Posts tagged as:

navitat

Mountain Xpress gives a shout-out to the ‘High-flying forest’

Reviews keep coming in from far and wide about the Navitat experience. Mountain Xpress calls Navitat ‘an eco-friendly playground full of fast rides, high adventure and an unparalleled experience of Southern Appalachian forest.’. For your reading pleasure, here is the rest of the story:

Outdoors: High-flying forest
published by Mountain Xpress, Issue 42, 5/12/2010

Zip-line tours provide thrills

Abby Burt zipping through the forest on a Navitat Canopy Tour

Going down? Abby Burt (above) zipping through the forest on a Navitat Canopy Tour, which includes a view of Craggy Dome (below) . Photos by Eric Crews


“Are you ready?” asks the Navitat Canopy Adventures tour guide.

Standing on a wooden platform 50 feet off the ground, surrounded by a lush verdant canopy, I nod, and a thrilling ride directly through the heart of the forest begins.

Flying along the 1,100-foot zip line with the wind in my face and the trees whirring by in a blur, I try to remember what the guides told me: “Be sure to check out the view of Craggy Dome.” Turning slightly to the left, I look toward the horizon, where towering mountains meet clouds and blue sky. Below me is only quiet valley and forest, as far as the eye can see.

It all began simply enough. After quickly gearing up outside the newly constructed visitors center, I joined Abby Burt, Navitat’s marketing director, a few other participants and two guides on a long ride up the mountain in a six-wheeled ATV. Before we knew it, we were walking up a long wooden walkway and out onto the first platform in the trees. Meanwhile, guides Jackson and Joel gave a rundown on what to expect. They explained how best to position your body for maximum speed, direction control and, most importantly, how to brake when approaching the landing platform. Within minutes we were ready to embark, one by one, on our first flight — a brief zip that helps participants get a feel for the sensation before launching into the longer, faster runs.

After a few exhilarating trial rides, we prepared to tackle a swift 300-foot run right through the forest canopy.

Through the trees.

The deciduous forest is home to a wide variety of trees, including maples, oaks, hemlocks and tulip poplars — and zipping amid their branches is an excellent way to see them. “Canopy tours, in their truest sense, are tree-to-tree tours,” noted Burt as we waited our turn to zip across to the next vantage point. “What John Walker and Bonsai Design have built for us is a world-class canopy tour.”

The technology behind these excursions, she said, originated in Costa Rica as a way for biologists to study the ecosystem that thrives high off the forest floor. Wanting to observe nature without disturbing it, Navitat opted for the most tree-friendly system possible. “The course is built to protect the trees,” Burt explained. “We go to great lengths to make sure the trees can grow and breathe and move the entire time we are here. If we should live here for 20 years and operate this tour, we hope that when we leave they’ll feel relatively untouched — and that’s important to us.”

The tour’s 10 zip lines explore various portions of the 242-acre forest; along the way, visitors experience other diversions as well, each affording a unique perspective. Two sky bridges provide a close-up look at some of the more unusual trees; a brief hike along the forest floor allows a more grounded perspective; there’s even a series of rappels from the platforms.

“When you come to visit Navitat, what you’ll see is a place where you get to know the environment; we feel like the trees are letting us into their space,” said Burt. “We’ve kind of let nature dictate where we go instead of coming in and dictating where we want it to go.”

The result is an eco-friendly playground full of fast rides, high adventure and an unparalleled experience of Southern Appalachian forest.

Navitat Canopy Adventures will hold its grand opening Saturday, May 15. The company is offering special prices this month, as well as ongoing discounts for Western North Carolina residents. For more information, visit http://www.Navitat.com.

[Freelance writer and adventure-sports videographer Eric Crews spends his time roaming the forests between Boone and Asheville. Photos by Eric Crews.]

{ 0 comments }

Asheville filmmaker Kurt Mann directs new Navitat video

navitat canopy adventures from Navitat Canopy Adventures on Vimeo.

We are so excited about our new Navitat promotional video. It was shot, directed, and edited by Kurt Mann of American Green TV. Watch and tell us what you think!

{ 0 comments }

Navitat Zip Line Adventure appears on WLOS ABC 13

Navitat WLOS Adventure

Through the Trees ...


Karen Wynne, reporter for WLOS ABC 13, came out over the weekend to try out our canopy adventure. Watch as she flies through the trees. Just remember, you should be next! For more on the story, head to: WLOS ABC 13.

{ 0 comments }

Constructing a Zip Line in Asheville, NC – The Navitat Way

Before you can whizz through the trees on an exciting Asheville Treetop adventure; the zip lines have to be erected. In this video, owner John Walker explains the process…Ballistics?!! Who knew?

Watch as he fires a line gun, one of the first steps in constructing a zip line. Pretty crazy business! We’re glad this portion of the build is long-since over, as we love the peace and quiet of our home, Moody Cove.

In the next post, learn a little bit more about how and why John selected certain trees to be a part of the Navitat canopy tour experience.

