The Navitat team is full of interesting people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Once you get to know us, we’re sure you’ll agree that we’ve gathered the highest quality, highest energy folks around—and together, we’re creating a high-flying, educational, amazingly fun adventure experience that is second to none!
This week, meet Dylan Burt, a proud partner in the business who leads as Navitat’s General Manager.
Name/Nicknames: Dylan Burt, Dylan, The Dylan, and “Sir” (Just kidding about that last one…)
I stay busy with: Generally managing. Ha! But really, I spend a lot of time and energy making sure that every aspect of our operation is flawless… not to say that I always achieve that, but that’s my goal. Everything from documentation to training, to the philosophy behind the way we treat our employees, to the way that we move a carabiner from point A to point B. That’s my job.
I also spend a lot of time simply thinking about and taking suggestions on how we can improve our business and create the best guest experience possible.
I love my job because: I really like working with the people on our team, and I love being outdoors. I love the idea that we are sharing something with other people and helping to educate others.
I think that what makes Navitat different is: Everything! We put more energy into finding places that people will truly love than anybody else that I’m aware of. We also put more energy into creating a true experience than anybody else I’m aware of. We work with the greatest builder in the industry, and they put so much energy into creating canopy tours that are, bar none, the greatest canopy tours in the world. We also put a lot of energy into finding the most experienced people in the industry and creating an employment situation that benefits them, benefits our company, and ultimately benefits our guests.
My favorite experience while working in this industry would have to be: Getting to know amazingly creative people who genuinely care about developing educational opportunities and fun experiences all while focusing on sustainable living. And, getting to work with my wife everyday… that’s pretty fun, too.
Navitat recently invited folks from the local hospitality industry to visit us and experience our tour for the first time. It was so fun to see local Bed and Breakfast owners, hotel managers, and their staff get together for an adventure in the trees. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from these folks. Here, just a few of the highlights:
“You guys have done a wonderful job setting up the course. Lots of thought and nice touches. The guides were also first rate (as well as the rest of the staff) and I could see that the rest of my group was also having a great time.”
“I just wanted to thank you for an amazing and exhilarating experience for all of us. Who would have thought that a lady who is normally running around in heels would love it…I was STOKED! I want to commend your staff for their professionalism. We all had a sense of the safety-first factor they were constantly aware of and using. I felt safe and in good hands at all times. We will not hesitate to recommend Navitat to all our guests, family and friends.”
“We’re deeply impressed with the safety and quality of the experience, and especially thought the guides were knowledgeable, professional and calm (that’s a nice quality when your own heart is pumping a zillion beats a minute!).”
In the outdoor adventure industry, canopy tour is still a very loosely defined term that can be used to describe all sorts of courses. At Navitat, we consider ourselves a true canopy tour because guests aren’t just ziplining high above the ground, they’re doing it in a way that is truly canopy based. We haven’t just built towers and platforms in a parking lot, and erected telephone poles to hold our cables. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the Navitat experience. Instead, Navitat’s guests are treated to a well thought out course that’s seamlessly intertwined in its remote wilderness setting. Comparatively speaking, we’re unique in that we’re an excursion into an area of untouched wilderness. Your zipline views won’t include office buildings; instead, they’ll include the lush flora and fauna that Western North Carolina is known for.
The length and depth of the Navitat course also set us apart from other canopy tours. It takes a solid half day to complete our tour, during which time you’ll travel over 5,700 feet of cable. Our platforms are built into existing trees, and you often can’t see from one platform to the next, which means you’re not exactly sure where you’re headed as you zip off over the trees. That aura of possibility and mystery adds to the excitement of the tour, and is one of the things we love about our course. Because it was designed using the natural corridors of the forest, you can truly experience the vast area of Moody Cove the way it was meant to be seen.
Below, Abby Burt tells you more about canopy tours vs. zip lines, and some Navitat specifics!
Navitat has something for everyone, whether you’re 15 or 75. Sounds hard to believe, but it’s true. 15-year-olds and 75-year-olds can both easily enjoy our canopy tour adventure. Of course, they’re likely to appreciate different things about the experience, but that’s to be expected.
We’ve noticed a few things about the teenagers that participate in canopy tours with their families, and their favorite part of the adventure is clear. They love to see Mom or Dad let loose and do something they wouldn’t normally expect them to do! For the thrill-seeking aspect of it, most teenagers would be ready to do the tours on their own, and not expect Mom and Dad to join in. Navitat couples the thrills with lots of education and interesting facts about the area, which often appeals more to the parents than the kids. Combined, though, you’ve got an amazing family experience that everyone can appreciate.
