North Cascades Canoeing & Rock Climbing for Girls
Explore the wilderness with other girls, learning to rock climb and canoe in the “American Alps” with Outward Bound.
The North Cascades Canoeing & Rock Climbing course offers young teens the opportunity to explore one of Washington State’s most beautiful recreation areas. You can expect to learn how to travel and camp in the wilderness, paddle canoes, set up tarps, rock climb and navigate using a map and compass. The course includes a focus on cultivating skills around leadership, character development, service to others and interpersonal development. From getting up early and cooking breakfast, to hiking or paddling all day, climbing a rock face, wilderness travel is demanding. You do not need to have any previous experience but arriving physically prepared and excited for the opportunity for personal development will enhance your experience and allow you to take full advantage of the expedition.
This course is open to non-binary, trans-women and gender expansive identifying students. We strive to create an inclusive environment for all of our students.
Benefits of a Single-gender Course
Outward Bound has observed the differences between male and female physical and cognitive development rates in early adolescence. Courses that are single gender allow instructors to effectively accommodate and teach to the group's abilities. Early adolescent, single-gender courses allow more open space to talk about fears and concerns. They provide a greater opportunity for females to take leadership roles, and lessen the potential for stereotyping behaviors to occur.
NOTE: This course requires that students submit proof of "Up-to-Date" COVID-19 Vaccination status as defined by the CDC. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.
UPCOMING COURSES
This course is closed for the season.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
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.
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Getting Started
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.