Sea Kayaking

The course starts with almost two weeks of sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands, exploring Washington’s inner coastal waters that make this area a renowned cruising ground for paddlers. Students traverse the waterways in single and double kayaks, seeking out island beach campsites to sleep under the stars, and getting acquainted with the fascinating natural and cultural history of the Pacific Northwest coast. Becoming a competent sea kayaker involves learning how to read a chart, perform self and assisted rescues, paddle efficiently, and assess sea conditions appropriate to each student and the group’s abilities. Students gain skills in reading currents and tides, kayak rescue techniques, marine navigation and assessing the weather. Team building and learning about marine environments will be emphasized during this section.

Mountaineering and Rock Climbing

The rock and mountain section focuses on mountaineering skills, including institutional top-rope climbing management. Students learn skills such as knot tying, climbing and belaying technique, anchor building, and climbing site management. Each day presents a different focus, with ample time for experiential learning. The Instructor-to-student ratio is never more than 1:5, which allows for personal coaching on the physical techniques of climbing and mountaineering, and also enables instructors to cater curriculum to the specific interests and aptitudes of individual course participants. During the mountaineering section, Instructors focus curriculum on educational philosophy and group dynamics.

Wilderness First Responder

Nine days of the course will be spent completing 80 hours of advanced backcountry first aid and evacuation techniques. Mornings are devoted to lectures and exams with afternoons devoted to practical hands-on sessions and rescue simulations. Expect many rescue simulations with made-up victims and stage blood that will be recorded for enhanced learning. Evenings are reserved for study and assignments. Successful completion of this section involves full participation in the field simulations and written exams that make up the assessment process. Students receive WFR, CPR and epinephrine administration certification cards from Wilderness Medicine Training Center upon successful completion of the course. These are the industry-standard medical certifications that are required for professionals in the outdoor industry.

Service

Service to others and to our environment is a core value of Outward Bound and is integrated into each course. Groups follow Leave No Trace ethics as they engage in acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. Students see the impact of their actions firsthand, and develop an appreciation of service and transfer this desire to serve their communities back home. 

Course Area

San Juan Islands, Washington 

Nestled between Vancouver Island and the North Cascades, the San Juan Islands are a unique coastal cruising ground with large expanses of sparkling water and mountain scenery. During their journey, students will encounter coastlines with a combination of sandy and rocky beaches, shallow and deep harbors, placid and reef-studded bays. Knotty, twisted Madrona trees grow along much of the shorelines while evergreen fir and pine forests cover large inland areas. Sightings of harbor seals, porpoise and eagles are common, as well as the rare glimpse of an Orca whale. The islands get less average rainfall than the surrounding area due to the rain-shadow effect of the Olympic Mountains. Summertime high temperatures are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit while lows could be in the 40s. These regions are theancestral lands of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi), Klallam, Samish, Tulalip, W̱SÁNEĆ, Lekwungen/Songhees and Coast Salish nations.

The North Cascades, Washington

The North Cascades are called the “American Alps” for their rugged beauty and glaciated peaks; they remain some of the wildest and least traveled wilderness in the United States. The North Cascades host the greatest concentration of glaciers in the “Lower 48” and are full of high mountain meadows peppered with wild flowers. The mountain sections operate in the Sawtooth, Pasayten, and Glacier Peak Wilderness areas, as well as North Cascades National Park. All lie on the east side of the North Cascades and receive significantly less rainfall than the western coast of Washington. Temperatures typically range from freezing to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Syilx tmixʷ (Okanagan), Yakama, Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ (Nlaka'pamux), Methow, np̓əšqʷáw̓səxʷ (Wenatchi), Coast Salish, Skagit, Tulalip, Entiat, Chelan, Skykomish and Nuxwsa'7aq (Nooksack) nations.