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* Strenuous Level of Difficulty: denotes backpacking trips on established but rugged, unmaintained trails with multi-day backpacks (30-40 pounds). The hiking can be steep and sustained with long daily distances (up to 9 miles) and significant elevation change (up to 4,000 feet). You should be comfortable running/biking/hiking for several hours without many breaks.

Introduction Leaders know that change simultaneously represents opportunities and challenges. This trip explores the dynamic aspects of change in both our personal and professional lives, and encourages participants to embrace the continual nature of change as a strategic advantage. telos’ powerful development methodology combines themes central to leaders of all kinds, while uniquely combining the individual goals expressed by each participant prior to each trip. Themes that are common to all telos leadership ventures include the following: • Exploring self-leadership • Crafting your personal charter • Developing your leadership signature • Leveraging group dynamics • Incorporating mindfulness as a tactical advantage • Identifying and challenging your self-imposed

limitations • Using systems thinking as a strategic advantage • Igniting transformational change

Trip Type: backpacking

Physical Difficulty: 4 (strenuous*)

Length: 5 days (4 days on the trail and 1/2 day of community building and professional development in Asheville)

Hiking Mileage: 26+ miles

Group Size: maximum 8, including facilitators and backcountry guide(s)

Meeting Time & Place: 3pm on May 3 at Hill House, 120 Hillside Street, Asheville, NC

Trip Conclusion: return to Asheville by approximately 4 pm on May 7th; group dinner at 7 pm to conclude program

Trip Cost: $5,525

Trip Fees Include: 4 coaching sessions; on-line leadership assessment and individual report; pre-trip exercises and activities to help you prepare for your telos leadership venture; community building activities both before and during the trip; personal and professional development tools, content, and resources before, during and after the trip.

Trip fees also include transportation to / from trail head, hotel accommodations at Hill House May 3rd, and 7th, park entrance fees, permits, essential trip gear (see list on page 3), food (dinner May 3rd through dinner May 7th), professional guide, and tip for guide.

Offered in partnership with The Wildland Trekking Company, LLC

telos leadership ventures

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

May 3 - 8, 2015 Asheville, North Carolina

Hiking Itinerary The Great Smoky Mountains are an icon of Appalachian Mountain culture stretching back to the late 18th century. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934 to preserve this naturally and culturally significant mountain landscape. The park’s beauty is underscored by its exceptional biodiversity: it is home to as many tree species as are found in all of Europe (130 native species), it preserves the largest virgin old-growth eastern hardwood forest, and it possesses the greatest variety of salamanders in the world. The park’s magnificent forests, endless ridges, high peaks, cascades and waterfalls, wildlife, and clear mountain streams make it a hiker’s paradise. Day 1 Shuttle to Big Creek Ranger Station: 1-hour drive Mileage: 5.3 miles Elevation Gain: 1,250 feet We'll depart the Big Creek Campground and soon start to enjoy creek views and cascades before passing the “Midnight Hole” swimming area (photo below) and Mouse Creek Falls, a beautiful cascading waterfall right off the trail. After these falls the trail gets quieter as we pass historic logging sites on our way to the old logging camp of Lower Walnut Bottoms. Here we’ll make camp adjacent to the waters of Big Creek.

Day 2 Mileage: 8.4 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,970 feet We’ll depart camp with just daypacks and head up the Low Gap Trail. This historic trail takes us by old agricultural sites and the Dan Gunter homesite on our way to the Appalachian Trail. Here we turn North on this legendary trail; our destination is the Mount Cammerer Fire Tower with arguably the best views in the park. This tower, the only rock one of it's kind in the park, was built by the CCC in the 1930's. We’ll eat lunch at the lookout and drink in the views before heading back to our base camp at Lower Walnut Bottoms.

Day 3 Mileage: 5.8 miles Elevation Gain: 2,820 feet We’ll ease into day 3 with some lovely creekside walking on the Swallow Fork Trail. Soon we leave the creek and climb up to Pretty Hollow Gap and our junction with the Mount Sterling Ridge Trail. Historic homesteads and evidence of very early logging operations will fuel our conversation. Once on the Mount Sterling Ridge Trail, we’ll hike through beautiful spruce/fir forests leading to the Mount Sterling summit and Fire Tower. Here we get sweeping views of the Smokies Crest and especially Mount Guyot, the park’s 2nd highest peak. The night’s camp is the highest in the park at 5,820 feet, right at the base of Mount Sterling (below photo).

Day 4 Mileage: 6.1 miles Elevation Loss: 4,070 feet Shuttle to Asheville: 1-hour drive The last day of our Smoky Mountain adventure starts with another nutritious breakfast prepared by your guide. Afterward, we’ll start down the Baxter Creek Trail through virgin forests with large trees, rock outcroppings and eventually Baxter Creek itself. The unique biodiversity of the Smokies’ waterways are a delight for the senses. Our hike concludes at the Big Creek Ranger Station. A short drive will bring us back to our starting point in Asheville, NC and the end of an outstanding Appalachian hiking experience! Trip itinerary note... all trips are subject to itinerary changes based on a variety of circumstances, including, but not limited to permit availability, extreme weather, and forest fires. The price and duration of a trip will never change once you’re registered. Payments are not refundable based on itinerary changes, only on cancellations.

Transportation This trip begins and ends in Asheville, North Carolina. Travel to and from Asheville, NC is not included in the cost of our trips. Please plan on arriving in Asheville by 4pm on Sunday, May 3rd. From Asheville Airport: The Asheville Airport Shuttle (http://www.ashevilleairportshuttle.com/, 1-828-231-1053) runs shuttles to and from downtown. Also a number of taxis are usually available on the curb in the Arrivals area. Car Rentals: Avis: 800-331-1212 Alamo: 800-327-9633 Hertz: 800-654- 3131 National: 800-227-736 Thrifty: 800-367-2277 Gear What We Provide We provide top-of-the-line backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, trekking poles, stoves, cookware, bowls, cups and utensils. We also carry field guides and quality binoculars for the natural history buff. What You Need To Bring The following items are required for your trip unless otherwise noted. They are a must for your safety and comfort. When shopping, think layered clothing systems that work together. • Sturdy Hiking boots, mid weight, lug-soled, above the

ankle, waterproof and ideally well broken in Important note: Buy your boots 1/2 size to 1 size larger than your street shoes to allow for feet swelling and thicker socks

• Lightweight closed-toed sandals or shoes, to use for creek crossings and camp shoes

• Hiking socks, one pair for every two days of your trip, plus an extra pair to sleep in. Recommended brands include Bridgedale®, Smartwool®, or similar padded socks (wearing thin liner socks under your hiking socks is highly recommended). No cotton socks!!

• Sunhat or baseball cap and bandana • Warm hat and gloves, sherpa style hat and light-to-mid

weight fleece or wool gloves (October – April) • Long underwear, one pair of wicking tops and bottoms

that are light-to midweight, example materials include capilene, merino wool, polypropylene, etc. (October – April)

• Breathable T-shirt or nylon travel shirt, 2 for hiking • Warm top, mid-weight shirt, sweater or pullover,

composed of wicking material such as merino wool, fleece or polypropylene

• Fleece jacket or insulated coat, warm, lightweight and packable fleece jacket or coat insulated with a synthetic material (October – April)

• Nylon pants and shorts, or zip-offs

• Bathing suit • Fleece pants (November - March) • Rainproof jacket and pant - Waterproof/breathable

jacket and pant such as Gore-Tex® or coated nylon - with the pants look for side leg zippers or a style that will allow you to remove them without removing your boots

• Water bottles or bladder, 2 liters total capacity • Camp pillow, lightweight, packable camp pillow

(optional) • Contact lenses and glasses if you wear contact lenses

please also bring a pair of glasses - your contacts are likely to become dirty and may be difficult to clean

• Sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm • Bug repellent, preferably a product containing at least

25% “DEET” (some people are sensitive to this product) • Toiletries, and a small washcloth in stuff sack (bandana

can serve as a washcloth) • Headlamp, spare batteries (preferably an L.E.D. type

that works with AA or AAA batteries) • Camera, spare batteries (optional) • Notebook or paperback book, (optional) • Knee braces, if needed • Prescription medicine, please inform your trip leader of

any medications you are taking • Vitamins, (optional)

Important note: Please, no cotton hiking clothes with the possible exception of a t-shirt, and feel free to call us if you have any questions.

Payment Policy Reserve your spot A payment of $500 is necessary to confirm your spot by March 1st, 2015. Balance Your balance is due by April 15th, 2015. Remittance Please make all checks payable to: telos 9905 Auburn Rd. Chardon, OH 44024 For credit card payments, please contact Amy for a PayPal invoice: amy@thetelosinstitute.com or 419.202.2653

Cancellation Policy the telos institute reserves the right to cancel any trip because of inadequate sign-up or other causes that make it infeasible for the scheduling of the trip. If this is the case, we will inform you at least 30 days prior to departure and a full refund of the advertised trip cost will be given, including the deposit. Neither the telos institute nor The Wildland Trekking Company are responsible for additional expenses incurred by preparing for the trip (for example: non-refundable advance purchase air tickets, clothing, equipment, visa fees, medical expenses, etc.). If you cancel or leave a trip for any reason: - 60 or more days prior to the trip start date, we will grant you a full refund, less a $100 administrative fee. - Between 59 and 30 days prior to the trip start date, we will retain 25 percent of the trip cost. - Between 29 and 15 days prior to the trip start date, we will retain 75 percent of the trip cost. - Less than 15 days prior to the trip start date, or once the trip has begun, there will be no refund. Transfer Policy If you transfer from one trip to another: - 30 or more days prior to the trip start date, there will be a $25 processing fee. - Less than 29 days prior to the trip start date, regular cancellation and refund policies will apply. Trip Insurance For your protection, we strongly recommend the purchase of trip insurance. It will protect you against financial loss in the event of trip cancellation or interruption, medical expenses, travel delay, emergency evacuation or other circumstances. Medical coverage secured with your policy will also satisfy our requirement for health insurance.