The Roanoker - July/August 2021 - 78
" The energy out [at Wilderness Adventure]
has always been amazing... This has been
one of the biggest gifts of my life. "
The pandemic wiped an entire season's
reservations off the books. WAEL was
forced to let every employee go. With
no money coming in, the Nervos, who
have owned Wilderness Adventure as
a family operation since its inception,
couldn't pay the mortgage or keep the
lights on.
Slowly, Eshelman and Jamie Nervo,
connected to this land since her father
bought it in 1990, felt their way forward.
They created a campground out of
a forgotten field. They tapped into a
market of cooped-up city folks looking
to safely vacation by putting sites and
cabins on Hipcamp and Airbnb. And
they reached out to the larger Roanoke
community like never before.
The result? A getaway with a feel-good
vibe that encourages all who show up to
leave their worries in the parking lot and
let the balm of nature feed their souls.
Until last year, Wilderness Adventure
had always been inextricably linked to
one larger-than-life man.
Col. Eugene Nervo served for 33
years as a Marine. He and his wife,
Patricia, raised seven children in military
bases across the globe.
Through it all, Nervo dreamed of
finding a patch of trees and fields,
cliffs and creeks to shape into a place
where adventure and nature would build
children's character and self-confidence.
In 1990, Nervo, then 50, began
bringing his vision to life. He - with
Patricia and several of his kids -
cleared land and built cabins, he bought
backpacks and mess kits and life jackets.
He hired young people to lead hiking
trips into the adjacent Jefferson National
Forest. Then he advertised his concept -
a program more rugged and outdoorsfocused
than most at the time - across
the US. The campers came. They - and
78 JULY/AUGUST 2021
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COURTESY OF WILDERNESS ADVENTURE AT EAGLE LANDING
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The Roanoker - July/August 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - July/August 2021
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