Bright Shadow launches outdoor retreats for Helene recovery in WNC

Months after Tropical Storm Helene killed 43 people in Buncombe County and left Asheville’s municipal water system disrupted for 53 days, Bright Shadow has launched a grant-funded effort to meet a quieter crisis: the trauma that lingers long after the cleanup crews leave.

The nonprofit’s new WNC Bedrock Initiative is aimed at first responders, public service workers, nonprofit leaders and other community members affected by the storm. Co-founders Chris Gragtmans and Sommerville Johnston said the retreats are meant to give people space to step away from screens, spend time outside and reconnect with one another, with nature and with themselves.

Johnston, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, leads retreat workshops and said the model is not about forcing people to relive what happened. For participants who want it, one-on-one therapy is also available, giving the program a path for people who may not be ready for traditional counseling but still need support. The approach tries to reach people who spent months helping others and never fully processed the strain on their own lives.

Bright Shadow’s roots run back before Helene. Gragtmans began thinking about the organization after working through grief from losing friends to the same rapids that shaped his love of kayaking. Johnston has described Bright Shadow as drawing on Outward Bound, somatic therapy and adventure-program experience, and said it originally began with grief retreats for whitewater kayakers. That background gives the new Helene work a more specific edge than a generic wellness program: it is built around people who already know the outdoors, but are still carrying heavy loss.

The need remains stark in Buncombe County. The county’s after-action report said Helene damaged more than 60% of county properties, destroyed 372 homes and left more than 11,000 in need of significant repairs. It also identified communication failures, training gaps, staffing issues and coordination problems in the response. United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County has said recovery is likely to take 8 to 10 years.

For people who are still struggling, North Carolina health officials say the Hope4NC Helpline is free, confidential and available 24/7 at 1-855-587-3463 for stress, emotional fatigue or a mental health crisis. Bright Shadow’s initiative is designed for the same long haul, built for the workers and neighbors who held everything together during and after the storm and are still carrying that weight.