Group travel and corporate retreats hit Blue Ridge

They came from afar, from a world of stress. Early morning and late nights; high-powered meetings to determine the fate of dollar signs and numbers followed by several zeros, or the fate of someone’s future with the company. “I need a decision on this,” “Get me that report by Monday.” At some point, they decided they needed to get away from the office, clear their minds, and slow down the pace to regain their objectivity. Right then, at that moment, this corporate retreat in Blue Ridge was born.

It’s not that they were totally tuned out. It’s just that fishing has a way of softening the passing minutes and hours. Most of them play golf as a form of escape, but golf presents an inherent pressure to succeed. Fishing consists of hope mixed with a touch of skill and a lot of fate. And, even though some adrenaline might be triggered, pressure is not a part of an angler’s vocabulary.

The Crooked Creek Cabin stood gallantly above and behind the group of “suits” as they stepped into the cold, rushing water in their new uniforms - waders. They stepped gently as they discovered the contours of this beautiful creek that meandered along National Forest Land outside of Morganton, Georgia.

Stalking their yet unseen prey, they began preparing their fly-fishing gear and began casting the alluring flies inches above the water’s surface. They could not see what was happening below. But, I have seen this spectacle: The fly catches the trouts’ eyes on first pass, the dominant fish quickly position themselves for the meal, chasing off any younger, smaller fish who have broken rank. When the fly returns and rests atop the flowing water, helpless, the trout shoot to the surface and bend, mouths wide open, to capture the prey before it releases from the watery trap. The unsuccessful fish return to their position in rank, while the victorious fish begins its fight to release the surprisingly feisty fly.

“Got One!” declares one of the intruders, as he pulls back firmly on his fly rod. He reels and lets out a yelp, “yeeehoo.” Soon, he has the 14” Rainbow Trout in his hands and quickly extracts the well-buried fly hook from the inner mouth of the beautiful animal. He holds it up to show one of his coworkers, with a full-faced grin. He bends down, lowering the trout back into the water, moving him side to side, and the powerful fish swims away to rejoin the head of the school, a bit stressed, but mostly unharmed.

As we get more and more of these corporate groups, corporate retreats, family reunions, etc., we’ve begun to see the real value in bringing in groups who are typically interacting in a much more stressful environment, or are separated from each other by distance, or circumstance. Something about gathering together in such a beautiful, peaceful setting, eating good food, passing the hours in bliss, retiring to luxury mountain homes and lighting fires, or hitting the hot tub, sipping wine and taking in the smell of pine trees…has a palpable impact on the human soul. It improves the relationships these people have with each other. In great part, it eliminates the excuses for not getting to know each other on a more personal level; for maintaining professional barriers that have undermined a spirit of teamwork; for holding back your expressions of joy in your life and allowing others to see you joyful.

When they come, there’s always common ground to be discovered. When they’re here, everyone agrees on at least one thing – they’d rather be here than where they were.