals freshly prepared at camp by your Explorer Chick guides. You only have one task after hiking: RELAX.

ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hike the Appalachian Trail to the sweeping panaromic views from Charlies Bunion
• Get up close and personal with the Smokies tallest waterfall, Ramsey Cascades
• Learn how to work clay on a wheel as you create your one of a kind glazed coffee mug
• Kick back at camp with breakfasts and dinners cooked by your Explorer Chick guides.
• Sleep easy at our Glamping site with canvas tents outfitted with all the creature comforts.
• Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes the logistics, transportation, navigation, meal planning, lodging, and everything between easy.
• Geek out with supportive and encouraging Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.