Financial Need Based Scholarships

This year’s Marmot Scholar, Stephanie Barnes, was selected based on her dedication to athleticism, her aptitude for helping people and her enthusiasm for the mission of Outward Bound. She attended the Northwest Wilderness Educators Expedition this past summer from June 29th to August 17th.

Stephanie is currently finishing up her senior year at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, where she is majoring in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Human Performance. This fall she is interning at a local hospital in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, in addition to coaching cross country and track and field for the UW-EC.

Stephanie grew up in Wisconsin and is the second oldest of ten children. She attests that her large family has taught her a great deal about people, compassion, empathy, patience and teamwork, all traits which will serve her well as she goes “outward bound” this summer. She is hoping that her experience with Outward Bound will give her some direction as to whether she is interested in pursuing a career in outdoor education. Stephanie anticipates her upcoming adventure stating: “I hope this course stretches my mind, body and spirit to new limits. I hope it challenges me physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. I'm thrilled by the opportunity and adventure that awaits me this summer and beyond.”

I haven’t showered in a week, I smell, my skin tastes like salt water, I haven’t gotten more than 7 hours of sleep max (average 6 and last night 4), I’ve eaten out of the same bowl for a week without washing it with soap and warm water (just lick it clean J). I’m with 11 strangers that I don’t know. My hands and feet are pruny for 10/24 hours in a day and I love it. I’ve been having such an amazing time! The mountains are beautiful, the weather has been perfect, the company is great, the education is challenging, and the physical elements are rewarding. We’re on our kayak unit and coming in I was nervous about the water thing and being wet all the time but it’s so worth it. I’ve seen sea otters, porpoises, starfish, jelly fish, clams, oysters, seals, etc. This morning we woke up at 4 am and paddled as the sun rose. What an amazing opportunity that most people only dream about.

Time is going by so fast I cannot believe everything that we’ve seen and done so far. The sights are absolutely breath taking. For someone who has never seen the mountains to be immediately surrounded by them (and soon to be in them) I am in constant awe. I have to consciously close my mouth half the time as the beauty leaves me speechless and awe-struck. Two nights ago we stayed at Point Doughty off of Orcas Island. We saw the sunset – a huge fiery ball of red, orange, blue, purple, and yellow (my favorite color in the world: the color of the sunset) – over the distant mountains and islands. The moon slowly came over the trees behind us and the sky was a brilliant display of more stars than I’ve ever seen. It was such a clear night with no lights to take away from the sky’s splendor. We saw countless shooting stars and constellations that I didn’t even know existed. We slept out on that point under these amazing stars only to wake up and look out the other direction to watch the sunrise. Truly an orgasm in the sky (for those of you who know how much I love to use that phrase it was an orgasm of all orgasms J) rose right between two mountain tops a fluorescent red slowly spilling its light over the ocean and land slowly lifting the haze on the horizon so that the full snow-capped mountains were visible. We then paddled right for these mountains to our next destination, Matia Island.
I absolutely love our group that we have out here. We started off in one group of 20 then split into two groups of 10. Every single group member has something incredibly unique and special to bring to the table. Everyone has something to offer and to help bring this group together and to make us stronger. We’re from all over the globe and come from all walks of life with our own unique stories. Our ages range from 20-35 and we traveled here from Vermont, Virginia, Hungary, England, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington, Montana, California, etc. Some people are engaged, some have been married, some in college, some working, some sure on what they want out of life, and some still searching. It’s so fun to bring us all together to see how we mix and respond to each other. One thing is for sure, we definitely all click and know how to have a ton of fun J.
I learned to roll my kayak the other day. Twice I successfully flipped over upside down and then using my paddle, and knowing how to twist my hips and body, flip myself upright again without having to get out of my kayak at all or take my skirt off. We’ve also learned and practices rescues in the water if you would happen to flip over. We know how to rescue each other, flip kayaks over, get water out of them, rescue ourselves, etc.

