Dan Chase

Dan Chase
Field Instructor

Dan Chase grew up hiking, camping, jumping from boulders into swimming holes, and catching salamanders around his hometown of Boone, NC.

He strengthened his appreciation for wild places, creatures, and plants as a camper at the Green River Preserve, a natural science summer camp near Brevard. Dan later joined the teaching staff there and at other camps from Texas to Connecticut.

Along the way, Dan earned his bachelor’s degree at UNC-Chapel Hill and his Master of Arts in Teaching at Western Carolina University. He has dedicated the past twenty-one years to a career as a middle- and high-school math teacher in Asheville.

As an adult, Dan discovered the joys of fishing and hunting in North Carolina’s incredible public lands and waters, activities that require intimate connections with and knowledge of animals and plants in their natural environment. This fostered a more eye-level relationship with the local ecosystem and renewed Dan’s sense of belonging in the outdoors.

The draw to get more people outside and to become an active member of the natural community pulled Dan into the woods as a full-time outdoor educator and guide in 2022.

He lives in Asheville with his wife and two daughters. They all enjoy watching the local birds, bears, and bobcats, and they try to keep some gardened and foraged food on their plates.