Nathan Roark
Executive Director
Nathan has been learning from the Southern Appalachians since he was a boy and teaching professionally in these mountains for over twenty years. He has worked as a private outdoor educator, teaching at many types of scholastic facilities, public & private organizations, and educational workshops. He has been involved as a leader (from small groups to directing whole programs) in many outdoor education programs, including Medicine Bow Wilderness School (Dahlonega, GA), Eagle’s Nest Foundation (Brevard, NC), Hampshire College Outdoor Programs (Amherst, MA), and Turtle Island Preserve (Boone, NC), before starting Buffalo Cove in 2001.
He is a diligent student of the history of the Blue Ridge and has a degree in American Indian Studies, his specialty being the history and lessons of the Cherokee Nation. Nathan first began his training in Wilderness Medicine in 1993 and still maintains his certification as a Wilderness First Responder. He has been a dedicated student of Martial Arts for many years and is a Master Instructor at the Blue Ridge Kung Fu Arnis Academy.
Whether strolling on a nature hike, paddling a roaring white water river, or disappearing into the woods for a week with only a knife, you’ll find Nathan there both as a patient, veteran instructor, and avid student. It has become his life’s work to help others see the beauty and wisdom in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and the strength that we all possess within ourselves.