Our courses are demanding. You will use your muscles in new and challenging ways. It takes strength and fitness to paddle a boat for six or eight hours in a day, carry a 50 lb. pack for 5 miles, climb a steep trail, scale a rock wall, work your way up and over a rocky trail or down into a deep valley. And that is exactly what you are going to be doing. So if you aren't already involved in a rigorous fitness program, now is the time to start.
Every minute you put in will pay off in enjoyment, comfort and fun as your course progresses. We are given a body and a promise of four-score and ten. However, somewhere along the line many of us misplace our owner's manual. As George Sheehan, M.D., perhaps America's best-loved fitness guru puts it,
"We lead lives inferior to ourselves," writes William James. That is the greatest risk. The danger of not having lived at all, of not fulfilling the promise of birth. To do this, as Emerson says, "We must first be a good animal." And how to do that? Follow Nature's rules. Finding out how your body works best and following those instructions remains the surest way of making good things happen in your life.
Finally, try to avoid any precise expectations about how you will perform on your course. There are many kinds of strength, and strong muscles are only one of the things you will need. Others are a strong heart, a strong mind and a willing spirit. Bring them all. Count on being challenged in many ways. And be assured, you will find that your patrol is made up of people very much like yourself - not super men and women. Each member will bring something very special. Each will have accepted a very personal challenge and is setting out on a unique adventure.
"Self-confidence and self-discovery are not enough by themselves as a preparation for a responsible position in adult society. They need to be tempered with a spirit of compassion and tolerance, as sense of humanity and concern for others. That is why all Outward Bound courses lay great emphasis on the principle of service to others."
INSIGHT DAY PROGRAMS
Participants spend the day engaged in problem-solving exercises and challenge themselves and each other while climbing high ropes or the 40-foot climbing wall. As they tackle their fears, they build self-confidence and develop a sense of trust and teamwork. Teams from schools come together and work to bring the impact and learning from the experience back to their school's community. Insight Day Programs are funded through a variety of sources.
Integrate Insight programs into school culture through follow-up sessions, continued contact activities and community projects that engage students and staff and transfer the Outward Bound experience to daily life.
PEER LEADERSHIP WILDERNESS EXPEDITIONS
Five- or seven-day expeditions that feature backpacking along Kaghan Valley or Sharda, or Rafting in Kunhar Reyes or trekking in Fairy Meadows, These expeditions are offered to middle and high schools in the Bay Area during the spring and fall semesters and are uniquely designed to engage students with their peers in challenging environments in order to develop leadership and personal skills applicable to everyday life at home and school. Course elements are varied but always include lessons in Leave No Trace, camping, equipment set-up and safety standards, navigation using map and compass, journaling and personal reflection.
One or two educators from each participating school accompany the selected students on their course.
Integrate Wilderness Expeditions into school culture through follow-up sessions, continued contact activities and community projects that engage students and staff and transfer the Outward Bound experience to daily life.
SAFETY
Our commitment to delivering high quality programs is equal to our commitment to safety. Outward Bound staff at all levels is dedicated to your safety by their words, actions and values. Outward Bound instructors receive training in various outdoor activities and environments encountered on our courses. Most instructors are certified as a Wilderness First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician or equivalent. Our programs are reviewed by outdoor professionals from within and outside of Outward Bound in order to maintain current standards and quality practices.
Outward Bound has been a leader in managing outdoor safety for over 40 years, and frequently advises and assists other organizations in outdoor adventure risk management. Risk is a platform for delivering meaningful growth, physical fitness and leadership. To venture forth, to seek adventure and to try your best, even when you are not certain you will succeed, is the basis of the Outward Bound experience.
Since 1962, over 650,000 individuals have participated in Outward Bound courses. Despite this great volume and variety of activities,
"The influence of the ideas that Himalayan Holidays gives to these students goes far outward Bound maintains an excellent safety record, and deep into their lives, and through them, to others."