Young professionals appreciate the tour for a much different reason. Many of them appear on dates, or in small groups, and 99% of them note that they consider Navitat to be a good value for the money spent. After all, our canopy tours are way more than just a thrill-ride, though there are some thrills involved. It’s a half-day adventure, a comprehensive educational and environmental experience. It’s easy to add a meal or a stop in a near-by town and make an entire day out of the Navitat experience.
Empty-nesters on the tour may appreciate it more than any other group. It’s almost as if they’re out to reclaim their lives! Asheville is known as a great location for active, early retirees, but even for them, this activity is somewhat out of the box. It’s a thrill to them to do something so new, so exciting, that allows them to see the world in a different way. One couple recently marked their 50th anniversary with us, and we were excited to watch them come alive with the experience. This group puts our guide staff to work with questions about everything, including how the course is constructed and more. Finally, when they realize how seriously we at Navitat take the experience, they’re able to realize they’re in good hands and relax, let go, and enjoy the ride.
Since Navitat opened this spring, we’ve been surprised by a few things.
The first is the relative quiet. Even with as many as 200 guests per day, Moody Cove is still the peaceful place we wanted it to be. We’re relieved! As much as we appreciate nature, we didn’t want herds of people trampling the area and disrupting the natural solitude of the space. Instead, we were thrilled to realize that the guests we bring into the area are nature lovers too, and appreciate the area and unique sights we’re able to show them. We do attract a lot of people, but we’ve managed to maintain the mountain serenity, too.
The second surprise is how amazing our staff is! We expected them to be qualified and competent, of course. But, we’ve been blown away by how educated, fun – and passionate they are! We have people with master’s degrees who have chosen to make their living with us in order to spend their time out in nature everyday, and that’s just one example. Each and every member of our staff feels the same passion we do about the outdoors, about sharing our enthusiasm for nature. It’s been totally overwhelming and thrilling to see that the staff echoes what Navitat is trying to do.
At Navitat, our staff is in the unique position of observing guests as they experience something life-changing. While the canopy tour means something different to everyone, many people find that it gives them a chance to stretch their personal boundaries and test their own limits.
For those of us in the Welcome Center, we see these guests as they first arrive, and chat with them to take their minds off their jangling nerves. As they head out with the guides, still nervous about taking part in an activity they aren’t 100% sure about, and thought they’d never consider, we smile and urge them to have fun.
By the time they return to the Welcome Center, they have a changed demeanor. It’s really cool to see how they’ve faced the challenge in front of them, stretched past their comfort zones and lived it up on the canopy tour! It’s rewarding to know that Navitat helped them do that, and it gives us a great feeling of pride. We’re lucky to experience this with our guests almost daily.
Nature-lovers live for Fall. The crisp air and brightly colored leaves adding bursts of color to the sky are addicting, and we just can’t get enough. Can you imagine the views as you’re soaring above the treetops, high over the ground? Rich reds, vibrant oranges, sunshine yellows and a few healthy greens will be displayed in a brand new way with our canopy tours.
Navitat opened this Spring, so none of us here have experienced the Fall canopy tour views yet, and to say we’re looking forward to it would be an understatement. We’re as excited as our guests are! Actually, we’re expecting quite a few repeat visitors this Fall. After enjoying the canopy tour earlier in the year, many of them booked their second visits to coincide with the changing leaves. At the beginning of August, we’ve already got bookings well into October, which just shows how excited people are for Leaf Season.
People are going to be impressed and thrilled to see the gorgeous leaves up close and in a new way, not to mention the beautiful and colorful long-range views!
And the mascot finally has a name! We recently announced the winner of Navitat’s mascot naming contest, and the honor went to Donna S. Cishek of Arden, N.C. Over 500 people entered, but Donna’s name was too cute to resist. So, without further ado, please welcome our mascot, Chester A. Corn!
For her winning suggestion, Donna will receive a canopy adventure for four and said she plans to make it a family affair by bringing along her daughter, her sister and her niece.
“We’re so excited that our name won,” said Donna. “I’ve bungee-jumped before, but never done zip-lining. It looks like so much fun. And we just love the outdoors.”
We’re expecting Knoxville visitors any day now… Navitat garnered a write-up in the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Travel Briefs at the end of May. Only a two-hour drive east, Navitat’s canopy tour would be a great activity for those looking to escape Knoxville for a weekend.
Read the Travel Brief here:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/may/30/travel-briefs/