We are in the mountains and having never seen them before this trip to now climbing them, I couldn’t be more amazed! The views are spectacular and I’m in constant awe of nature and God’s beauty and power.
We had our first peak attempt two days ago on Silver Star Mountain – the highest of the North Cascades, however due to the time of day and fatigue of various group members we fell a few hundred feet short of the true summit. Even from where we were though we could see both sides of Silver Star and we celebrated as if it were the summit. The entire day was extremely fun and rewarding. That night after descending we slept on the snow next to the glacier we climbed earlier that day. Several of us literally slept in the snow by digging out pits/trenches to sleep in to block ourselves from the wind coming down the glacier slope. It was surprisingly extremely warm – all except for my feet which stuck out a little and were numb by morning – oops! The night sky made up for it though as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we had tons of shooting stars. The day of our summit attempt was incredibly challenging for me as I wanted so badly to reach the peak. It showed me teamwork though. All day we had to work together on rope teams to reach the top…catch each other when we fell, encouraging everyone, etc. and once we reached the saddle just before the final push we had to make the call – summit or no summit. It was an all or nothing decision. We either all went up or none of us went up. As hard as it was to accept, safety wise it was in the best interest of the team to not make that final push. I had to take a step back and make myself realize that sometimes it is not always about the goal (which was incredibly tough as I am so goal oriented) but more importantly it is about the people standing around you. We have been having an amazing time as a team and we really pulled together to make it as far as we could. Nothing can take that away from us – it was a wonderful day.
We are currently on our solo (48 hours on our own as individuals). We are all within whistling distance of each other in case of an emergency but that’s it. This is a time of reflection for us. A time to take a deeper look into who we are, who we want to be, where we’re heading in life, figure out what truly matters, etc. with no distractions from the outside world or other people. 48 hours of solitude. Two nights and two days (afternoon, full day, morning). The hardest part for me is the food packet we were given for solo. We have a small packet of raisins, a small package of peanuts, 3 packets of Kool-aid type drink, and 9 bickie crackers (about the size of a saltine but with the texture of an animal cracker). I’m a huge eater so it has definitely been a struggle for me. We are now ½ way through with solo – one more night and tomorrow morning (and then a huge lunch!)
Today I fell asleep reading my Bible, when I woke up to something buzzing in my ear. There are tons of mosquitoes here (literally hundreds at any given time and they all make deet look like a bad joke!) so I just tried brushing whatever it was away. But it flew in front of my face and started nibbling at the front of my jacket collar. It wasn’t until then I realized it was a hummingbird just checking me out! He completely made my day!

Today was possibly our hardest day yet. Mentally and physically, even emotionally, we were drained by the end of our trek. We woke up at 3 am, were out of camp at 4:30, descended 3,300 feet and hiked for 14 hours with no trail, heading to resupply and expecting to be there at 2 pm but not arriving until 6:30. We had hardly any food and come 5:30 we were taking shots of honey and Parkay for quick bursts of energy J. When all was said and done though we got our resupply, had amazing sandwiches provided by our LC’s (amazing crew!) and a good night’s rest. The mail at resupply was definitely a bonus treat as I heard from several family members! (Thanks J)

Our journey today was amazing compared to yesterday’s hike. We started 1 ½ hours later and it was all trails! We spent most of our day at camp with lessons, games, dancing, and good cooking. Tomorrow we head out to the rock climbing shelf for some climbing lessons. It will be a hike but after a needed relaxing day we should be set to go. Two days from now we have a birthday coming up so we’re starting some surprise birthday plans J. Mmmmm……we had some mountain blueberries today!

Started off on trails again and then made our way thru the underbrush to where we’ll be for the next couple of days for rock school: just below the Grand Stand. The only downfall for our rock school is it has been raining for the past couple days…so perhaps we’ll have to find other adventures and lessons until it clears up…hopefully soon!
I can’t get over the sounds and smells here – I love it! Usually always we’re within earshot of a mountain stream and the pine smell is wonderful! Especially after how amazing our group smells – the pine is delicious! None of us have showered since before the class began ~ June 27th and all of our digestive tracks are having fun with our massive amounts of dehydrated fruit, beans, quinoa, rice, cheese, sausage, bickies, and trail mix/gorp…yeah we smell awesome J but its all part of the fun! It’s especially amazing now that we’re in the mountains and have to travel “nose to butt” up rocky inclines and the person in front of you went heavy on the Tabasco sauce the night before! J
I’m starting to miss training for athletics. Even with how active we are a hard run, repeating 200, stair runs, weight lifting, conditioning, etc. all sound amazing right now.
Our group is absolutely amazing. We’ve formed so well and mesh great. Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused on the task at hand because we’re having so much fun but I’d much rather it be like this than the other way around. I’ve definitely without a doubt made some life long friends and hope to stay in touch with everyone even after the course finishes.