For tour information, rates, and hours of operation – Navitat Canopy Adventures

{ 0 comments }

So, what’s Navitat really like?

Navitat Managing PartnersAs we’ve begun this adventure, we’re sometimes asked: “What makes Navitat different?” For those of us closest to this project, it seems obvious; it starts with intention… with heart. But it’s also so much more than that. Planning. Expertise. Inspiration. These all play a part.

When Ken Stamps went looking for the perfect home for Navitat Canopy Adventures, he searched more than 300 properties before finding Moody Cove. He found a site, unmatched by others in the industry, that truly inspires. He found a place that we can’t wait to share. And as an added bonus, it’s just 20 minutes north of Asheville.

John Walker, Navitat partner, and owner of and chief designer for Bonsai Design, Inc., created a canopy tour that he describes as “world-class” and “state-of-the-art.”  In Moody Cove, he built a 100-percent tree-based work of art, and we all get to experience, enjoy, and share it. Lucky us!

Navitat is unique in that industry professionals make up the core of our management team, with extensive prior-experience on other Bonsai Design-built courses throughout the country. When you visit Navitat, you’re in great hands.

Industry-accredited experts train all of our Canopy Guides, and all Guides are required to participate in a continual training program throughout the duration of their employment. The word on the inside is that we’ve got something special going on at Navitat. Experienced guides from Alaska, Oregon and Colorado have relocated to begin this adventure with us. And, of course, a bunch of local folks are “learning the ropes” as we speak… Our team is second none, and we can’t wait to meet you!

So what’s Navitat really like? Join us during our 2010 season, and find out for yourself. We’re so excited to hear all you have to say!

{ 1 comment }

Learning more about our home, Moody Cove

When we say that Moody Cove is special, it’s not just a gimmick… we mean it. Ken Stamps, Navitat’s managing partner, looked at over 300 properties before settling on Moody Cove as Navitat’s home. So, how did he know that this spot was “the one,” that Moody Cove was meant to be Navitat’s home? There were several reasons, actually.

Number one, the natural beauty of Moody Cove’s secluded, 240-acres is breathtaking. Made up of steep, towering ridges offering breath-taking views (that make for one awesome canopy tour!) Moody Cove really is a unique spot. And, the more we’ve learned about the plants and animals that also call it home, the more we appreciate that natural beauty. Last Sunday, the entire Navitat management crew spent the day with Sarah Marcinko, our Plant Ecologist from Equinox Environmental. Each time Sarah is with us, she helps us discover more fascinating reasons to preserve and share this special place. On Sunday, we learned about an extensive wetland area in Moody Cove that Sarah tells us is unique, and likely a significant find, in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Most wetland areas in WNC were drained to create fertile farmland, but ours remains, and with it, a host of plants and wetland creatures. One of the sky-bridges on the course offers great views of this area.

As for the second reason Ken knew Moody Cove was Navitat’s home, well, he loved that Moody Cove had such a rich history. Being a good neighbor is important to all of us at Navitat, and we were thrilled to be able to start with a site that already had lots of ties to the local community. The McDarris family, who still owns the property, requested that Navitat specifically preserve several special elements on-site. We’re happy to do so, and we love that our home still has stories from years past and fond memories for those in the area. The chestnut grove planted by Charles McDarris’s dad still grows alongside our new parking area, and “Picnic Rock” awaits youngsters with lunch-spreads. And we’re still hoping to find Judge McDarris’ lost wedding ring along the “old road” one day!

We’re not the only ones who think Moody Cove is a special place, and we’re confident you’ll feel it the moment you visit. Completely secluded. Tucked away from the distractions of the outside world. Peaceful. Full of life. Our Barnardsville neighbors know what we’re talking about; they knowingly smile as we talk about what an awesome home we’ve found.

{ 0 comments }

Navitat Guides in the Trees

Thirty of the Asheville area’s finest will soon be zipping for a living. Yep, training for Navitat’s Canopy Guides officially began Monday, April 19. It’s pretty great to spend your days in the trees, and we’re training our crew to be the best in the industry. From safety to interpretive programming to customer service… it’s going to be an exciting (and very busy) few weeks before the big opening day!

Once  finished with training, we’re confident that our guides will be the best in the business.They’ll each have completed 50-70+ hours of rigorous training, passed a written and practical test and be certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED use. Since all of our training is done by certified industry professionals with years of experience, they’ll be learning good habits and best practices from the experts.

Once we open, guides will spend most of their time with the groups of eight guests that they’ll accompany on each tour. From introductions and orientation at the Welcome Center to gearing up and ground training, Canopy Guides are a huge part of the Navitat experience.

At Navitat, we’re dedicated to making sure you’re always in good hands, so we also require our guides to engage in on-going training. With a maximum of eight people on each tour, there will always be plenty of time for one on one training or questions. Our guides love what they do, and can’t wait to spend some time teaching you to love it too.

{ 0 comments }

Why “Navitat”?

