Canoeing

During the canoeing expedition, students will travel between campsites along the lake. At camp, students will work as a team with their Instructors to learn the art of setting up a backcountry camp. Camp skills include setting up shelters, cooking meals and helping to decide where the following days will lead. Along the way, they will encounter the natural wonders of lake travel, including access to waterfalls, wildlife sighting and miraculously clear blue waters.

Rock Climbing

During your expedition they will learn the basics of climbing technique, belaying, rappelling and knots. Rock climbing is physically, mentally, and sometimes emotionally demanding. For many students, rock climbing is the high point of the course. For others, it’s a major mental challenge to face. Courses generally include 1-2 days of rock climbing, depending upon individual course itineraries and student groups.

Solo

In order for profound learning to take place, students spend time reflecting on their experience, and Solo is that opportunity. The Solo experience provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their Outward Bound experience. With sufficient food and equipment, students will set up camp at sites of their own, using the wilderness skills learned during the first portions of the course. The amount of time students spend on Solo is based on course length, weather, student condition, age and Instructor preference. Solo campsites are chosen to offer as much solitude as possible (yet be within emergency whistle-signaling distance of other group members). Most students spend their Solo time journaling, drawing, reflecting, thinking and resting as they process lessons of the course to focus on their goals for the future. Instructors check on each participant at regular intervals, as safety is always a top priority.

Course Area

Washington Lakes

Depending on weather, snow melt and other conditions, the canoeing portion will take place at one of two Washington lakes. Both lakes offer the unique opportunity to explore a region of Washington by boat.

Ross Lake, Washington

Accessible only by boat or trail, this 25 mile long glacier-fed lake is nestled in the North Cascades National Park and the Pasayten Wilderness Area. This part of the park is known for the surrounding 8,000 ft. mountain peaks, deep glacially carved valleys, and clear blue-green water. Waterfalls flow into the lake from the glaciers above, and eagles soar overhead in search of trout. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ (Nlaka'pamux) and Syilx tmixʷ (Okanagan) nations.

Lake Roosevelt, Washington

This lake, which sits behind the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, is 130 miles long and is nestled in the beautiful forested hills of Northeastern Washington. Lake Roosevelt features calm, turquoise water and gorgeous fir and pine-forested shores. There are nearby waterfalls and hiking trails to explore along the lake, as well as a myriad of wildflowers and wildlife on the shoreline. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Syilx tmixʷ (Okanagan), Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, Colville, Ktunaxa, San Poil and Spokane nations.