Happy Birthday Sally! The day started out by waking her up with some birthday tunes! After a hearty breakfast and bickie mash we started up the mountain for some rock school. Because of the rainy weather though we didn’t do any actual climbing but we did get to do a pretty sweet rappel! At first I was terrified stepping off the cliff backwards but as soon as the butterflies settled it was amazing! I can’t wait for more climbing and rappelling in the days to come. Tomorrow we head up the Grand Stand and Finger for our second summit attempt. Hopefully the weather clears up for us!

We had mountain goats living nearby! A mom and her baby kept walking near/around our camp – adorable.

We made our first peak! Successful 1st summit! After waking up to a beautiful sunrise (sun finally decided to peak through the clouds after several days of clouds and rain) and the mountain goats grazing in our camp, we made our way up The Finger. With rock climbing and fixed lines our entire team successfully made it to the top together. Go Oyster Catchers! Me, me, me, me,me! While it was slow going (as only one person can climb at a time) it was a great day. After climbing we hiked down the other side of the ridge where we’re camping for the night. Tomorrow is mainly a day of hiking to get us ready for our next two climbs: Copper Mountain and then Early Winter Spires. We have four more days left in the mountains before we head to the basecamp for Wilderness First Responder, practicum, and then our final expedition. Today was our halfway point…25 more days to go…filled with many more beautiful sights, exciting adventures and great company. Have I ever said how much I love this group? Well, I love this group! Each and every member is amazing! We’re getting to know each other so well and I can’t wait to see how close we’ll become as a team before this course finishes. We’ve definitely begun making plans on how to stay in touch and visit each other and even possibly having a reunion sometime after our course. One thing is for sure…we’re all going to have an amazing lunch together after our course and before we all catch our planes home.
Today I learned a great dance! I think it is from Australia? Along with that we’ve been perfecting finger jousting, flamingo wars, arm wrestling, leg wrestling, etc…the games never end. J

Today our trusted leader, Wyatt, gave us a quick lesson on slide alder travel. He began calmly explaining that it’s challenging but frustrating at times and the best way to handle it is just to laugh and attack the problem…at that moment he hurled himself sideways/backwards down the slope into the slide alder. Naturally, the group (still naïve to the ways of the slide alder) were concerned for his life and gasped only to see that he didn’t travel more than five feet and was caught amazingly by the slide alder. It is so dense and thick that what is naturally a not great idea (hurling yourself down a steep slope) was quite an amusing, educational, and fun experience. J

The weather has been amazing and the views so beautiful. It has finally stopped raining and the clouds have cleared and skies have been clear! We’ve had amazing sunsets, sunrises, starry nights, and warm sun! There are mountain goats and hummingbirds and neither are afraid of humans. Today the girls had a chilly but refreshing hair rinsing in the mountain stream (overlooking green, lush mountains and having a goat watch from 10 feet away!). Tomorrow we’re heading up to Early Winter Spire at 3:45 am for our last peak attempt and last adventure of our mountaineering section. I can’t wait!

Second successful summit attempt. We were standing at the highest point of the South Early Winter Spire by 9 am. After summit celebrations and pictures, we’re now in the process of descending…I’m writing from the summit as I wait my turn. J BEAUTIFUL
The weather is perfect and all you can see in all directions are mountains and then more mountains. It truly feels that all the world is at your fingertips from the birds eye view.

