Blue Ridge Mountains Backpacking & Rock Climbing for LGBTQ+ Young Adults
Join other members of the LGBTQ+ community for an adventure in the misty mountains of Western North Carolina.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are some of the oldest in the world. They are home to hundreds of waterfalls, diverse flora, and fauna, over a million acres of national forest, unique rock formations, and the highest peaks in the Eastern United States. These dramatic landscapes create the perfect backdrop for this backpacking and rock climbing course.
On this journey, your crew will backpack through temperate rainforests and wildflower fields, test your communication skills while learning to rock climb, discover new leadership skills using a map and compass, and foster community as you make meals and set up camp under the stars each night.
At Outward Bound, we are crew, not passengers. We support each other and share in our challenges and our victories. Your crew becomes critical to your experience while on course and beyond! While all our courses are inclusive of all identities, we understand the value of affinity spaces, too. This is a traditional Outward Bound course for young adults, with an added focus on LGBTQ+ themes. During a time of development when LGBTQ+ youth need a safe and supportive space, this course builds self-esteem and community and creates opportunities to make lifelong friends.
Students can expect a progression of activities to initiate personal growth and conversation about shared experiences as LGBTQ+ youth. We will spend time having guided discussions surrounding LGBTQ+ topics and opportunities for individual reflection while embracing nature's affirming and healing powers.
Outward Bound’s LGBTQ+ courses are designed to build community and cultivate self-efficacy. LGBTQ+ Instructors lead expeditions and aim to create a safe space for those who have experienced being marginalized due to their identity and/or are exploring their sexual and/or gender identity. Outward Bound is a place for everyone to learn, grow, make friends, and have fun! We encourage you to talk with one of our course advisors if you have questions about which course is the best fit for you. You are welcome here – let’s adventure together!
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.
Before this I had terrible self-image, confidence and next to no goals around what I wanted to accomplish in life. Now, I truly have learned to love people and be myself. I may not necessarily know what I want to do, but I know what kind of person I want to be which is more than I could ever ask for.
Backpacking gives students a unique opportunity to travel further than many typically go. Students feel a sense of freedom in carrying everything they need in their packs - food, shelter, clothing, and gear. They can eat when hungry, set up camp when tired, and control what they accomplish each day. This simple mode of travel gives students the opportunity to focus on themselves and practice perseverance and self-reliance.
During backpacking days, students learn Leave No Trace Principles that minimize their impact on the land, how to navigate with a map and compass, and the different parts of camp craft.
Equally important to the technical skills is learning conflict resolution, communication styles, leadership techniques, and teamwork. After the crew has practiced these skills, Instructors will take a step back and allow the group to lead themselves, where they will be rewarded with plenty of laughter and stunning misty mountain vistas.
With a focus on safety, climbing instruction starts by teaching the basics, such as working with ropes and learning to tie knots. As students progress, they'll learn to climb up, or rappel down, a rock face. They may also have the opportunity to work through a high ropes obstacle course together. These uniquely structured activities provide opportunities for self-reliance, communication, and collaboration as participants confront and work through fears and challenges.
Service to others and the environment is a core value of Outward Bound and is integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as service to the environment and do acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. As they see the impact of their actions firsthand, students develop a value of service and transfer this desire to serve their communities back home. Students can do a formal service project with a local agency on longer courses. Typical projects include doing trail work, helping at local food pantries and other local non-profit organizations. Service projects can be a few hours up to a full day.
A little more than halfway through the course, students will participate in a reflection period called Solo. During this time, Instructors assign students their individual spaces within a designated area. These sites are secluded and within hearing distance of other group members and Instructors for safety. Students are given all the necessary gear, food, water, and skills to enjoy this time alone. Solo is an excellent opportunity for students to relax, recharge and reflect on their course after having long days of strenuous group activities. They also know the location of their Instructors should they need to contact them for any reason. Instructors will be monitoring students closely during this experience.
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains, or Southern Appalachians, is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. While the mountains formed over 250 million years ago, some rocks underlying the region are over a billion years old. The Southern Appalachians' long geologic and evolutionary history has created one of North America's most biologically diverse regions. Some even say it is “rainforest-like.”
This region is home to beautiful rushing rivers, hundreds of waterfalls, and some of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States—including Mt. Mitchell (elevation 6,684 feet), the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Its diverse landscapes have been featured in many motion pictures, including The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans.
Outward Bound students can expect to share the wilderness with over 700 kinds of trees, more than 50 types of mammals, 150 different types of birds, and over 50 species of amphibians. The huge numbers of trees and plants give these mountains their namesake. Trees put the ‘blue’ in the Blue Ridge Mountains from the organic chemicals they release into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the distinctive color of these mountains. Temperatures in this area range from 50 to 85 degrees in the summer, 30 to 65 degrees in the spring and fall, and 10 to 50 degrees in the winter. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Cherokee.
Course Stories
Before this I had terrible self-image, confidence and next to no goals around what I wanted to accomplish in life. Now, I truly have learned to love people and be myself. I may not necessarily know what I want to do, but I know what kind of person I want to be which is more than I could ever ask for.
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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.