Navitat Canopy Adventure tours were originally developed in Costa Rica, where locals and tourists soared through endless rain forests and explored the country’s rich environment. It’s an amazing way to view nature and a transcendent experience for many of the adventurers who experience it.

The name of our company, Navitat, combines two important words: habitat and navigation. Both of those words are always on our minds, as they relate to our passion of sustaining our environment and navigating our adventure tours alongside it. From the instant you visit our new Welcome Center, which features many sustainable design features, you’ll see what we mean. It’s designed to recall traditional local barn architecture, and utilizes salvaged lumber from an old barn found on the property.

Our commitment to sustainability continued throughout the design of the entire course, which fits naturally into the environment. Running throughout forests, alongside burbling mountain streams and across peaceful valleys, the course was quite challenging to create. Bonsai Design Inc, one of leading canopy tour design companies in the world, was up to the challenge. It took Bonsai Design (founded by John Walker, who is also a partner in Navitat) one and a half months to design this awe-inspiring course, despite their previous experience with canopy tours in Alaska, California, Texas, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada.

The large site and complex design work involved in the Navitat Asheville course will result in incredible opportunities for adventure. When complete, Navitat will feature 10 zip lines, 6 sky bridges and at least one rappel. The sky bridges will be allow for fantastic views of the valley stream, and on several of the zips you’ll have views of the distant mountains as far away as 5 to 10 miles. On our 5th zip line, you’ll feel as if you’re flying across the valley like a bird!

{ 0 comments }

Flora & Fauna at Moody Cove

Moody Cove’s rich history isn’t the only reason we decided it was just right for Navitat. The rest of the decision, as you can imagine for a canopy adventures company, was based on Moody Cove’s dense forests and other environmental features.

98% of Moody Cove is densely forested and contains some of the largest trees in the area, including White Oak, Red Oak, Chestnut Oak, Tulip Poplar, Chestnut, Eastern Hemlock, Yellow Birch, Pignut Hickory, Red Maple, Flowering Dogwood, Sourwood, Black Locust, White Pine, Sugar Maple, Black Walnut and Sycamore trees. From Moody Cove’s highest elevation (at 3,600 feet), you can see Razor Mountain, Tharp Mountain, and Coxcomb Mountain. The elevation of the terrain changes by 1,200 feet over the property, and its lowest point, called Moody Gap, is on an old trail that Native Americans used to travel between Buncombe and Madison counties.

Soaring throughout Moody Cove on a zipline adventure gives you a birds-eye view of all this, plus some of the creatures we share the Cove with. We’ve seen evidence of several bears in the area, and have happened across many turtles and snakes. One of our owner’s sons spied a Black Rat Snake one day and got a little bit too close, earning a bite on the tip of his nose! (No lasting damage was suffered.) If you’re a bird-watcher, you’ll be excited to try and spot all of the different birds we’ve observed here. So far, the list includes Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Wild Turkeys, Eastern Towhees, White-eyed Vireos, and Hooded Warblers.

One common animal we actually haven’t seen much of is the squirrel. Despite that, we’ve made it our official mascot. Check our blog often, because we’ll be announcing details of a contest to name our squirrel mascot soon!

{ 0 comments }

Moody Cove History

With a background that could qualify for a feature on the History Channel and the incredible natural beauty that the Asheville area is known for, Moody Cove is the perfect home for Navitat. We studied over 300 individual sites in Buncombe County and Henderson County before settling on Moody Cove, whose history includes Native American trails, a family split by the Civil War, panning for gold and even illegal moonshine arrests.

Navitat’s land is leased from Charles McDarris, whose family has owned the property for over 150 years. During the Civil War, the family living at Moody Cove was divided, with two sons fighting for the Union, and two sons fighting for the Confederacy. Their father, distraught over the absence of his sons, joined the Confederacy as a chaplain to try to be closer to them.  Amazingly, all 5 survived the war and returned home. After the war, the property was divided and sold outside of the family. In the 1950’s, one of those buyers began producing illegal moonshine at Moody Cove, which resulted in local law enforcement attention and several arrests. Once the moonshine sills were shut down, Moody Cove returned to the calm, beautiful spot it had always been. At that time, McDarris’ father, a prominent district court judge in western Carolina, began to reassemble the property. Judge McDarris finally purchased the original tract of land in the 1970’s, putting all of Moody Cove back in his family’s hands and ensuring that it would never again be a home for illegal liquor production.

After falling in love with the property and our visions of zip line adventures that could be built, we came to an agreement with Charles McDarris to lease the land. Since then, the final occupant (a very ill-tempered horse) has moved to greener pastures and one of our founders has moved in. To oversee work on the zip lines, John Walker and his dog Fern have temporarily taken up residence in an Airstream trailer on-site. When we’re done, we’ll have 10 zip lines, 6 sky bridges, and at least one rappel course. We can’t wait to introduce our new visitors to the natural beauty of Moody Cove.

{ 0 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →