The Roanoker - July/August 2021 - 79

But COVID provided clarity. Either
the family would shake things up or they
would lose everything.
From the pandemic's disruption,
came opportunity. Eshelman and Jamie
Nervo committed to picking up the reins,
following where this moment led, creating
possibility from Wilderness Adventure's
potential.
" I just love this place, " says Jamie, an
artist and business owner who lives in Bent
Mountain. " It feels good to do something
new. "
The two are building on past success.
This summer, nine weeks of camp are
scheduled, with enrollment higher than
in 2019, Eshelman says. Private events
have been booked. Some schools and
businesses traveled to WAEL this spring;
others deferred to a later date.
But there's a flurry of new activity,
those who led them - were changed by their
time in the woods.
" The energy out here has always been
amazing, " says Eshelman, who met her
husband, Pete, at Wilderness Adventure.
They were married there; Pete worked as
director of operations through 2008. They
stayed connected to the place and the Nervo
family through the years. " This has been one
of the biggest gifts of my life, " she says.
There were rough patches and curves
along the way, too. Nervo opened and then
closed a separate outdoor academy for at-risk
kids during the late 1990s. He and his wife
divorced in 2009. Over the last decade, the
Roanoke region began marketing itself as an
outdoor destination, attracting trail runners
and mountain bikers and backpackers in
search of adventure.
By the time Virginia's governor announced
Weekend hangouts, yoga
retreats, backpacking,
and trail biking are just a
few of the many offerings
for campers.
that camps and nonessential travel were
canceled last year, Nervo was 80 years old.
His children had gathered more than once to
discuss what the future of the family business
ought to be.
No one could figure out Wilderness
Adventure without " The Colonel. "
TheRoanoker.com
too. Jamie crafted a labyrinth deep in the
woods from pine straw and moss. A sixmile
loop for bikers and runners is under
construction at the property's perimeter.
Four huts used as staff housing are being
rehabbed as family cabins for rent.
The season kicked off Mother's Day
weekend with a rollicking game of human
foosball, live music Saturday night and a
Sunday morning brunch served on the
lawn, under picture-perfect clouds.
In total, 19 Weekend Hangouts have
been scheduled through the end of
October. Also, a yoga retreat, a bikepacking
event (start in Roanoke, bike to Wilderness
Adventure, eat, play and sleep, then bike
back), and a trail bike ride are set for early
November.
Jamie says she's open to whatever fits.
Themed dinners? Retreats for women?
Trail races? Skills classes?
" In the beginning, we were trying to
think of anything, " she says, as she hikes a
familiar trail to a bluff overlooking Craig
Creek.
She had faith in the land, in her
community, in the value of nature as a
place to grow and heal. Time will tell if
her instincts were right.
But just now, the stage is set, the trails
beckon, the kitchen is open - to everyone.
I
JULY/AUGUST 2021 79
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker - July/August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - July/August 2021