In addition to a beautiful summit we got the news that our group may cease to exist as we know it after today. At the beginning of the course there were 19 students divided into two patrols (10 and 9 each). We built the group into one unified team – the “Oyster Catchers” and are now incredibly close. We have been each others family, friends, peers, teammates, tent buddies, campers, cooks, etc…we have been each others reality for the last 28 days. We just got the news that after WFR and our practicum (2 weeks at the basecamp with both patrols together) our final expedition will be two mixed groups (two new teams from both existing patrols). Our group is shell shocked. The potential of splitting up our “family” is devastating to most members. Whether this is for sure or not is not 100% decided but it’s an option…it will be interesting to see what is decided. Both ways there are pros and cons. It’s just sad to think tonight might be our final night together as this team.
Tomorrow we have a two hour hike to the road where we’ll be picked up at 7 am for the next section of our course.

Today we got a hot sponge bath! We’re now at the basecamp for ~ two weeks for Wilderness First Responder and practicum before we head out for our final expedition.
After being picked up at 7 am we piled into a van and headed for the basecamp. The entire time we were just laughing and singing and recalling our adventures. As I sat there listening and looking out the window at many of the mountains we had explored it hit me how incredibly content I was. The people and the adventures have been amazing. I had this overwhelming sense of self. The amount of growth and change and self discovery on this course has been unbelievable. I have never felt so solid as an individual. And the exciting thing is that there is still about three weeks left. I am so excited to see what’s to come and what more I will learn and discover.

WFR started today: 8-5 in the classroom (which consisted of a large tent with tables). The information is really fascinating but the next 8 days will definitely be intense – lots of learning and applying and sitting in a hot tent. Then we also have homework again in the evenings.

We started the day off with a basic jog along mountain roads for about an hour before jumping in a chilly mountain river to fully wake our bodies up – perfect way to start the day, everyone who went (wasn’t required) felt so refreshed and alive!

After class we had another jump in the river to cool off before dinner and a sweet game of soccer!

Tonight we’re sleeping in the middle of a grassy field with a huge, bright full moon in a perfectly clear sky!

Today another patrol had their course end celebration dinner = BBQ! We were drooling while making our pasta and salad (though delicious – the BBQ smelled amazing!) They ended up having too much though so they donated all their leftover hamburgers and hot dogs to our patrol. Mmmmmm…amazing!

Nothing extremely exciting happening today as we spend 9 hours in the classroom (held in a tent) but we’re learning a lot of really cool things. The best part is all the scenarios that we do. We practice everything, very hands on and realistic (complete with paint, spurting blood, props, etc.) We’re all learning lots. There’s a huge field on base so after class we play some sweet games of ultimate, soccer, kickball, etc. to burn off our extra energy.

In addition to WFR we’ve had some other organized form of education on base. Today after dinner we had a presentation on bears – identification, stats, environment, habitat, human encounters, etc. The presenter brought in several molds of foot prints, teeth, claws, skulls, etc. It was very fascinating but also intimidating to see how powerful bears can truly be. I definitely gained a new respect for them. Then two nights ago we had a “cocktail party” to learn about experiential education. Our party consisted of us all dressing up and heading to class to learn…we had some make dresses out of gaiters, skirts out of hankies, bowties out of moss, canes from branches, net stockings from net bags…we were very decked out a ready to learn!

Hello August! Today was an amazing day in class! We gave shots! In order to be certified to give epinephrine for severe asthma or anaphylaxis it’s required to give an injection to another person or an orange. I must say I’m very proud of my group as most of us gave a shot to another student as well as received. We used incredibly small needles and just a saline solution but it was still nerve racking for me to get the shot. And then after an amazing morning of anaphylaxis practice and giving injections, we also had to do a simulation that afternoon. This was our second simulation which consists of 1/3 of the students posing as patients (paint, glue, modge podge, fake blood etc – that actually looks pretty realistic at first glance), then 1/3 as primary responders and then 1/3 as secondary responders. The simulations are great because we not only get to act with our mad acting skills but we also get a great sense for what we know and what we still need to practice, etc. It usually is a group incident (all patients involved in the same trauma scene) so we also get more practice with teamwork and communication. Tomorrow is our day off – the one and only free day of the course; no class, no meetings, nothing mandatory to do. So far we have plans to go check out a nearby swimming hole and then to town to get some ICE CREAM!!!! If you can’t tell…I’m just a little excited at the prospect of ice cream (as are most of the group members) Rumor has it…they even have sprinkles!

