Safety & Standards

Who Leads Your Kids

Every Dogwood Mountain School outing is led by Garrett Price, a NOLS-trained outdoor professional with Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification, former EMT credentials, and sixteen years of high-level rock climbing — including as a USA Climbing Level 2 Coach. Garrett led real wilderness expeditions as a climbing academy coach, managing groups in alpine terrain, technical climbing environments, and multi-day backcountry trips.

He is currently pursuing AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) certification to deepen his credentials in outdoor climbing instruction.

Instructor Sophie grew up climbing from age nine, coached competitive youth climbers while at Yale, and spent two years traveling as a climbing coach and Literature teacher for The Climbing Academy. She is one of the two staff on every outing.

Every Dogwood Mountain School guide is selected for outdoor competence, judgment, and the ability to earn a kid's trust.

Ratios & Supervision

Dogwood Mountain School uses small-group, instructor-led supervision for climbing, hiking, and mountain recreation. Written procedures for attendance and head counts, authorized pickup, climbing and bouldering safety, hiking, equipment inspection, weather, emergency response, first aid, behavior, off-site activities, and transportation are being completed before participant transportation and the first outing.

• Group size: up to 14 kids
• Staff: two trained adults on every outing

The two-adult rule is in effect at all times — no child is ever one-on-one with a single staff member. We use a buddy-pair system and conduct a headcount at every transition (arrival, trail departure, snack, trail return, pickup).

Staff Screening

All Dogwood Mountain School staff undergo background checks prior to hire.

We also check references, verify outdoor experience, and require demonstrated competence working with children. Every guide is evaluated in the field before leading a group independently.

Medical & Emergency

At least one WFR-certified staff member is present on every outing, trained to manage medical emergencies in a backcountry setting — from minor blisters to serious trauma — with little to no support nearby.

Every venue has a site-specific Emergency Action Plan (EAP) that covers evacuation routes, communication protocols, and the nearest medical facilities. Guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit, satellite communication device, and offline maps.

Medical history and consent forms are collected from every family at enrollment and carried by the lead guide on every outing.

Land & Legal

Dogwood Mountain School operates under commercial use permits on public and private lands.

Permit applications are in progress with Tennessee State Parks and local land managers around Chattanooga.

Rocktown Climbing LLC d/b/a Dogwood Mountain School is the legal operator, registered in Tennessee.

Full liability insurance will be in place before our first outing.

Communication

Travel days are often outside cell service, so we cannot send live updates during the outing. We share photos after we are back in range.

Every child is signed out at pickup to an ID-checked authorized adult. No exceptions.

Pickup is at Dogwood Climbing at 4:00 PM. If you're running late, call the lead guide directly.

Transportation & Off-Site Days

Dogwood Climbing in Dayton, Tennessee is the meeting, drop-off, and pickup location. On some days, participants may travel as a group to an outdoor climbing area, trail, forest, park, creek, or waterfall, then return to basecamp before pickup.

Parent authorization, driver and vehicle requirements, insurance, passenger rosters, seat-belt procedures, head counts, and emergency procedures will be in place before any participant transportation begins. Activities may be modified, relocated, postponed, or cancelled when weather, access, or other conditions make the plan inappropriate.

Weather Policy

Every outing has a lower-elevation or sheltered backup venue that avoids the worst weather while still delivering a great afternoon outdoors.

The go / convert decision is made the morning of each outing. Parents receive a text confirming the plan or announcing the alternate venue.

When conditions are unsafe, Dogwood may modify the day's location or activities. If Dogwood must cancel a full program day, we will first attempt to provide a make-up day.

Read the Cancellation & Refund Policy