Meet Karabeth Savage
Karabeth Savage, a senior majoring in biology with a concentration in ecology, loves the great outdoors. A Venture Outdoor Leadership student leader, Savage holds a University professional internship position with the organization. But like Savage’s favorite hikes, their path to Charlotte was full of peaks, valleys and unexpected discoveries.
Savage was born in Cooleemee, North Carolina, a small mill town where family history was displayed at the local museum, where they worked part time. Savage was kept out of the woods for much of their childhood due to a severe allergy to poison ivy. However, this obstacle inspired a curiosity of the outdoors that eventually grew into a passion for hiking, ecology and mushroom foraging.
After high school, Savage tried college, but it didn’t work out, due in part to a lack of community. From there, they worked as a cake decorator and then at a church before joining UNC Charlotte at the age of 32. Savage talks about the value and community they gained from Venture Outdoor Leadership and why the rest of Niner Nation should get involved.
In your own words, how would you describe Venture Outdoor Leadership to a friend?
Honestly, I’d say it’s the best thing that I’ve done for myself, coming back to school. I feel like if I had something similar to Venture when I went to school the first time, I might have been more successful. Everyone’s got your best interest at heart, and we’re all working toward a common goal of bettering ourselves. If you’re a student coming to participate with Venture, it’s a great opportunity to try something different in a safe environment.
Take me back to growing up in a small town and being a part of the historical society. Was there a lot of crossover being outdoors and connecting to nature in that way?
They did quite a bit of archaeology while I was growing up. The Archaeology Department from NC State did two different digs around my town when I was younger. One was at an old cemetery. They came and laid out the grid, and each of us was assigned one to excavate. Getting that hands-on experience, especially as an elementary school kid, was great. I don’t feel like a lot of people get that. I still have a button that I found during that excavation. The archaeologists cataloged it and took pictures but let me keep it.
You mentioned your love for hiking. What are some of the most fun hikes you’ve done in your life and why do you enjoy it so much?
I really love Grandfather Mountain. It’s a little newer. I lived there in 2009, right after I graduated high school, and the trails weren’t there at Grandfather, so when I went back last fall, there were a lot of new trails. I’m also a big fan of Hanging Rock State Park toward the Virginia border. That’s where I started doing most of my hiking. I’d recommend the fire tower hike and then the hike up to the Hanging Rock for some great views.
What I love most about hiking is that it’s not just about the destination. Take caving, for example. You can’t start caving until you get into the cave. You can’t start rock climbing until you get to the rock base. Both of those activities involve hiking to get there. Also, with my interest in ecology and the environment, there’s so much to see on a hike. I am an amateur mushroom forager, so I practice identifying mushrooms when I hike. Hiking allows you to take it slower and appreciate what you’re looking at.
Tell me about the hiking experiences you’ve had with Venture, and what have those experiences been like for you?
I will say I’ve had some of my most difficult hiking experiences with Venture. It is different hiking with a group as opposed to just going by myself. I appreciate that Venture, even if we’re just going on a day hike, will take equipment and teach people how to navigate with a map and a compass. Learning to take compass bearings and figure out where you are from the landscape is really exciting. I think that’s been really good practice, and also something that I don’t think I would have ever learned on my own.
We like to stray from technology at Venture. We encourage participants to leave their phones at home. It leads to really good conversations, especially on day hikes. We’ll get a lot of international students who come with us, and getting to hear their stories is really interesting. We take question cards with us in the Venture van to spark connections between participants. But usually, after 10 minutes, it’s just evolved into a conversation, and nobody’s using the cards anymore.
What is the most valuable thing people can get out of Venture Outdoor Leadership?
One of the biggest things that I’ve gotten out of it was the community. I was 32 when I started at UNC Charlotte, and I was worried because I was older than everybody, and I didn’t know if I would fit in. But at Venture, everyone fits in. We love having an open community that everybody can fit into.
My public speaking and teamwork have gotten a lot better. You get an opportunity to work with all kinds of people and groups. There’s lots of problem-solving and learning how to work on the fly. When you’re out in the backcountry on a trip, no matter how well you plan, something’s not going to go according to plan. Learning to roll with things when they happen, make the best of what you have and get through with what you’ve got — I think that’s really valuable.
Given your background, what sort of advice would you have for people in your position who are looking to continue college but in a nontraditional way?
Do it scared. I was apprehensive about coming back to school, especially being in my 30s and being with a bunch of younger students. I was anxious about the work-life balance and being able to have a job, pay rent and still get all my school work done. My advice is do it scared and then find your people. Find that community. I feel like having a community with Venture has made a really big difference for me coming back to school.