Day off. Slept in till 9 am – yeah! Went to a great swimming hole with a jump rock and the ice cream was sooooo delicious!

Happy Birthday Alex! We went for an amazing beautiful, invigorating 10 mile run (my longest run yet!)!

Last day of WFR and officially a Wilderness First Responder! Mmmmmm….it smells amazing after the rain.

WFR just flew by and we’re now starting the last two phases of our trip. Today and tomorrow we have rock school which is a ton of technical rock climbing skills including knots, belays, repels, natural anchors, and artificial anchors. After that we start prepping for our final expedition which will be student lead. Only 10 more full days…

I successfully climbed 2 5.10 climbs! They weren’t completely clean but they were challenging and so much fun! I’ve never climbed outside before but I’m completely addicted and will definitely be trying it again!

After rock school, we started making plans for our final expedition...our two patrols (the oyster catchers and the ravens) that have become one over the last 12 days on base were divided into two new groups for finals. While its going to be an amazing expedition, it was so sad seeing our group divided up, knowing that we’ll be completely different for the next week. I’m going to miss every single person in the other group. Our itinerary will be finalized tomorrow but we will be traveling throughout the Pasayten Wilderness.

Tomorrow we leave for finals and we have an amazing itinerary. I’m one of the “navigators” so I was able to help plan the route. We’re especially excited about our stay on Devil’s Dome as it’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in the area.

Something Josh gave us to think about while we’re out in the field about transference from this course and throughout life, “From now on you are the face of Outward Bound…without transference (from this course/experience to life) Outward Bound does not exist.”

The next 9 days left on course are going to fly by but I’m excited for finals – it’s going to be amazing!

We are officially on our final expedition. Yesterday was our day of organizing the trip and packing and then we headed out this morning. We’ll be following the trails throughout the Pasayten Wilderness for the next seven days over many different terrains. A key point on our route is Devil’s Dance which is supposedly absolutely spectacular. Another exciting event is the meteor shower which will be at its peak the last 3 days of our adventure. Last night we got a small taste of what’s to come: we were all laying in the meadow at the basecamp with our sleeping bags in a circle talking about how far we’ve come and all the adventures ahead of us all while being showered with an amazing display of shooting stars. These past couple of days while preparing for finals, a change of pace and new group I’ve really been aware of how incredible the group of people on this course are. Every single one of them has influenced me, taught me, challenged me, and laughed with me. I’ve made some incredible friends and relationships that will without a doubt last beyond this course. I’ve been so blessed.

Last night’s campsite was in a natural park – the highest human impacted site/camp we’ve had yet – and it was absolutely unbelievable how many animals came to say hello and how brave they were. We had three deer stalking us as soon as we arrived and one even walked through our site while we were making dinner. Even after “scaring” them off they’d just come back two seconds later. On top of that we had tons and tons of mice swarming our site as soon as it got dark. They didn’t care at all that we were still awake and walking around. We ended up creating quite the rodent/deer food hanging system/alarm system. Much to our surprise the food safety creation was still standing and none of our food was busted into. Since we’re on trails now we see so many people. Walking to our camp today we saw about 10 people. Ten more people then the last time we were in the field. With having more people in the area I’m definitely more leery because animals are used to having people around so they’re not afraid and they’re looking for food handouts. Before we never worried about animals because they were too afraid of us. The trails themselves are amazing. Compared to our bushwhacking, slide alder, and scree fields I feel like I’m cheating and not challenging enough. What’s nice about it is we can go so much faster and cover more ground at a time.

By far one of the most beautiful days so far. Now I definitely am loving the trails as it leaves so many more chances to see the new!

