The trail: it is the way to and through the wilderness, the way to and through discovery, but it won't be easy. Outward Bound backpacking courses offer you the opportunity to seek your summit, and once you get to the top you'll be able to see farther and wider than you ever have before.
Backpacking will enhance your endurance as an individual and enrich your ability to work as a member of a team, as you and your group tackle miles of wilderness terrain every day. Challenge your mind to interpret topographical maps and translate them into the landscape before you. Your body will be become comfortable carrying and living out of the 7000 cubic inches of your pack. End each day with accomplishment, friendship, and success as your companions.
Have lunch on a rock outcrop in the Mahoosuc Range of the Northern Appalachian Trail in Maine, pause to gaze up at the waterfalls of Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina or take in the view from 12,000 feet atop a summit in the Beartooth range of Montana. You won't believe your eyes.
Discover rock paintings and cliff dwellings of ancient Native Americans in Utah's canyon lands. Sleep under the diamond
studded night sky in Big Bend National Park. Rappel down the rim of Rattlesnake Canyon in Joshua Tree National Park in California. Explore, live, and learn about these rugged and delicate environments, and uncover your strength.
This is a two-week backpacking course in Alaska. It takes place a little later in the summer and is a great way to see the mountains of Alaska without needing the gear for snow and glacier travel. Ideal students for this course are fit motivated and ready for any thing. Alaska weather can be unpredictable.
Activities: Backpacking, low-impact camping, solo, service
Lengths: 14 days
Ages: 18-22, 18+
This course explores one of several amazing mountain ranges in the northern Rocky Mountains in southwest Montana. It takes place mostly at around 9000” and includes peak attempts as high as 12,000”. While these courses do not include technical mountaineering, the altitude and remote nature of the area make this a demanding physical environment and a good choice for fit motivated teens and adults.
Activities: Backpacking, low-impact camping, peak attempt, solo, service and final expedition
Lengths: 10 days, 22 days, 15 days
Ages: 30+, 23+, 16-18, 18-22
This is a 2- or 3-week backpacking expedition in the Sierra Nevada. It includes rock climbing, solo and final expedition and is in the classic tradition of Outward Bound mountain expeditions. It includes physical, social and mental challenge and is perfect for fit motivated teens looking for adventure, lifelong memories and tools for success.
Activities: Backpacking, possibly rock climbing, peak attempt, low-impact camping, solo, service and final expedition
Lengths: 22 days, 14 days
Ages: 18+, 16-18, 18-22
