Continuing in it’s tradition, Outward Bound Staff Members, Instructors and Directors from across the U.S. have put together a summer reading list for outdoor enthusiasts, adventure seekers and courageous spirits. The list contains everything from popular new favorites such as Wild to must-read classics like In Patagonia. The books on this list emulate Outward Bound’s expeditionary learning framework and weave in our values of compassion, integrity, excellence,  inclusion and diversity.

Each book is matched up with an Outward Bound activity or expedition, so whether you hope to go on course in the future or have been on one in the past, this summer reading list will tap into your adventurous spirit and spark your interest in the areas, history and values that have helped shape Outward Bound.

Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West by Wallace Stegner

Recommended by: Ben Fickett, Student Services Director at Colorado Outward Bound School

Description: This biography tells the story of John Wesley Powell, a Civil War veteran who led a series of expeditions to explore the mountains of Colorado and the Green and Colorado rivers. Powell’s adventures are fascinating and harrowing. Pulitzer Prize winning author Wallace Stegner is one of the best writers of the American West. He describes Powell as a lonely prophet who foretold the dangers of economic exploitation in the areas he explored. It is only now, more than a century after his most famous expedition, that we can see how right he was.

Outward Bound Expedition: While this book touches on most of the course areas in Colorado and Utah, it is perhaps most appropriate for the Southwest Rafting & Colorado Rockies Mountaineering courses. Powell is most famous for his exploits on the river, but he knew a thing or two about alpine terrain as well.

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

Recommended by: D.H. Bathon, Instructor at North Carolina Outward Bound School

Description: This classic brings readers on an exhilarating journey to a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off destination, unseen by many. Chatwin tells of his track through the ‘uttermost end of the earth’ -the stretch of land at the southern tip of South America where bandits once called home-in search of forgotten lands, immigrants of Welsh descent, and the log cabin once built by Butch Cassidy. Fueled by his lust for life and adventure, Bruce Chatwin shares his journey through Patagonia with evocative descriptions of the land, history, and unforgettable anecdotes.

Outward Bound Expedition: Patagonia Backpacking & Service or the Blue Ridge Mountains to Florida & Patagonia Leadership Semester.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Recommended by: Maggie Lyons Weller, Bay Area Program Director at Outward Bound California

Description: At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

Outward Bound Expedition: This book is a great read before heading out on a Mountaineering or Backpacking course in California to give you a taste for the terrain and solitude you can expect in such a majestic place.

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

Recommended by: Cam Alford, Instructor at Northwest Outward Bound School

Description: A classic book that is worth a second read as an adult, The Call of the Wild is about primitiveness and wildness- through the story of a being’s transition from a life of civility and captivity. The being is a dog named Buck, who goes from a tame life in California to a wild life in Alaska.

“I read it the first summer I proctored the Instructor Development course, and I thought it was a great company to someone spending most of her/his time in the wild.” -Cam Alford

Outward Bound Expedition: The Call of the Wild is a great read for single element courses such as North Cascades Alpine Backpacking or North Cascades Mountaineering.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard

Recommended by: Ginger Mihalik, Executive Director at Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School

Description:  After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, and disease. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.

Outward Bound Expedition: Chesapeake Bay Sea Kayaking and Backpacking

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Recommended by: Laurel Zimmerman, Admissions Manager at the Outward Bound National Admissions Office

Description: The Boys in the Boat details the story of The University of Washington rowing team’s quest to national glory and eventually to Hitler’s 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. While this book might not seem like it has anything to do with an Outward Bound expedition because it doesn’t take place in the wilderness – think again! The narrator weaves us through the lives of a group of young men on their way through school and sport, through the hardships of the Great Depression and the brink of World War II. This book has all the elements of what makes Outward Bound great – finding the tenacity of spirit through hard work and determination, realizing that the key to finding their ‘swing’ is teamwork and empathy toward one another, self-reliance as most of us have never had to face, building character in the face of a time of great struggle. Through a particularly difficult section of the book when the team is having trouble trusting one another and working together, I yearned for them to go on an Outward Bound course together to find the group dynamic they needed in order to succeed. How fitting is it that Outward Bound had its beginnings only five years later in Wales largely due to a couple of men seeing that they had some young men who needed to find their tenacity and grit in order to face great hardship in the war.

Outward Bound Expedition: The Boys in the Boat would be a great read before any Outward Bound course, but especially before a water course like Maine Coast Sailing, Boundary Waters Canoeing or Lake Superior Sea Kayaking. This is also a great audio book narrated by Edward Herrmann that keeps you on the edge of your seat. A great listen for while you’re working out to get yourself physically ready to go on your Outward Bound course.

Forever Changed by Linda Mornell

Recommended by: Leslie Frey, National Admissions Advisor and Instructor at North Carolina Outward Bound School

Description: Mornell started a non-profit called Summer Search. In the last 25 years, they have sent 1000s of high-potential but low-income youth on Outward Bound and other summer programs. Mornell shares stories of how she started the program, how students have grown through their experiences, and the strategy she uses to help 94% of these students go on to college.

Outward Bound Expedition: Forever Changed is a great read for parents while your child is on any 22-day or longer Classic Course. Your child will come home changed and with new skills. Mornell explains why many students can have a bit of the blues coming home from an intense experience. This book will help you gain a new skill to help support your child as they transition home.

Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce by Kent Nerburn

Recommended by: Brian Pacini, Director of Analytics and New Media at the Outward Bound National Office

Description: I picked this book up while on course with Outward Bound. The book details the plight of the Nez Perce and other tribes as they battled with settlers and eventually their flight from the American army. The book does a great job of covering the events and key figure, Chief Joseph, in an honest light. The book also goes into great detail about the geography and the path of the Nez Perce as they moved through the region in their flight. During my Outward Bound course, rafting on the Salmon River through the mountain ranges described in the book fostered the imagination to what it would be like to live in that era and be part of the plight of the Nez Perce. The book reminds the reader what was at stake and what the US lost by not embracing such a wonderful culture.

Outward Bound Expedition: Good for reading on or before the Idaho Salmon River Rafting Course.

To learn more about all of our Outward Bound expeditions, visit our website at www.outwardbound.org.