Meet Matt Griffin
Bio
Matt Griffin is the founder of APEX Adventures. A native of Greenville South Carolina, teacher, and outdoor adventure enthusiast, he believes he is doing what he was born to do. Some of Matt’s earliest memories are of accompanying his dad on outdoor trips. In fact, the first time he paddled down the Nantahala River where his family has owned a raft company since 1978, his dad had to put rocks in his pocket so he’d meet the minimum weight requirement. He was five years old the first time he got on snow skis. He’s been multi-day backpacking through the Southern Appalachian Mountains practically since he could walk. In middle school, he bought his first real mountain bike with money he’d saved up while doing grunt work at the family raft company. He did his first downhill mountain bike race in the 10th grade and still competes in events up and down the east coast today. Matt attended high school at Southside Christian School in Greenville and graduated in 1997. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from Clemson University in 2002. Through high school, college, and occasionally even still, Matt has worked as a raft guide and trip leader for Appalachian Rivers Raft Company, gaining invaluable experience in outdoor leadership. He languished for a short time in a “cubicle farm” before almost losing his mind and realizing that he should have been teacher (just like his dad.) He received a Masters of Arts in Teaching Degree from Clemson University in 2007 and began teaching at Langston Charter Middle School, where he currently teaches social studies. In 2008, Matt started “Langston Expeditions Adventure Program” as summer adventure day camp offered to Langston students. In the summer of 2011, Matt decided to make the program independent of Langston in order to extend its offerings to middle school students throughout Greenville. The Program is now called APEX Adventures and has been growing ever since. He believes that this is his opportunity to share with the kids he works with some of the passion he has for the places he has grown up with.
