Geology & Adventure June 21 – 26
Registration Details:
- Program Dates: June 21 - 26, 2026
- Cost: $1,840
- Eligibility: Open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
- Tuition Includes: Lodging, meals, course materials, activities, and excursions
- Housing & Dining: Students reside in campus residence hall and dine in campus dining hall
- Deposit & Payment: A $500 deposit is required at registration, with the remaining balance due by May 1, 2026. After that date, full payment is required upon registration. Click here to view our cancellation policy.
- Enrollment: Open until all spaces are filled
- Registration: Registration is through the Camp Doc platform. Detailed step-by-step registration instructions are available here.
Geology, Climbing & Caving Adventure
Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!
Program Topics
- Geologic Background: Geologic history of the Southern Appalachians, landslides, earthquakes, cave systems
- Field Skills: Basic rock and mineral identification, navigation and maps, making field observations to understand the geologic history
- Adventure/Outdoor Skills: Leave-no-trace ethics and outdoor stewardship, hiking and group management, rock climbing and rappelling skills, spelunking skills
- Social topics: Building positive community, developing a sense of place/place attachment, reflecting personally on their role in and interactions with the natural world
Hands on Learning
- Hiking
- Rock climbing and rappelling
- Spelunking skills
- Basic rock and mineral identification
- Navigation and map reading
- Field observations to understand the geologic history
Sample Schedule:
| Morning | 8 a.m. – Breakfast 9 a.m. – Rock and mineral identification 12 p.m. – Lunch & free time |
| Afternoon | 1 p.m. – Rock climbing and rappelling |
| Evening | 5 p.m. – Dinner 6:30 p.m. – Activities / Recreation / Free Time Options could include: sand volleyball, Asheville Tourists game, game night, movie 11 p.m. – Lights out |
Meet Your Faculty
Dr. Jackie Langille teaches courses in Structural and Field Geology, Geographic Information Systems [GIS], Physical Geology, Environmental Geology, and Field Geology. She is particularly interested in deformation at depth in the Earth’s crust and at the surface, as this information is critical for understanding regional tectonics. She incorporates geologic mapping of bedrock and structures, geomorphic field mapping and modeling, GIS, kinematic analysis, microstructural analysis, metamorphic petrology, and geochronology to evaluate the development and evolution of fault systems and shear zones in the Himalaya, the Appalachians, and the Walker Lane in Nevada.
Questions? Please contact us at precollege@unca.edu.