We woke up on Devil’s Dome this morning at 3:30 am to sleet/rain/snow. It was cloudy and windy falling asleep but none of us expected how cold it was going to get. In our sleeping bags under the tarps wasn’t bad but it was definitely a chilly morning! When we finally got up to start our day we couldn’t see anything beyond our camp/Devil’s Dome as it was foggy as foggy could be. After about two hours of hiking we were finally able to see the other side of the valley. Our entire group agreed that we felt like characters from Lord of the Rings: hobbits, dwarves, elves, wizards, etc. traveling on some great adventure through the wilderness and fog. I even found a wizard staff to battle orcs with if need be, in the meantime it just makes me look cool. The clouds finally broke around dinner time just in time to watch a beautiful sunset. I think it’s gonna be a sleeping under the stars night for sure.

For this final expedition we split our group into two patrols (the Non-Negotiables and the Right Footed Pimps) and started in different spots. Our course was like a horseshoe – starting and ending in opposite spots and crossing paths in the middle. Today we finally crossed paths in the late afternoon for a much needed reunion as we all miss each other tons. We never even took our packs off but just being able to exchange hugs and some quick stories was great. Three more days and we’ll be one huge group again. Five more days and we’ll all be off in our separate directions. This has been an amazing course and I’m going to be (already am) sad to see it end. I’m also incredibly excited though to bring all I’ve learned and seen and done home. I have so many adventures and challenges and lessons and stories and pictures and excitement and passion to share it’s going to take forever. I know I won’t be able to do justice to all of the above but I can give people a taste of what it all meant to me. Perhaps that taste will nudge others to venture out to find growth, adventure, change, and beauty in similar experiences. To be inspired as I have been.

“There are two ends to living: to inspire and to be inspired”
“I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to confront the essential facts of life, and to see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Henry David Thoreau

Well we didn’t have any orcs to fight today but my wizard has a name. We were trying to come up with a woman’s name for her but after some tough switchbacks her name became Dory because she helps me to “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!”, she’s pretty amazing. Today was definitely our most challenging day yet, however we still ended up ahead of schedule the entire day even with leaving an hour later than we wanted. It didn’t help that we woke up to frost covering our camp, ice on our tarps and partially frozen water bottles. Yeah we were a little slow going especially until we had our hot drinks.

We’re camping tonight just below Anacordes Crossing at an old mining site. There is still lots of their gear left behind leaving their mark and giving us something to check out. It’s crazy to try and imagine their stories.

One and a half days left in the field. Four days and we’re officially done and heading home…it’s crazy to think about, this course has gone so fast.

Last full day in the field. Sad! Today was definitely our toughest day of finals. We had 3 ascents, 3 descents, and lots and lots of scree; but it was such a great day to end on. By the end we were all so tired but felt so accomplished. We saw beautiful views and pushed ourselves hard to keep good time and reach our designated camping area. Our final descent was definitely my favorite part of the day – perhaps even of these finals. We had just gone up a huge scree field only to crossover the ridge to see alpine meadows, a gradual slope down, beautiful snow capped mountains across the valley and a very clear blue sky. I was in the middle of the pack with a group quite a ways in front of me and a group quite a ways behind me. It was the perfect time to soak in the views and do some thinking: think through and process this entire experience – the highs, lows, funny stories, people I’ve met, what I learned, what I’ve gained, what I’ve lost, what I want to bring back with me and transfer to my everyday life and things that I want to leave behind,etc. It was absolutely amazing.

Tomorrow we hike down to the road to get picked up and brought back to the basecamp to wrap up the course: de-issue gear, final circle, “adventure-challenge-adventure”, group dinner, and say goodbyes.

What a mixed day. Already missing the mountains and wilderness and yet ready to see my family. Ready for a change in pace yet not ready to say goodbye. It was definitely a day of smiles and high fives and yet also some tears and long faces.

We hiked down our 4000’ day, got picked up, reunited the two patrols, de-issued, and had an amazing dinner of hamburgers and s’mores…mmmm! Tomorrow we have our adventure-challenge-adventure of running a half marathon (or challenging distance of personal choice with 13 miles as the max) Time to get some sleep!

My group wanted to be mentioned…Katie, Ian , Whitney, Michelle, Keith, Noel, Bethany, Christian, Mike, Angus, JP, Sally, Kristen, Jackie, Neil, Brady, Maryana, Alex…and the instructors Christina, Wyatt, Jackson, Rachel, Chris, Josh, Danen, Cassie, and Jess.